So how long should a cropped pant be, then? - YouLookFab Forum

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So how long should a cropped pant be, then?

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I owned some capris back in the bad old days, but mostly I avoided cropped pants because I was a tall kid and my pants were always too short. Then I joined YLF and became a convert to Angie's PPL gospel.

But! I keep on seeing ankle-length cropped pants everywhere, even Angie-approved now. So how long should they really be? Looking at the Chelsea Turnups from Boden, for example, their regular length is 27" and the talls are 29". At 5'9" I usually look for a 33" inseam for a full-length pant. Does anyone know the delta of length between their full-length inseam and their ankle-cropped one? Or how many inches they tend to roll up their BF jeans? (I need some data, people!)

Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

Anonymous

Angie said in a recent post that she likes them at the top of the ankle, or 4-6 inches above the ankle (depending on other variables I guess there is a sweet spot).

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I'll be following this with interest! Being 5'4" I always feel a need for leg lengthening, and I've tried several crops with limited success. However, I tend to prefer longer lengths than those Angie recommends, since so short pants don't seem to work for me, plus it's a climate adjustment. My most flattering length is probably 1-2" above the ankle bone.

carter

Veteran

I'm 5'5", and I'm about to have mine hemmed to about 3" above the top of the ankle bone. More key, I think, is having then tapered a bit more. I played with them a bit, clipping the back with binder clips, and the tapered look really is surprisingly leg-lengthening and slimming.

Gaylene

Veteran

I really think your mirror is the best guide for your sweet spot when it comes to cropped pants. Taking a photo can also be helpful. I'd start with Angie's guide, but, to be honest, I've found that, like Ingunn, I need to crop my pants about 1-2" above the ankle for the most flattering look. I also found that a straighter leg, instead of a tapered one, looks better over my (ahem!) athletic calf. Rolling to 4-6 inches above the ankle would be disastrous on my leg shape and just at the top of the ankle tends to make my proportionately short legs look stumpy unless I'm in really high heels.

unfrumped

Veteran

What Gaylene said but expanding to the taper is individual. I had my aha moment that a lot more taper at the ankle or wherever is good for me, and so I should probably plan to tailor in more taper, because I have to start out with a pant that has more ease through the hip and is not made of tight-stretchy fabric to begin with, hence, it is hard to get the right combo off the rack.
But if you posted photos of a length, I'll bet you would get a wide range of advice to raise or lower!

Heather

I just bought some new pairs of jeans that fit like a glove, and they are "ankle length". When I wear them, they come right down to the bone (striking right in the middle of it) which makes me think it's less of an ankle length. For what it's worth, I really like them hitting there. And with the rain this afternoon, they're WAY better than my old boot cuts that recently died.

catgirl

Veteran

My endless question... These, for example - not good?

http://m.nordstrom.com/Product.....wordsearch

http://m.nordstrom.com/Product.....wordsearch

http://m.nordstrom.com/Product.....wordsearch

Gaylene

Veteran

My endless question is (to paraphrase Una )...is it possible to ever set a definitive "rule" about anything in fashion given that we come in so many shapes, sizes, and ages, to say nothing of different figure flattery priorities?

Honestly, if I was limited to tapered cropped pants just above my ankles or 4"-6" above my ankles, I'd be totally unable to wear cropped pants. The shorter length cuts my 16" calf at its widest width which is decidedly unflattering. A tapered, ankle length could theoretically work if I sized up a couple of sizes in a very stretchy fabric to get enough width to squeeze over my calf muscle, but overall look would be kind of comical--narrow at the ankle, sausage-casing tight at the calf, baggy at the knees, and falling off my narrow hips at the top. The straight leg, on the other hand, nicely skims over my calf, and, by wearing the pant cropped an inch or so above my ankle, allows me to put the focus on my (relatively) slender ankle. Maybe I sacrifice a bit of leg lengthening, but, to be honest, I think the overall effect is quite flattering. And, more importantly, I get to have fun with fashion by wearing a cropped pant.

deb

Veteran

Here is my post from yesterday about rolled hems. Angie nixed the black straight legs but ok'd the red tapers with one roll down. (they were too short) I still do not have it straight in my head. Had Angie written a post on good and bad lengths with various widths? I could not find one.

Day Vies

Veteran

I think it truly depends on your proportions and the proportions you are trying to create with a specific outfit. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. As with all things it depends.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I do think it's really tough to judge this in the abstract. When I said what Gaylene said (in the blog comments to Angie's recent post on crops) she suggested that my "sweet spot" might be an inch below (i.e. more towards the ankle) than what she had recommended. Because I'm 5'4" and also have proportionately short calves. So you, Laura, might have to adjust for your height.

All in all, it makes cropped pants feel so fraught (not to mention all the weather issues with them for me) --- no wonder I am steering largely clear of them.

catgirl

Veteran

I agree, Suz and Gaylene. 4" on me is a lot different than 4" on Ornella! That said, I still have yet to get it right with all the factors involved.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Suz, I too have shied away so far, but I keep on seeing women irl wearing the ankle length with flats and looking very chic. When I try it myself in the mirror by rolling something up, it just looks like my pants are too short. Unsure if that's my eye unadjusted or at they just don't work for me. Do they work better on slim figures? Maybe it's the avoidance of an ice cream cone silhouette that is messing my attempts up.

I think my next step is to try to take some pictures with some rolled pants and see what all y'all think.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Laura, did you see this post? It should at least get you started:

http://youlookfab.com/2014/02/.....kle-pants/

Gaylene, are we ever going to see a photo of you? I try to piece together how you dress and what your body type is from the info that you share on this forum. Yet I'm still confused about what you look like, and what your style preferences are.

Ingunn, Una and Suz, perhaps your sweet spots are 3 inches above the ankle?

I have poison eye for the emerald Akris cropped pants Una linked to. That length in that silhouette, and not fully tapered. I cannot get my head around it looking flattering on anyone. But this opinion is a subjective thing. So nothing here is ever a rule - accept having fun with fashion.

http://m.nordstrom.com/Product.....r&

Gaylene

Veteran

Ah, Angie--maybe body parts? Honestly, I'm a fairly normal looking human being who now wears slouchy crops, Bermudas, and drapey sweaters due to your influence. Think of a slightly shorter Sveta with a less defined waist and a few more decades of experience.

Somehow I just can't quite get comfortable with the idea of posting selfies on the internet, even in a nice community like this one. But, hey, I'm the one who vowed never to never be caught dead in slouchy crops, so who knows.

lyn67

Veteran

I'm 100% with Gaylene, here:-)

unfrumped

Veteran

I think feet and shoe proportions matter, too, so for me it's not even what length, it's what length with these shoes( or vice versa) so I have to keep the whole end result in mind. I don't like the PeeWee Herman look with my relatively large shod feet out there somewhere below the pant hem, but did get to where I like the look of a
sliver of bare foot or ankle, below a taper pant, so I will probably focus on the longer lengths for " serious" pants but maybe some shorter for summer casual jeans and such with sneakers.

Gigi

Veteran

I have been wondering this myself. I stopped in at BR today to try on an ankle pant. The inseam was 26", as opposed to the 29" I usually wear (I wear petite sizes). The pants ended about 1 inch above my ankle bone. I didn't like the length because of the fact that there was gapping between the pant leg and my skin. In other words, it wasn't tapered enough. I rolled up the pant legs 2-3 more inches, which had a very flattering effect--the fabric was now right against my skin and therefore perfectly tapered. However, the rolls also made the pants somewhat tight at the bottom, such that when I sat down it was uncomfortable. So I have learned that I need to have a more tapered leg with maybe a 23" inseam or thereabouts. I do think that it is tough finding these kinds of pants, because a person has to worry a lot more about tapering than with regular pants (at least in my experience).

If I were you, I would just go into some stores and try some cropped and ankle styles on and see how they look on your figure. I would make sure to wear or bring along the type of shoes that you would wear with the pants.

fuzzylogic

Veteran

I agree with gaylene and others- this all depends on on your shape, what look you are trying to create and where you are willing to compromise! Cropped culottes? 7/8 skinnies? 3/4 clam diggers or knickerbockers? With heels or flats?

Grab a pair and let's play!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I agree totally with Suz. I tend to stay away unless they are shorter crops that are more like clamdiggers for this very reason. All those pictures Una posted make me shudder, although I think the last pair could be salvaged with a little shortening or tapering.

viva

Veteran

I think this is entirely a matter of personal preference and has a lot to do with body type too.

So, so much more complex than bootcut trousers.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I look forward to seeing your photo one day, Gaylene.

High five, Janet and Suz.

I love calf length culottes.

Eliza

Veteran

All the variables make it so complicated. And since footwear is a critical part of the equation, it gets even harder. I will likely have very few cropped ankle pants in my life.

And as to the links Una posted, I am dumb-founded. Agree that those Akris pants are unbearable. To my eye, they look like something you would see on late night TV ads. Until you see the price... They don't look flattering as Angie said, and I don't see that they offer anything to compensate for that fact (edginess, modernity, ease of styling, etc.).

On the other hand, I predict that cropped or ankle pants will continue to provide endless opportunities for discussion here...

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I can rock clam diggers and Bermudas totally fine. I've got several, or at least I did in my old size, and I do wear them during the summer. It seems like with shorts and clam diggers, the lengths that look good are the same lengths that work for skirts.

It's the ankle pants that are intriguing me / I'm struggling with, particularly ones that aren't rolled up but designed to be just that length. I see ladies around wearing them now and they look nice, but when I try them on in stores I feel like I've just got pants that are too short. Especially since 90% of the time I'd be wearing them with flats. If its something I have to wear with heels, it's totally unnecessary for my lifestyle.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Fit on some BF jeans and lets get you sorted.