I have hacked a pair of old bootcut jeans in order to give the trend a try. What attracts me to it is that it shows your boots more than full length flares. And I really love my boots. I also wear jeans a lot so fresh looks in denim are appealing. But I agree it is a tricky trend and I am not sure yet whether I will spend $$$ getting some proper kick flares. I will see how the hacked pair go

Yes, way too tricky for this lazy woman. I'm going to keep life simple and pass on the kick flares, since I already have plenty of other jeans. Maybe a pair will just fall in my lap and magically style themselves, who knows? No, I'm never that lucky!

I've been wearing cropped pants for a long time - I think you could say they are my signature: flared or otherwise. But the real point is that they worked well enough and felt right on me, unlike a lot of other things.

I don't think fashion is always easy. So I always come back to being so happy we live in a time where there are SO MANY CHOICES! You really don't have to buy into a trend that is hard to make work for you, or that you don't really get, or don't really like.

I don't think cropped pants or cropped flares only work on certain body types but I also know that only you know your threshold for patience when it comes to finding just the right pair. My threshold for patience is very short; also, I rarely hold out for "just the right pair" of ANYTHING. I decide if I can live with something or I move on quickly if it's terrible. Life is too short, and there are too many fashion fish in the sea.

I am a little surprised so many people are finding these so challenging, but that may be my long-legged privilege showing.

In all seriousness, I think this is a style that requires some JFE embracing. With my wide hips and thick thighs, I know this is not THE most flattering look, but I think the length of my legs helps save it. I do have to style thoughtfully though, and I prefer the look with a bit of a heel or platform to help visually lengthen (and therefore slim) my legs. Still, I can't help but think that if I can wear them, most anyone can find a way to make them work!

I will enjoy cropped pants, flared or not, on others. I am short with extra, extra, EXTRA short heavy legs. I need to hem Petite range pants to PPL. And I have fussy, hard to fit feet, so getting the footwear just right is a worry. I might try them in a B&M store if they have my size and I have time to kill, you know, just for kicks. Cropped flares are less likely to get hung up on my calves, so that's a plus. But I run so cold (Reynaud's in my toes) that I generally wear socks with shoes, so that doesn't work with shorter pants.

But y'a know? There's other styles I am able to wear like peplums that I know other women struggle with.

I lucked into a pair of cropped kick flares 18 months ago on a steep markdown rack at The Limited. They're black, substantial woven, subtly pinstriped, with a faux leather waistband, and they looked (and still look) SO GOOD on me. I was floored.

I think they're just barely at the recommended 2" minimum above my ankle bone, if that, but somehow they work so well.

I'm 5'6", and a curvy size 12-14. I'm not sure that, if I set out now to find a pair that flattered me, I could do so. I literally just got lucky. Love them and will wear them into the ground.

I tried on 5 pairs. The J Crew Billie works for me and I'm not surprised. It's high rise, the legs are fairly skinny and the flair is small. Even though I'm tall I can't handle much flare. It looks odd on me, -maybe because I have narrow hips? Maybe because I have muscular legs? In any case, I was thinking the same way as you and about to give up when I tried the Billie.