Almost every shoe shop has a short mirror down near the floor. It only shows you from the knees down, so nothing escapes it.
One afternoon you try on a pair of sleek leather shoes, lined up to replace your favourite chunky sneakers. You take two steps, then look down. The shoes look good. It's your trousers that make you frown: the hem covers half the shoe, and the back almost sweeps the floor.
Yet only yesterday the same trousers looked just right over your sneakers. Only the shoes have changed. The eye always takes in the hem and the shoe together, so the moment you swap one, the other looks different as well.
Why the Same Trousers Look Wrong with New Shoes
A slim, low shoe gives the fabric room to fall further. The small stack of fabric that looked perfectly normal on chunky sneakers now looks like too much, which is exactly what showed up in the shop mirror.
It can go the other way, too. A thicker sole lifts you a centimetre or two, the hem rises with you, and trousers that usually fit suddenly look as if they've shrunk.
So there's nothing wrong with the trousers. You just hadn't tried that combination in front of a mirror before.
Length is usually the first thing that comes to mind: have a tailor shorten them and you're done. But length is only half the story. The width of the cuff, the hem and the point where the fabric stops all have a say in whether the bottom of your trousers looks finished or only half done.
Cuffs Suit Wide Trousers but Look Heavy on Slim Ones
A cuff, or turn-up, is the bottom of the trouser leg folded outwards, like the end of a pair of rolled-up jeans. It adds weight at the lowest point of your leg, and people's eyes follow it down.
On slim trousers, a wide cuff makes the hem look heavy, a bit like wearing an anklet that's too thick. If you like rolling up slim jeans, a narrow roll is usually the safer bet.
On wide-leg trousers, the extra weight actually helps. The leg opening is large, so the fabric needs a little ballast to fall straight. A cuff, or a fabric that's heavy to begin with, supplies it, and the hem comes to a crisp stop over the shoe.
As for the look, cuffs tend to feel relaxed and classic. For formal occasions, a plain, uncuffed hem usually looks cleaner.
The Hem Decides Whether Your Trousers Hang Quietly or Flutter
The hem is the fabric folded inwards at the bottom of the leg, stitching and all. Hardly anyone looks at this small detail, yet it's where the weight at the bottom of your trousers comes from. A reasonably thick hem keeps the end of the leg from flapping as you walk, and keeps the bottom edge straight.
That's why shortening trousers is about more than losing a few centimetres. Once they're cut, the hem has to be made all over again. If the new fold is thinner than the original, the end of the leg loses its weight and starts to swing. Fabric that's been cut off can't be put back, either, and your shoes may well change again next year.
Stitching that shows on the outside, as on jeans, gives a casual feel. Dress trousers usually go the other way, with the stitching hidden so the hem looks clean. If you swap the two, jeans with a hidden hem and dress trousers with heavy stitching on the outside both lose their character.
Whether the stitching shows isn't a measure of quality, either. Look at how neat it is: straight and flat, or wavy.
The Trouser Break Shifts When You Walk and Sit
The break is where the fabric stops, measured against your ankle and your shoe. Some people like a little fabric stacking on top of the shoe. Others want the hem to just touch it. Then there's the ankle cut, trousers made to stop above the ankle.
All of these are perfectly valid. The catch is that the break doesn't stay put. Every step you take lifts the hem a little. When you sit down, it rides up even further. A length that looks perfect in the mirror can change as soon as you walk out to the car park.
The ankle cut is the least fussy about shoes. The Grey Executive Ankle Pant, for example, is cut to stop above the ankle, so its hem doesn't depend much on how thick or thin your soles are. A handy guide for this cut is a few centimetres above the ankle bone: high enough to stay off the shoe, but still well short of the calf.
Check Trouser Length in the Shoes You Wear Most
If you're planning to shop for trousers, go in the shoes you wear most often. The flip-flops you happened to wear to the mall won't tell you much. In the fitting room, check the hem while standing up straight, then once more after walking a few steps. You'll often get two different answers.
Before you decide, turn the hem over and look inside. The more spare fabric there is behind the hem, the better the chance the trousers can be let down again if you change shoes one day.
If you still can't decide where your trousers should stop, look at the pairs in the Ankle Classic category, then compare them with a full-length pair from your wardrobe. Only a few centimetres separate them, but they make a very different impression.
Before You Take Your Trousers to a Tailor
Shortening trousers is one of the most common jobs at an alterations tailor, so a hem that piles up on your shoes can usually be tidied up. Take your go-to shoes along when you're measured, so the right break is easy to find straight away.
When the cutting line is marked, repeat what you did in the fitting room: once standing still, and once after walking up and down in front of the shop. If the two marks don't match, the second one is usually the more reliable. Ask for a hem about as thick as the original, too, so the weight at the bottom doesn't change along with the length.
Cutting them yourself at home is possible, as long as you know the risks. A slightly crooked cut shows as soon as you stand up, and hand stitching rarely matches the weight of a factory-made hem. If you still want to try, mark both sides with tailor's chalk while you're wearing the trousers, and start with the pair you wear least. Think of them as your practice pair.