Ripped and worn-in jeans used to be so hip back in the 90s that I owned several pairs myself. There was one which I had bought to rip intentionally – which I did with a pair of scissors over the knees and on the back pockets. There was also another which I had taken a pair of scissors to and cut off to make into a pair of jean shorts and one could see the pockets peeking out from underneath. Its hem was shredded and it provoked responses from my parents such as: “Why did you cut up your jeans? You can’t buy a pair to tear apart you know…” and I would smile before replying that it was the hip thing to do.

That trend soon faded, replaced by smarter dark blues, the ever unforgiving skinny jeans and then the wide-legged man-styles for a more polished look even during casual days. Now, it seems that ripped, shredded and worn-in jeans are back again and this time, in full celebrity force.

Don’t believe me?

Take a look at these A-listers who have been seen out and about donning the latest ripped jeans. I don’t think they took the jeans apart themselves though – I’d bet they bought them off the rack!

Reese Witherspoon goes downtown casual in rolled up jeans with tears matched it a chic white carry-all and a necklace. Because of the careful pieces in the ensemble, she manages to look chic despite the tears on the jeans

Going for a pair that’s tight in indigo blue, Rihanna does her grocery shopping in style. She’s also wrapped a scarf around her neck and worn ballerina flats

Rachel Bilson is in comfort – toting her dog along, she’s matched her tote bag to her brown gladiator flats. Her stone-washed jeans have been rolled up and with the white tee, she emits a don’t-care vibe. For someone so petite (she’s 5 feet 2 inches), her jeans shouldn’t be too baggy that it swamps her

Mena Suvari has managed to take a cool pair of faded dark blues with rips at the knees and transformed it into a quirky off-beat look matched with stilettos, a black tank top and a headband

Yes, you can pair your ripped jeans with a white work shirt like Mandy Moore has done here. Just ensure your shirt isn’t baggy and shapeless because it’ll make you look scruffy and you don’t need that with the torn jeans doing that for you

Lauren Conrad does a mix of high-end and low-end with a Chanel chain strap purse on one shoulder, heels and a white shirt paired with her indigo skinny jeans. The single rip on the left knee look like she might have actually done the tearing herself!

Katie Holmes has been seen around town in baggy jeans matched with knit sweaters and T-shirts and here, the actress keeps warm by adding a white pea coat to her denim to keep warm

Trust Ashley Olsen to make this trend hip and urban. I love the leather jacket with zips add her black tote, plus the pair of thongs on her feet just give this lazy I-don’t care attitude

If you prefer the DIY route, take to an old pair of jeans you don’t really wear anymore and give it a new lease of life with a pair of scissors, a pumice stone and sandpaper. You can put in cuts and rips with the scissors, fade out areas using the pumice stone, and sandpaper the hems and edges for a worn-out, frayed look. Ta-da!

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