Cuff your trousers for some ankle drama this season! Don’t you know that cuffing is the easiest way to transform your most boring pair of denim ( or insert any other pant styles here).
For many people, wearing pants is just what they do until they get creative, which happens when they mistakenly buy a pair of extra huge trousers.
And by common sense, the way to go if you’re going to DIY and get your local tailors pissed is to casually roll the hem of your pants up to a desired length or get them destroyed by letting the trouser leg sweep the floor à la boho-hipster-edging-on-hobo style.
Indifference to the destruction dispensed on a perfectly tailored pants gives birth to trends such as lightly distressed and heavily destroyed denim. If you’re one to stay away from such trends, wearing a cuffed pant style would be something to consider.
On a side note: Alex, the crooner on American Idol, who is my favorite, is not shy about letting his ankles bask under the spotlight each week as he religiously sports a pair of trousers with an ankle-baring cuff. If you like him too, please shout out below!
So anyway, newbies to cuffing should start with a straight leg, boot cut or a skinny cut type of pants as opposed to the wider hemmed ones.
Nevertheless, fashion with its affinity for experimentation offers room for cuffing even the widest of hemmed pants which is not too far away from knotting the hem of a skirt.
Types of cuff styles:
The Strictly Ankle-Flaunting Cuff: This style of cuffing is done on tapered style pants and best partnered with a pair of flat shoes. The desired cuff height sits just above the ankle. Wear an ankle length socks rendered in quirky motif. This is Alex’s (of American Idol) style.
The 80s’ Tightroll Cuff: This video illustrates how to get that tightroll cuffs going:
The Boring Mother-of-indifference Cuff: The way to do this is fold the trouser leg up just once like a slob and leave it be to expose the selvage (the inner part of the trouser leg). Cuff height depends on the shoe style. With heels, stick to a nice ankle-exposing height or go higher. This type of cuffing may face gravity challenges.
The Shy Skinny Cuff: You get this done by rolling your trousers up just a little bit like you’re hesitant and the result should be a thinly rolled cuffed. Do this with skinny jeans. This cuff style may not look as obvious on dark wash denim.
The Show-Off Cuff: The cuffing is done to expose the design, special seaming or stamping of a particular label that’s present on the inside.
The Safe Low Cuff: Cuff the leg of your trousers low and wide for a casual pairing with sneakers and other shoe styles of your liking. This is great for when the weather’s a bit glum or you loathe your ankles.
As always, to the selected lookbooks and polyvore sets below for a visual imagery on how to wear the cuffed pants trend this season:
♥ pants – A.P.C.
♥ artisan trousers – Kasil Workshop
♥ trousers – Zara
♥ blue skinny jeans – Levi’s
♥ ripped bf jeans – Zara
Intro a modern touch to the cuffed pants look is to pair it with a revived trend, the crop top. Glam it up with an eye-popping statement necklace, a chic pair of pointy toe flats and a classic clutch:
Want to pull off a semi-polished monochromatic look with the cuffed pants trend? Pair a collared structured shirt with a neatly cuffed denim capris, serious bling and a flower cuff bracelet. Slip into wedge sandals and carry a mini satchel:
Go the super-relaxed sailor style route by teaming a striped top with the cuffed denim and finish off with comfy boat shoes and anchor earrings:
How would you approach the cuffed pants trend? Do you prefer the tightroll cuff of the 80s or the skinny cuff? Is there any other cuff styles besides the ones mentioned above that you like? Let us know below!
“I grow old… I grow old… / I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.” – T.S. Eliot
© All images are copyrighted by their respective authors.
Here on Fashionista NOW, our one and very own Miss Reverie showcases the latest in fashion trends and its various social implications in our everyday lives. You may read more of her at REVERIE SANCTUARY.
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