By definition, ombre means having colors or tones that shade into each other gradually from light to dark, or dark to light. Ombre style shirts are just that. Sometimes, they are also called dip dye shirts. They are popularly worn during the summer as ombre style shirts are usually made of lightweight fabric. But contrary to popular belief, they can also be styled into your spring, fall, or winter wardrobes!
Ombre shirts are readily available for purchase out in the market, but for those who prefer to DIY, there are a number of options and ways on how to do it! Here are a few different ways on how to create ombre style shirts:
DIY Dip Dye With Speckles
Materials needed:
1 tray
1 measuring cup
Salt
Dylon dye of any color (make sure they are not machine washable)
Cleaning gloves
An old white shirt
Instructions:
In a tray filled with 4 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of salt, mix in a quarter of the Dylon dyeing powder. Once the powder has dissolved, fill up the tray with water to make the color diluted. Soak the bottom of the shirt so the color will trail upward nicely. Dip the tee a little bit more until you see the color running up. Keep it in for about a minute since you want the color to be quite faint and not solid. Remove the tee from the dye and squeeze out the excess water/dye mixture. Start rinsing with cold running water. Hang the shirt to dry for about 15 minutes until it’s damp, then take some leftover powder dye and sprinkle it onto the dyed part of the tee which will produce the speckled effect. Once the dye has been fully absorbed by the tee, rinse it in the sink one last time before hanging it again to dry.
Bleached Ombre Denim Shirt
Materials needed:
A denim shirt
2 liters Fabric-safe bleach
1 large stainless steel pot
A pair of rubber gloves
Instructions:
First, soak your shirt in water and thoroughly wring out the excess water. Next, pour in a liter of bleach onto the large stainless steel pot. Place the bottom part of you shirt into the bleach with the rest of it hanging out from the pot. Gradually add more bleach to achieve your desired color. Leave for about 30 minutes or so (depending on how strong you want the bleach to seep into your shirt) before taking it out of the pot and rinsing off any excess bleach. Throw your bleached shirt in the washing machine to rinse, and ta-da! Say hello to your newly bleached ombre denim shirt!
Dip Dyed Shirt (J.Crew Inspired)
Materials needed:
Fabric dye
Salt
A white shirt
Stainless steel kitchen sink
Warm water
Instructions:
Soak your white shirt in warm water then wring out the excess. Plug the clean kitchen sink and fill it with warm water, about 3 or 4”. Stir in some dye and 2 tablespoons of salt (try putting about 1/3 of the dye package, more if you want a darker color). Holding your shirt by the shoulders, carefully lower it into the dye mixture, stopping around the underarm area. Don’t let it sit too long since you want the dye at this part to be the lightest part of the gradient. To achieve the middle shade of the gradient, dip your shirt right back in but stop where you want the darker color to start. Hold the shirt in a bit longer, making sure to swish it through so as not to create sharp lines. To get to the darkest shade of the gradient, feel free to add more dye to the mixture before dipping your shirt back in. To let the dye seep in, leave the shirt to dry in the counter overnight. Rinse with some warm water and laundry detergent the next day.