to crop (or not to crop)
august, 2021
that is the question!
last week on instagram, i posted a couple of videos about how cropped jeans can actually help elongate and slim the leg for those with a shorter frame. i got some dm’s about this so i want to follow up with a longer blog post on the subject. here are the two videos if you missed them on my instagram. and if you’re not following me, i would love to see you there!
a lot of questions seem to come up about what length of pant, jean, or skirt is most flattering on shorter body types. of course, the world is your oyster. almost any length can be worn on any frame but i’ve found that full length garments can sometimes stunt some of those (like me!) that are height challenged 😋️. what i’ve noticed is that if you can see a bit of skin between the hem of your bottom garment and your shoe, this is a really good rule of thumb that helps to lengthen and slim the leg. i’m not sure how or why exactly this trompe l’oeil works but it does!
my advice if you want to wear a full length pant? try a sandal/slide/pump that’s open in the back, on top of your foot, or at the toe.
if you’re blessed with long legs already, this tip can still apply to you but you’re lucky enough to be able to wear any shoe with any length bottom pretty safely. if you’re one (like me) that loves an ankle boot with a jean or pant, i try to always have a break between them and if i don’t, then i’ll opt for a boot with a bit of a heel to give me more height.
this visual trick also applies to any oversized pants, top or sleeve. slightly rolling the cuff to show some of your wrist can slenderize the whole look. when looking at the figure, our eyes don’t stop at the length of a garment but will focus more on the skin next to the hem or cuff, thereby lengthening the entire frame.
a loose oversized top that is slightly shorter and cropped to the natural waistband also slims a torso. this is where it gets a bit more confusing. i know many of us grew up learning that an oversized top can hide a lot of our middle but oftentimes this can actually compound the problem. if the hem of the top (this includes jackets/coats, too!) stops at our widest part, our eyes are automatically drawn to that point. a loose tuck/untuck (also known as the french tuck) can really help to softly define the waist and disguise the middle. selecting tops that are a bit longer so that they don’t stop at the widest part of the hip but somewhere lower on the leg are also flattering. this is why i love cropped jackets for this reason. they can really help define the waist, especially if you have something loose on underneath. and if you love longer coats, try to pick lengths that stop at the slimmer part of your thigh rather than at the hip.
phewww i know that this is a lot of information so i wanted to post a lot of illustrations of this denim trick because i know that it can be confusing. if seeing is believing then tons of inspiration will help. that being said, ALL fashion rules are MEANT to be broken. happy viewing! xx
and for those that love a good longer jean with a closed toe boot or shoe... i couldn’t leave some of my favs ideas out. a wider leg is especially fun and stylish! shorter frames can do this, too, just remember to add a bit of a heel.
