I've been thinking about how to stretch my wardrobe these days, as the weather transitions to spring, but it's not quite warm enough for shorts and barren legs. 'Cept when mine go un-shorn. THEN I'm ready for my "Hello, My Name is Bigfoot" badge and a one-way ticket to an arctic forest, pants or no.
You didn't need to read that. Sorry. But what you DO need to read are some ideas on the ins and outs and ups and downs of cuffing a pair of jeans (puns absolutely intended). Because, at least where I live, these simple little tricks make a pair of jeans work for 3 out of the 4 seasons. 75%. Not too shabby, if you ask me. The Lakers would've killed for even half that stat in the Playoffs. Poor, embarrassed, tall multi-millionaires.
(ahem) But. Cuffed jeans. As I see it, we've got a few options:
(1) Roll the hem once, just an inch or two:
PROS: Shortens the jean so you don't step on (and, consequently, prematurely wear out) the back hem; promotes a slightly more casual, functional vibe; shows off your shoes; legline still looks long.
CONS: Can look like you're trying to hide the fact that you're too lazy to hem your jean; sometimes not bold enough to be a style statement; can unroll easily and end up just looking sloppy; shows off your shoes (choose shoes with care when cuffing, because they'll get tons more face-time).
(2) Or you can roll the hem a few times to just above your ankles, keeping the roll-height fairly short.
or
PROS: Creates a fun, approachable twist to an ensemble; best when jeans are skinny and/or pegged (in my opinion); adds a feminine touch to a denim-based look.
CONS: Can visually shorten the legline; draws attention to shoes (make sure your shoes are worth checking out); must be balanced out with an interesting top but not one that's overpowering; not the best look for those who lack defined ankles (full- or knee-lengths are best, to lengthen your legline).
(3) Back to one cuff, but a mid-sized one -- 3-6 inches, also just above your ankle.
PROS: It's a whimsical cuff that exudes a feeling of youth and energy; adds detail to an otherwise mundane ensemble; most adorable when paired with sneakers (my opinion); a good balance to those with curvier hips.
CONS: Can totally shorten a legline; when done with jeans whose wrong-side-out significantly contrasts, it'll visually chop your leg into three distinct (dare I say "stumpy"?) parts.
(4) Another one-cuffer, but this time a giant one -- anything taller than 6 inches (I call this a "chunky cuff").
PROS: Suuuuper laissez-faire vibe; a fun look that doubles as a functional cooling mechanism if you're stuck somewhere hot; can sometimes lengthen a legline (especially paired with open-top shoes) because your brain says, "woah! multiple inches of leg comin' out the ends of those jeans. those gams must be miles long." That's right. Miles. Your brain will translate inches into miles. Don't question...just roll with it.
CONS: Jeans leg must be straight or slightly flared to pull this off -- chunky-cuffing a tapered jean will make the jean leg oddly bumpy (because the cuffed part squeezes the wider calf part of the jean), while doing this with a flared jean usually doesn't "stick", it just flops around; jeans can't be too long, or the cuffed-up part will be super tall but the end of the jean will only hit just above your ankle, creaing an uncomfortable and unbalanced proportion; amount of leg seen out the pant leg should be similar to the size of the chunky cuff.
Whaddya think? Do you cuff your jeans? If so, what's your favorite way to do it? If not, how come? Do you think it's a flattering look or no? Is the word "cuff" just too weird to handle? (Yes, especially when repeated 10 times fast.)
