Walk shorts and capris

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Walk shorts and capris

— by Angie

on April 17, 2008

Cropped pants fall into two categories: walk shorts and capris. The distinction is based on length rather than silhouette:

Walk shorts are pants that are cropped anywhere from just above the knee to the widest part of the calf. Clamdiggers, bemudas, pedal pushers and culottes are all forms of walk shorts.
Capris are pants that are cropped below the calf and above the ankle. I am allergic to pants at this length. They are extremely leg shortening and unflattering. Models that sport capri lengths wear 4 inch heels which visually raises the hemline. I rest my case.

Retailers and magazines often refer to clamdiggers as capris, which confuses the issue. As long as cropped pants fall on, or above, the widest part of your calf, I’m in favour of them. Anything longer looks dumpy. Stacey London and Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear are not opposed to capri-length pants (which explains why Stacey wears them throughout her book “Dress your Best”). We will agree to disagree.

Walk shorts at the perfect length (clamdiggers, culottes and bemudas)

Capris at an awfully unflattering length.

Instant Style Tips · Spring 2008

42 comments · Add a comment

Rhonda

I’m with you on this one! Capris always remind me of a child who has had a growth spurt and outgrown her pants!

April 17, 2008 at 7:09 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Halleluiah Rhonda.

April 17, 2008 at 7:21 am

Adiel

(website)

I’m always hesitant to wear/buy any sort of cropped pants or shorts. I may try a bit harder to do so this spring/summer because the top three style look great on the models. I’ll have to do some shopping around to find something that looks good on me.

April 17, 2008 at 7:42 am

Maya

I’m in agreement on the length, but I can’t figure out the width. The examples you have posted show shorts/capris at widths varying from ultra skinny to wide and floaty. Is there a rule about that?

April 17, 2008 at 7:45 am

Sihaya

I agree with you. And now I’m trying to figure out how to make my walk shorts more dressy so I can use them in smart casual situations on hot days.

April 17, 2008 at 7:48 am

Tanya

I totally agree with this. I have two pairs od ‘evil length’ capris that I could never force myself to wear, now I know why! They are destined to meet the tailor to shorten them to walk shorts.

April 17, 2008 at 7:51 am

Patricaai

When I was a kid I always had high water pants b/c my mom was too broke to buy me long pants to accommodate my growth spurt. So whenever I see capris pants it always reminds me of my poor days when i looked like huckleberry finn…

April 17, 2008 at 7:58 am

Becca

(website)

Hmm. I don’t know. I like capri’s if they are at the right length and with the right shoe. That can make or break a capri look. I happen to like them because I like my ankles and I think it showcases them nicely.

Now on the other hand, I have a hard time with walking shorts because to me they seem to just chop people up into thirds, which really looks unflattering to me, unless you have really long legs.

So I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree too.

Cheers!

April 17, 2008 at 8:23 am

maris olsen

I do basically agree with you Angie, but I do think the center picture on the bottom is OK for people with my body type. I am 5′ 8″ and five feet of my height is in my legs. If you do have very long legs and are tall – I think a “slightly above the ankle” length with sandals looks great in the summer – as long as they are not too wide.

April 17, 2008 at 8:39 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Thanks for your input Maris. I have seen a similar description work with leggings or ultra tapered skinny-leg jeans AND high heels on uber thin and extra tall models. Other than that body type, I just cannot see capri pant lengths working.

April 17, 2008 at 8:57 am

Marlene

(website)

The ONLY way for capris to look halfway decent is having them hemmed at the thinnest part of the calf. And only if your proportion is long legs/short torso. Otherwise, you just end up looking like you have really, really short/wide legs. Even with the right proportions, its a sticky situation. Dealing with the width…too wide and you look stumpy. Too narrow and you look silly as well. Capri pants are just too risky for the average person to carry off with dignity!

Here in San Diego, capris are really part of the casual uniform because of the heat. I cringe when sitting in carpool, watching all the moms make themselves look squat with their “cargo” capris and boxy t-shirts. How much can I take???

As for me, now that I have seen the light, I am going with SKIRTS for the summer.

April 17, 2008 at 9:12 am

Antje

The J. Crew matchstick clamdiggers (top left image) are absolutely adorable. I tried them on and really liked them. Ultry comfy and cute. I didn’t buy them, because I couldn’t yet see how -or if- to make them work for smart casual. They look very casual to me; and I’m not willing to spend that much money on casual clamdiggers. Angie, would you consider them workable for smart cas?

April 17, 2008 at 9:17 am

Sarah

This is sort of something I discovered on my own. Until I started reading YLF I’d never even heard of walk shorts, but I had several pairs of capris. But I hadn’t had them long before I just plain stopped wearing them, because they looked awful. I’m only 5’2” and even with my long legs I looked about 4’11” in capris.

Hm, I certainly didn’t know culottes could be fashionable. I grew up in culottes and skirts at my Christian school, but our culottes were a lot fuller than the pair pictured above. And they had elastic waists and made me look frumpy. I looked boxy with my t-shirts hanging out and with them tucked in I loosed like a sausage tied in the middle. We always called our culottes “parachutes,” if that gives you any idea how much fabric was gathered on the waists.

April 17, 2008 at 10:37 am

Patience

Antje, I bought the jcrew clamdiggers and had them hemmed up a bit so I don’t have to roll them up. Unrolled they were too long. I plan on using them for smart casual. I think rolling them makes them more casual.

April 17, 2008 at 10:54 am

Ana Ortiz

I love to wear capris during summer. I don’t think I could wear walking shorts… I don’t think I have the body for them!

April 17, 2008 at 11:09 am

jen

Hmm, that’s weird. I would call all of these capris, except the upper right ones, which are the only ones above the knee. To me, that’s the definition of shorts: above the knee.

So by my definition, capris can be flattering – provided they hit where the top left and top middle photo hit on the leg!! I.e., right at the skinniest part of the lower leg, before the calf.

I do have just one pair of “dressy” capris that are narrower than the bottom-left and bottom-center, but not as narrow as bottom-right. I will ONLY wear that particular pair with pointy-toed high heels. They look absolutely terrible with flats.

April 17, 2008 at 11:52 am

pamphyila

(website)

??? I would think that the 2 first out of the 2 which you dislike are the most flattering! The others look weird to me. Of course, I am short, and cropped pants aend up being almost full length for me, anyway.

April 17, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Antje

Patience, which color did you get the J Crew matchstick clamdiggers in? I should have be more specific: I was thinking of the dark blue denim ones. (I saw them also in white, grey, and coral red.) I know I’d get most wear out of the denim blue ones, but again, somehow I cannot see them be smart casual, even without rolling them up. But maybe I’m just not used to summer wear yet?? Patience, what kinds of tops are you planning to combine them with?

April 17, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Ana

Antje, I think you make the J. Crew clamdiggers smart casual by wearing a blousy top in a dressier fabric and belting it, or if you wore a more “smart casual” top–layered with a nice cami, or a light cardigan or short sleeved jacket, nicer jewelry, etc. Patience is right, they would need to be unrolled and tailored to the correct length for you. The roll puts them in more of a casual category.

April 17, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Maya, the “width” depends on body type, and the tops that you pair with them. I can blog about that later.

Nice strategy, Marlene! Jen you’ve got it. It’s a question of semantics, but we are on the same wavelength

Ana, where do those capris hit your legs for length?

Antje, those J Crew clamdiggers are outstanding. I bought a pair in white denim. I have a pair of ink blue denim clamdiggers from Zara that are virtually the same. Patience seems to like them too and makes a super point. I do not need to roll mine down as they hit the right part of my calf un-rolled. I wear these smart casually all the time. You’ll treat them just like your smart dark denims – but cropped. Streamlined layers on top with fancy flats on your feet. It works really well. I like them best with blousie tops and camisoles, or tunics. Even wear my army shirt dress over them. Fabulous.

April 17, 2008 at 3:59 pm

cathy

Capris are so strange and so bad for the mainstream public. I don’t mean to sound like a snob but there are so many women on the streets wearing capris who shouldn’t, simply because the stores carry them. The flattering clam digger cropped at the knee length is harder to find for some reason. ??

April 17, 2008 at 4:24 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Bless you Cathy. The reason we find loads of capris in store is because women buy them. Retail revolves around profits and capris are a money spinner. Sadly, they sell well which explains why they’re all over the street.

I must give credit where its due. Walk shorts (my definition), are becoming a lot more popular at retail level. I noticed this because there has been little need to hem shorter off the rack when I shop with clients. Clamdiggers are my first suggestion for walk shorts. You’ll be surprised at how flattering they are when worn with the correct pieces. Try them.

April 17, 2008 at 4:38 pm

Ana

Angie, I tried on the J. Crew clam diggers and they hit below my knee, even rolled up. I haven’t yet decided for or against them, because I tend to wear shorter tops, and they hug my hips all the way down and really emphasize them. I’m not yet sure whether this is a flattering look for me.

I really like the KUT from the Kloth walk shorts you posted on the blog. I will definitely be making a trip to Nordie’s to check those out. I haven’t ever tried that brand–do you know if they run fairly true to size in case I have to order them online?

April 17, 2008 at 4:48 pm

Yvonne

Thanks for clearing that up! Ha, I thought that Capris were the length of what you termed “walking shorts”. I stand corrected. I agree with you–the length below the calf of the leg–really awful.

April 17, 2008 at 6:20 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Below the knee is fine, Ana. Mine are below the knee too. Below the calf is a problem. How long are your shorter tops?

The KUT shorts are good on and run try to size.

April 17, 2008 at 6:40 pm

Ana

My shorter tops come to right below the hip bone/right above the “crotch” (for lack of a better word).

The only problem I have with a below the knee length is that since my legs are short, I think that length tends to make my legs look even shorter. I could possibly get away with it if I wore a longer, tunic length top with the clamdiggers so you couldn’t really tell where my legs started (like a dress does). This would cover my thighs as well. What do you think about this?

Thanks for the tip on the KUTs.

April 17, 2008 at 6:54 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh! You are THAT Ana. Quite right. You’d probably look better with them a little shorter. On the knee or a little shorter than that even. You can hem them that length.

You’re wearing your shorter tops at the right length. This is music to my ears. I like the idea of the tunic. Try it and let us know what you think.

April 17, 2008 at 7:11 pm

Ana

It does get confusing on here sometimes, doesn’t it?

April 17, 2008 at 7:15 pm

Patience

Antje, I have the dark wash ones. Now that Angie has explained how to wear them, I think you should go for it if you like the way they look on. I plan on wearing mine to work (and I think we work in similar environments). I may even end up getting the white too.
Ana, I bought the KUT shorts last year (slightly different styling) and they were one of my favorite things to wear. Although I will say that I went to Nordstrom to try the ones for this year and all they had left was red.
Angie, I hope you will do a blog post for tops to go with walk shorts.

April 17, 2008 at 8:46 pm

Meg from All About Appearances

(website)

I definitely prefer both styles to shorter shorts, though walk shorts are definitely more flattering than capris on pretty much everyone.

Still, I like my capris. More specifically, I like them on me. Even though I still rarely wear pants of any type, I like that I can wear capris better than most women — one of the perks of being a 5’10 hourglass, I guess.

However, as I’ve said before, I still don’t like them worn with heels. It just does something to the proportions that doesn’t sit right with me, and it dresses them up too much. Dare I say, I still like them best when paired with flip flops. Maybe it’s the Floridian in me, but I think they work best as part of a “toes in the sand casual” look, perfect for strolling around town on a summer afternoon. And it’s still a huge step up from the ultra-casual stuff that most people seem to wear around here. I’ve tried them with ballet flats, but that rarely works because my feet usually look too small. However, while I haven’t tried the combination myself, capris do seem to play well with a lot of skimmers.

April 17, 2008 at 9:14 pm

pemn

(website)

I Posted to Ask Angie: >>I tried to search for this here, but didn’t see anything. Is there ANY length of cropped pant that can “safely” be worn by someone w/a pear shape? Trying to come up with something comfortable for hot weather…

April 18, 2008 at 9:08 am

Karen

(website)

I don’t mind the aqua pair of capris. The darker colors look more awkward to me. I think of capris/crop pants as being very summery and beachy, which is a nice thing…… once in a while. I realize that capris/crop pants are a near universal mommy uniform. It feels so safe to be a little more covered up in summer.

I have seen women look adorable in capris, so I think it depends on the person, the outfit, the styling, etc. etc.

I do like bermuda length shorts too. I think with each, finding the right fit/color/cut is personal, and in the end it’s about what a woman feels good wearing.

April 21, 2008 at 6:41 pm

Judy

OK, what do you do if you have ugly, knobby knees and a bulge on your inner-knee, slightly below knee level Anything around my knees, either a bit above/at the knee/or below, looks horrid on me. My calves are the shapeliest part of my leg and I have a very dainy, small ankle. So I think capris that hit the narrow part of my leg between the heaviest part of the calf and the ankle are the most flattering on me….about the length of the turqoise one. Your thoughts?

April 26, 2008 at 10:49 am

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

If you have shapely calves Judy, show them off and don’t cover them up. I cannot see the length that you have described as working. Take the length to just above your calf or on the widest part of it ( this covers your knees completely). Find your sweet knee length, but don’t go as long as the length on the turquoise pants. It’s terribly unflattering.

April 26, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Carolyn

I was fortunate to find a new shipment of the KUTs in denim at our Dallas NorthPark Nordstrom today. I am short like Ana and like Judy, have shapely calves. My question: do I roll the bottom up one cuff length to be more flattering, or get them hemmed that much so they hit below the knee? I know this will be one of my staples for the summer!

April 28, 2008 at 11:16 am

youlookfab » Blog Archive » Clamdiggers: the Summer skinny

(website)

[…] are the warm weather alternative to skinny and straight leg jeans. They are a capri that fits snugly through the thigh and knee, finishing somewhere just below the knee, or on the […]

May 14, 2008 at 7:00 am

youlookfab » Blog Archive » Slip-on sneakers

(website)

[…] low which means that they’re prefect paired with anything from casual frocks and skirts, to walk shorts, capris, casual pants and […]

May 29, 2008 at 3:05 am

Mom on the go: flop-proof outfit #1 | youlookfab

(website)

[…] and comfortable ensemble choice and I’ll touch on those possibilities in a future blog entry). Cropped pants therefore take center stage for the flop-proof SAHM Summer look. Match them with a sweet top, fab […]

July 25, 2008 at 8:30 pm

michelle

THANK YOU for showing the wrong lengths that don’t work, as well as the lengths that do work!

May 13, 2009 at 8:04 am

10 must-haves for Spring & Summer 2009 | youlookfab

(website)

[…] Walk shorts and clamdiggers: These are your “go to” Summer jeans or pants. […]

May 29, 2009 at 7:21 am

New cropped pant lengths give me heart failure

(website)

[…] already having apoplexies about cropped pant styles this season. Where are all the leg lengthening knee-length walk shorts and clamdiggers? At the moment, it’s all about short shorts and longer length cropped pants that […]

February 23, 2010 at 7:33 am

Petite Artiste

Disagree completely. The three ladies pictured in “capris” look vastly better & slimmer to me, than those in shorts, although the shorter turquoise capris are an awkward length, not particularly flattering & would look better with sandals. I believe that unless the cut is just right for the wearer’s figure, shorts of any kind are fraught with peril. The middle short, in particular, with it’s wide hems & high platform sandals looks tacky & awful. Like bell-bottoms that shrank.
Capris that hit just above the ankle bone, especially those that are tapered & slim, worn with FLATS, are flattering & leg-lengthening on just about anyone.

June 28, 2013 at 10:43 am

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