Longer vs. shorter crop length? - YouLookFab Forum

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Longer vs. shorter crop length?

Greenjeans

Veteran

Does your eye prefer a longer or shorter crop length?

I'm finding I'm liking longer crop lengths, just (2") above the ankle but no shorter, because that length looks fresh to my eye. Whereas the shorter crops tend to look like capri pants to me.

Anyway, I think everyone's body is a little different in this regard, and what looks just-right on one person may look off on another. I am also finding that a lot of times when people here are responding to pant length questions with "go shorter!" the slightly longer look to me looks just about right. So, I am wondering if my meter is off.

What do you think?

Dressing

18 replies

Latest reply was from Greenjeans

DonnaF

Veteran

I have very low volume feet so my ankles are closer to the ground than most. I have to go shorter than 2" above my ankles to make the pants LOOK at least that short. Weird, huh? I also think camera angle makes a difference. The shorter length needs to look intentional, so that is what I'm thinking when I assess length.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Is there a problem with Capri pants to you Greenjeans? Where do you think those finish and do they look bad to you?

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I like them a little shorter so that the look is intentional.

Greenjeans

Veteran

Thanks, Jenni. I had a pair of cropped GAP painter pants that I wore to death in the early aughts (that I thought looked great) until my husband told me he hated them. So, hmm . . .

tulle

Veteran

I'm with you, Greenjeans. I had those Gap pants (in some pale pretty colors) too. Luckily they were long on me, so I had to roll them a bit, which made them look less frumpy to my eye. But that's how I feel in shorter cropped pants--frumpy--unless they are very narrow. I like wide pants barely cropped, for the moment. But I'm still experimenting.

Anonymous

I like them shorter on myself. They look more like a skirt. With the longer length, they cut at a part of my calf that makes me look a bit knock knee'd. Weird.

I have no issues with capris. I think the main problem with them is that they are associated with middle age, but I don't see anything inherently wrong with them.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I feared someone would say frumpy. I did read a stylist here in NZ say she wished those cropped slightly wide pants so many middle aged women wore would be banned! I am with tulle that I prefer them a bit narrower. But it's hard to buy narrow ones at the moment. I've just bought 3 new pairs on holiday in Australia, 2 very cropped just below the knee, one above the ankle with interesting buttons. The white pair is to replace some white ones from 2013 which are yellowing. I loved them as they were narrower, pic attached. Are they frumpy? I hoped not but willing to be told if they were.
ETA pic failed, may have to add on desktop later( trying on my phone)

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Photo here- cleared history, logged out and in again. This is the narrower white pair that I'm needing to replace as yellowing.

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deb

Veteran

i like both. it really depends on the top i wear as to which length i choose.

Jane

Veteran

I hacked a pair of white jeans and I really like them in the shorter length, even more so now they are worn in and don't feel particularly different or unusual to me. I think if you could bear it, I would give the shorter and wider length a go.

approprio

(website)

Veteran

This. Totally agree with you, with the caveat that this as a deeply personal preference. As you say, one woman's meat is another's poison, and I'm liking this look on others, just not on myself. Right now, high water is my guilty pleasure. It might also be my personal PPL, on account of my chunky feet and skinny ankles, but that's not the whole story.

These shorter wide legged pants, the kind that are trending right now, were a signature look for me somewhere in the late '80s. I remember being the the first girl in town to pick them up. The boys were sneering but the girls were taking notes. One season I was an outlier, within a few months everyone was wearing them. That's when I knew I had to move on to something else.

I think I'm always very resistant to being overtly trendy. I love being slightly ahead of the curve, or just on the edge of it, but I don't like looking too much like everyone else. The other thing is that I've done too many variations of this look in the past and I don't think I'm ready to go back just yet.

Cins

I have eschewed narrower bottom pants- any length- for this season and looking for wide leg A-line LIGHT weight ones that have movement. I think they look modern and fresh, but only seem to work with tighter, shorter length or tucked in tops. so far I have found white culottes that are a little shorter than mid-shin and cropped above the ankle blue denim, Looking for lighter weight light blue chambray now. I like the look and newness of it. So sick of skinnies!

viva

Veteran

I think so many factors come into play - personal preference, how fashion forward one is, and also body frame has something to do with it too. On my body, I need a certain amount of ankle to be clearly visible or I look like a teen wearing my older sister's clothing. (Not really, but YKWIM). (Using an acronym to underscore the teen idea haha). My black cropped wide legs were originally quite long (you would have loved them, greenjeans) but I had the hem raised about 1.5 inches and they worked much better for me. Still on the longer side (which is what I prefer overall) but not long.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I have an assortment. Everything from 2 inches to 10 inches above the ankle bone. It has to look INTENTIONAL though. And since I prefer to wear flats and very low heels - shorter is better - like 2 to 4 inches. Great with hi tops. Shorter than that is Summer clothing.

I have poison eye for cropped pants that are too long. Especially when the pants are on a petite, the top is untucked, the hems are wide and the vamps of the shoes do not close the gap and are high contrast. All I want to do is shorten the pants.

Liz (approprio), wore pants that were "high waters" and grazing her ankle - but they worked because: she's tall, the hems of the pants were narrow, the pants were black and so were the shoes, and the shoes had high heels.

Diana

Veteran

Like Donna, my feet are very low volume and flat plus I wear mostly flat or low heels so my pants appear closer to the ground. So mine are also closer to 4" above but look longer than that. I have a pair of sandals with a wider strap that goes above my ankle bone, and my rule is generally that that whole strap has to show.

ETA: to Angie's point, I feel like too-long crops are a disaster on me because of the combo of low volume feet and skinny ankles (so the hems tend to look super wide). One reason I've had so much trouble finding Audrey style cigarette pants (true ankle length) is that every pair I try on is way too wide at the ankle.

kkards

Veteran

i just to think longer was better, but the more i experiment, the more i find shorter, is better

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

High fiving, Diana and kkards.

Greenjeans

Veteran

Angie, thank you so much for recommending the Liverpool Layla crops. They are the pants that inspired this thread. I ordered them and adore, and don't typically like spongy jeans but these are somehow fantastic. (Seriously, have not been this excited about a pair of pants in a long time.) They hit me about 2" above the ankle and feel wholly fresh and swingy. Could probably bear to go an inch or so shorter as some of you (kkards, Jane, Chewy and Donna) have suggested, but love them so cannot bear to hack . . . yet. If I could duplicate, I would, and try different lengths.

Thanks, approprio and tulle, you speak my language! Or I am wanting to speak yours.

Diana, I've enjoyed your pant-length posts and think you can handle a range of cropped lengths and do like slightly longer crops on you, but as mentioned above, my eye skews slightly longer than most in this regard, so take with a grain of salt.

Viva, your book club wide legs looked perfect to me.

Good points, cins and smittie and deb. Thank you.

And nice pic, Jenni! Thank you. You look great.

Liverpool Layla Wide Leg Crop with Released Hem on Silky Soft Denim in Havasu Deep Blue

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