How to turn jeans into a pencil skirt (as made by Topshop)

Topshop's creative team show how to snip and rip yourself a sassy skirt

Heritage Tailors' Shears, £22, by johnlewis.com; Skirt custom-made by Stephanie Tschirsky at the Royal College of Art (Wilma)

Marilyn Monroe was one of the first Hollywood starlets to be photographed in her cotton 'de Nîmes', and now it's your turn. A pencil skirt can add a bit of a siren's wiggle to your step: here, the creative team of Topshop show how to snip and rip an old pair of jeans into a sassy skirt.

YOU WILL NEED

Pair of jeans
Measuring tape
Chalk
Scissors
Seam ripper
Iron
Bondaweb
Needle
Thread

THE MAKE

1. Decide the skirt length then mark this point on your jeans using the chalk and tape.

2. Using the seam ripper, unpick all the inner leg seams up to the front fly and back yoke, in between back pockets.

3. Place one front panel over the other, making sure there is no gap and the fabric lies flat.

4. Fold the inside leg seam on the front panel under to create a straight fold line, then iron the fold down to hold it in place and either machine stitch up this new seam line or use Bondaweb to stick in place.

5. Using machine, or with a sturdy backstitch, sew the denim panel to create the front seam of your skirt. Sew two lines alongside each other to create a denim 'twin needle' effect.

6. Trim the hem off to ensure it's straight.

7. Turn up the hem and sew it in place to finish.

This is an exclusive preview from 'Make Life Beautiful' by Camilla Morton, published autumn 2015 by Hutchinson/Random House