Under certain conditions I can appreciate this look on someone else, but I’m not a huge fan. Rolled up cuffs cut the leg line and so do pants cropped at an unflattering length. Before you know it, you’re sporting a leg shortening look, which isn’t as attractive as a more proportional or leg lengthening one. So please proceed with caution when you roll up or cuff long  pants and jeans.

Here are a few ways to lengthen the leg line and balance out the effect of the cuffs:

1. Keep the hem width tapered: Rolled up wide widths seldom work because they are too horizontally cutting. Keeping the silhouette sleek reduces the horizontal integrity of the cuff and is infinitely more flattering.
2. Keep the roll at the ankle or above the widest part of the calf: The post I wrote last year on boyfriend jeans illustrates this point. It’s the in-between length that can result in a dumpy silhouette.
3. Choose a low contrast cuff colour: Dark stone washed jeans have high contrast cuffs whereas light stone washes and pants create low contrast cuffs. Low contrasts are less visually horizontal which in turn elongates the leg line.
4. Choose a low contrast shoe colour: Keeping the shoe colour low contrast or close to the colour of your skin tone visually extends the length of the leg.
5. Add a waist cinching belt: Creating a defined waist with a belt elongates the leg line above the crotch point thereby extending the leg even further.
6. Add heels: Unless you have super long slim legs, it’s best to wear this look with a relatively high heel to balance out the effect of the horizontal cuff and the dangerous length of cropped pants.

In some cases you’ll apply all the guidelines at once whereas in others you will use only a few at a time. Personally, the only bottoms I feel good rolling up are clamdiggers, which end on the knee after they’ve been rolled. I find this length flop proof because a break at the knee doesn’t shorten the leg line. I can wear my flats and still feel fab. As for rolling up long pants, I’m passing on that look for now.

Are you cuffing and rolling long pants and jeans?

These are rolled and cuffed pants/jeans and shoe combinations I find flattering. The lengths are more or less in the right place and the footwear is high-heeled (apart from one pair of oxfords) and low contrast against the foot.

I came across these bohemian hippy numbers recently and chuckled. This is not  a mainstream look by any stretch of the imagination. And I still don’t know whether these bellbottoms are supposed to be a beach cover-up, an item of loungewear, or something eye-catching to wear whenever it tickles your fancy.

Whether you like them or not, there are gals who will pull this look off perfectly well. I’m not one of them – are you?

There are no hard and fast rules on the type of necklace you should pair with a particular style of belt, and an almost infinite number of workable combinations. But you do have to ensure that the two accessories aren’t in competition with each other.

The two main variables you have to play with are the contrast of the belt against your outfit and the length of the necklace. Here are two safe options (the principles apply to both waist-cinching and hip slung belts):

1. Pair any belt with a short necklace: The belt can be any width and either low or high contrast against your outfit. With a short necklace (above the bust line), the two accessories are far enough apart that they don’t compete.
2. Pair a low contrast belt with any length necklace: The belt can be any width, but when it’s low contrast against an outfit the necklace becomes the focal point so the two accessories live in harmony.

This is not to say that it’s impossible to make a long necklace work with a high contrast belt, but this combination is more risky and harder to get right.

Another problem arises, especially if you are short-waisted, when long necklaces touch your belt. I find that long necklaces clank against my belt when I sit down. It drives me batty so I only pair belts with short necklaces.

If you’re still doubt, leave off either the necklace or the belt. Or leave off the necklace and wear earrings.

I love fashion magazines and purchase many throughout the year. My favourites are British Vogue and In Style, American Glamour, Lucky, Allure and Elle. The main reason I purchase them is to check out upcoming trends and designer collections. I also enjoy taking in the advertising.

My own style is very seldom inspired by the outfits I see in magazines. To date I have never cut out tried to recreate a look that I saw in a magazine. But I am inspired by upcoming trends and designer collections because I’m hungry for new stuff and excited to know in which direction fashion is heading. Designer collections often showcase new trends through their ads and it’s fun to watch them trickle down to retail level.

Do you purchase fashion magazines and are you inspired by their content? If so, how do they inspire you?