Wearing full-length flared pants and jeans with flats, sneakers or flatforms is extremely on-trend. It’s a look I remember was popular in the ‘90s, and I wore it then too. By flared bottoms, I mean wide legs, very roomy straights, and bootcuts. The bottoms need to be wide or very wide at the hems, and not remotely tapered.
Here are examples of full-length jeans and pants worn with flats when the hems skim the surface of the ground. To my eye, these are perfect pant lengths. The visual effect is conventionally flattering because the leg line is extended from the ankle down without the aid of a heel. It looks intentional, chic, not like your pants are too short, and very luxurious.
That said, as gorgeous as this extra long length is, it’s a problem in wet and snowy weather. Soggy hems are a nightmare. Extreme width at this length can be hazardous, especially walking up and down stairs, and when you walk fast. There’s the break line and scrunch, which is unattractive to some. And keeping ground-sweeping hems unsoiled can be a challenge.
For several seasons fashion has been focussing more on the practical aspects of our lives. A very good thing! Wearing flared pants and jeans with flats, sneakers and flatforms at a slightly shorter length is not only more practical, but the trendy way to wear them. Enter the new, shorter full-length pant or jeans. The flared hems rest on the vamp of the shoe or foot. No break line or scrunch, no soggy hems, and no sweeping the pavements with your bottoms. The length is ankle-covering and not cropped, so there’s insulation. You see your shoes in all their glory.
Here are some good examples of the new shorter full length.
Some will say that they’ve always worn their full-length flares with flats at the new shorter full length because it’s practical and to their eye, more flattering. They like to showcase their shoes, and don’t like the look of a break line. Others will prefer the extra long full length because it looks intentional, not as if your pants are too short, extends the leg line, and is awfully elegant.
This is 2019, and DYOT (do your own thing) reigns supreme. Choose the full length that tickles your fancy and it’s all good.
Lengths are my thing, and I will absolutely split hairs about it. I LOVE the look of full-length flared bottoms that skim the surface of the ground with a break line precisely for the visual benefits that I mentioned up top. That length is forever flattering, luxurious, and gorgeous to my eye. But the sky must be falling because I’ve surprised myself by ALSO loving the new shorter full length — and been sporting it for a month! It’s a lot more practical for my wet climate and urban walking lifestyle. It’s a fab look with flat booties and sneakers (my go-to footwear). It’s playful, trendy, a little preppy, and above all — I’m having fun sporting the change. I have three pairs of jeans that I’m currently wearing at this shorter full length. The collection shows the exact pairs of jeans from my wardrobe. I wear the cuffed pairs longer than in the stock photos so that the hems touch the vamps of my shoes.
If someone as pedantic about lengths as me is sporting the new shorter full-length pant and jeans, you can truly never say never when it comes to fashion and style.
Over to you. What’s your length preference for flared pants and jeans worn with flats, sneakers and flatforms?
