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The Case Against Cuffed Pants

Body Shapes· Fashion· Fashion Gaffes· Special Sizes· Style· Tailoring· Wear to Work

Which women should wear pants with cuffs? Where can you get them? Reader E wonders…

I had a quick question about cuffed pants. When my boyfriend got a suit, he said that any nice men’s suit pants should be cuffed. I see that it does lay nicely over the foot that way. I don’t see many ladies cuffed pants at all though. Does it tend to go in and out of style? Do women ever have their tailors cuff their pants?

When I first read this, my immediate thought was NO CUFFS FOR ANYONE, EVER! BOO CUFFS!! <drops microphone, walks off stage>

But that may be a bit extreme. So I did a bit of research, and it turns out men still do wear cuffs on some pant legs, but it’s advised that you should only wear cuffs with pleated pants (unless they have very wide legs). As it turns out, I am also against pleated pants (for men and women), so I suppose it isn’t surprising that I’m against cuffs.

That said, here’s my case against cuffs for women: When a woman wears cuffed pants, the cuffs break the visual line you’re trying to create, and they make your legs look shorter and stumpier. Furthermore, if they’re already cuffed when you buy them off the rack, it’s going to be that much more work for the tailor if you need to hem them.

There are a few times, though, where women should consider cuffs:

  • You’re very tall. If you’re shorter than 5’9″, do not wear cuffs (unless you want your legs to look stumpy, in which case go right ahead).
  • You’re very tall and you’re wearing pants that are in such a fluid fabric that they need a cuff at the bottom to help weigh down the pant.
  • It’s Halloween.

Maybe I’m overly opinionated on this topic, though, as a short woman who came across nothing but cuffed pants when I started work in the late ’90s because they were trendy then. As with all trends, they go through cycles, and maybe they’re on the upswing — I did find a number of cuffed pants from some big designers (pictured below). What are your thoughts, readers — do you wear cuffed pants? Have you ever asked a tailor to cuff your pants?

Psst: here are some of our latest favorite pants for work…

http://bit.ly/1JecJW1

The best dress pants for women as of 2023: one / two / three / four / five / six (not pictured but also and also!) — also check out our roundup of the best pull-on pants for the office!

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

    • Ellen

      I do NOT like coufed pants, b/c they get DIRT in them and then you wind UP with LINT and other things. The manageing partner wears them and he looks DUMB, but I can’t tell him b/c he pay’s my saleary. FOOEY!

        • TCFKAG

          If you refer to Ellenwatch, you will find that an analysis of her spelling over time shows that, though there are general patterns, her spelling has been deteriorating over time. :-)

  2. V

    100% agree. No cuffs and no pleats necessary for anyone!! Whoever eradicates the pleated pants virus has my undying gratitude.

  3. SAlit-a-gator

    No cuffs please! I had a pair of pants with cuffs and I managed to place the high heel from one foot in the cuff of the other while going down a flight of stairs. I barely survived. I’m not usually a clumsy queen, but cuffs bring that out in me.

    • Anon

      The same thing happens to me every.single.time I wear cuffed pants. Sometimes it even happens while just walking on flat surfaces.

      • FedGov

        Ugh same, I hang on to the banister for dear life and move slowly; I look like the elderly.

        • Mondayed

          Me four. I have nearly broken a bone on several occasions while wearing cuffed pants.

          • AG

            Me five. I almost met my death once going down the stairs and having my heel get trapped in the cuff of my pants.

      • JJ

        Happened to me walking on a flat surface. Thank heavens that the hallway was deserted when I busted it onto my face. Beware wide-legged cuffed pants and stilettos!

        • JT

          Happened to me walking on a flat surface too, but it was right in front of the open door to the partner’s office. And I yelped. So everyone on the hall who didn’t actually see me fall, saw me spread eagled on the floor when they poked their heads out.

      • Coalea

        Same. I am pretty clumsy by nature, so I try to avoid things that seem especially likely to result in an accident.

    • Mo

      Same. Except it happened to me in a glass-enclosed stairwell overlooking a street full of people. Luckily, my catlike speed and reflexes allowed me to catch myself with one hand on either stair railing, head down, feet up. [cue applause]

      That said, I still love a straight-legged pant with a cuff and a round-toe pump or pointed toe flat. I’m also willing to pay the price of an occasional faceplant to get it.

    • JenK

      If high heels and cuffs don’t work together, how did you decide the cuffs had to go, and not the shoes (which also don’t work with uneven surfaces, leaning/crouching down to pick something up, chasing your kiddo, or carrying a breast pump, laptop, diaper bag, stack of papers, lunch bag, and child all at the same time)?

      • ATC

        Easy, because we like the heels more than the cuffs. And most women don’t do all of the things you list while at work, wearing work attire. So, not an issue.

        • Anonymous

          Not AT work, but getting there and getting home from there. What do people do, change their clothes before leaving work, picking up kids, commuting home?

    • ATC

      Same here. Heel got stuck in the cuff, tumbled down, and then had to get my heel, which had tore a hole in the cuff, extracted from the cuff before I could get up again. Lucky for me, just minor bruises and embarrassment. Swore off cuffs after that.

    • cbackson

      Did this at an interview. Fell (literally) flat on my face in front of the hiring coordinator. But I got the job!

    • Mary

      This happened to me last year! I was walking down the stairs at my apartment building to leave for work, and my heel got stuck in one of my pant cuffs, sending me flying down the entire flight of stairs. I can laugh about it now, but boy did it hurt at the time! My legs had ton of bruises and scrapes, and I was sore for at least a week. Luckily, no one saw me, and I never even told anyone because I was so embarrassed! Haha. I am eternally grateful for these other replies; I feel a little less embarrassed now. Although I guess I didn’t learn my lesson, because I still own that pair of pants and I still wear them with high heels.

    • Natalie

      I am sort of ridiculously comforted by how many people have experienced this! I don’t wear cuffed pants anymore for the exact same reason.

  4. Jem

    I’m 5’6” and occasionally wear cuffed pants (only on wider legged pants). Am I really wrong to do this?

    • Godzilla

      I’m 5’5 and I do, as well. I love wide-leg pants and some of them look unfinished without a cuff. Carry on.

    • Tiffany In Houston

      If that’s the case then I am wrong right along with you. I have several pairs of wide legged cuffed trousers that I wear to work with my heels and they brush the floor and I think I look fabulous in. My opinion is that if you look nice in it and it makes you FEEL good then keep doing you.

    • AEK

      Right vs. wrong isn’t really applicable. It’s a matter of taste, style, etc. Maybe yours look awesome on you, or maybe they look just OK and you don’t care because they’re comfortable and functional. But “wrong” is not an option. …unless they’re pleated, because that is wrong in almost every circumstance:)

      • TCFKAG

        AEK. Cuffs are a MORAL QUESTION. Don’t you know that???? :-)

        And pleats are a morality issue as much as a test for head injuries (just kidding…but if someone could get my husband out of pleat front pants I would be eternally grateful.)

        • Bluejay

          Accidentally put bleach in the laundry with his pants. Buy him a bunch of new pants as an apology. Fait accompli.

          • SF Bay Associate

            It really was an accident when I did this. Or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention as I washed the hated pants, because I didn’t care about them. Oopsies. Very different pants replaced the ruined pair – lemonade out of lemons, no?

        • AEK

          Agreed… and so rarely does a moral question have such a clear answer. (The answer is NO.)

        • Suzer

          Me too. But it would involve getting the 50-somethings-who-still-shave-off-their-sideburns that are his superiors to ditch their pleats first.

    • Niktaw

      I am 5’4″ in two-digit size, so I will never even _appear_ long and thin. Today I am wearing cuffed wide-leg pants similar to example #3 (Robert Rodriguez), but mine almost cover my high heels. The styling is similar, i.e. the shirt is tucked in.

      Guess what – I look taller and thinner in this often-worn outfit and as a matter of fact before reading this post, when I was in front of the mirror, I thought that I looked really nice, better than in items generally considered more appropriate for my body type, e.g. A-line skirt. To each her own.

      • Bluejay

        Don’t let having read this post make you think you don’t look nice. Your outfit sounds great to me and I’m the same height and size.

        • Niktaw

          It won’t! It’s just funny how I read this post while still in the self-congratulatory mood, and thought “BS!”
          …and flounced, because I can do it in a wide-leg, cuffed pants.

    • Lyssa

      Personally, I basically never notice cuffs. I don’t really like them, because they don’t really add anything in my mind (plus the heel-related risks described above – been there, done that), but I don’t really think that they detract in most cases.

      If I had two completely identical pairs of pants, but one had cuffs and the other didn’t, I’d choose the non-cuffed, but I’m not going to pass on a pair that I otherwis like because of cuffs.

    • EC MD

      If it’s wrong, I don’t want to be right. I like the look of a wide leg cuffed pant appropriately lengthed with a cuff. Even though I’m not even 5’5″

    • Anonymous Poser

      5’6″ on good days and I wear pants with cuffs. They’re from The Limited (though I bought them second-hand, so I don’t know whether The Limited currently carries the style).

      I never really thought about whether the pants make me look shorter or taller or my legs look longer. I thought they looked nice as part of the outfit I was wearing, and that they were appropriate for my workplace. Then I left the house for work…

    • mamabear

      I’m 5’10” with a 34+ inch inseam and my favorite pair of pants is wide-legged and cuffed. I think I look like Katherine Hepburn in them. Don’t try to convince me otherwise!

    • Hel-lo

      I’m also in the cuffs camp. I am wearing a pair of pants today that I just got back from my, uh, mom, who hemmed them, and she removed the cuff. I liked the cuff, but I’ll live.

      (What? Mom’s free and likes doing it.)

    • Go to Hell Pants

      I think cuffs are fine. I have cuffs on several pairs of wider legged, flat-front, linent dress pants. I think the cuffs on those pants help to weigh down the fabric because I swear I get less wrinkles in the cuffed pants than the non-cuffed pants.

      Also I think if men can wear “Go to Hell Pants” then so can I. May be why the cuffed pants are also bright yellow and coordinate with a nautical striped shirt and blazer. I’m a big fan of go to hell pants fridays!

    • UkExpat

      I’m 5’4″ and have had several much-loved pairs of wide-legged grey tweed pants with cuffs. Some styles of pant look unfinished without cuffs IMHO.

      • SoCalAtty

        Me too! 5′ tall, and I’m wearing my cuffed pants today along with my super-cute naturalizer peep toe wedges in nude (suggested by mamabear, who rocks) and a cute new cowl-necked 3/4 sleeve blouse from BR. I think it looks good! Also, I’m in a polo shirt and slacks type office, so I can push the envelope pretty far, even though I won’t.

        • Mighty Mouse

          5′ tall, wore my gray cuffed wide-leg pants with black heels today…walking quickly but carefully!

  5. Susan

    It’s one thing if one wants to avoid cuffed pants but..

    Can we just fight, even a little bit, against the idea that the “goal” is to always look as tall and thin and leggy as possible? :-)

    I’m not saying that Kat is upholding this as the only ideal, but it is often upheld as the only ideal by, oh, just about every clothing retailer and it seems absurdly narrow (sorry) to me.

    • amen

      Seriously. I have super short legs, and it is JUST HOW I AM. I am not going to dress every day trying to pretend like my legs are five feet long. I have no desire to walk around in short shorts and flip-flips with heels all day so we can pretend like my legs are longer than they are.

      Advantage of having super short legs – I still hold the high school record in my high school for the V-Sit-And-Reach I went something crazy like 14 inches past my feet. That record is 13 years old.

      I like my short legs, and my long torso, and my perfectly average height, and even my *gasp* curly hair.

      • FedGov

        This. Good Lord don’t get me started on curly hair! If there were 3 hours of blocked off, mandatory “getting ready time” in everyone’s day, mine *might* end up straight.

        • Reg Poster, Anon for This

          Yes. I am at a crossroads… I did the Keratin treatment several months ago, and it hasn’t fully washed out yet… but my hair is growing in with its natural curl on top. I don’t want to straighten my hair out again, because my 18-month old has gorgeous curls and I don’t want her to see mommy straightening her own curls out every morning and feel like she shouldn’t have curly hair. So I have curly hair on top and janky, angled curls where the treatment is kinda sorta washing out. It’s a hot mess. Waiting until my hair is long enough so I can start cutting the treated hair off but not look like little orphan Annie.

          • I Do Not Like the Cone of Shame

            For Keratin treatments and brazilian blowouts, if you want to extend their lifespan, then use sulfate free shampoos and use them less frequently.

            Ergo, if you want to get it out of your hair quicker, shampoo like a mad woman! Use clarifying shampoos!

          • TGI...Th?

            I just had mine done this past weekend and stylist said it could last from 2 to 6 months depending on how your hair takes to it. So maybe cutting won’t be necessary? Can you use regular shampoo and see if it helps it go? I have to say I was disappointed with the level of anti-curl. Personally, I didn’t see a ton of difference. There also is a really bad odor when it gets wet (like in the shower or when I have a baseball cap on and am hiking with the dog). Please tell me that smell will lessen over time?

          • AnonAz

            THIS is my fear of doing anything more than flat iron my curls… how do you do the in between phases.

            And yes, it just takes WAY too long to straighten on a regular basis. I had it blown out several times in May for various functions (graduation, photos, etc.) and I already can see the damage. Just not worth it.

          • FP Angie

            Sorry, I used the wrong handle in my reply. Yes, the curl is coming back, but it’s janky. I have been using shampoos with sulphates, but it’s been well over 6 months. I did go in to cut some of the treated hair off, but I can’t go too short with my face/hair type.

            I didn’t have the bad odor, but I’m not exactly which treatment I received. I think it was the “Brazilian” brand one.

          • Divaliscious11

            You may never see this, but this is exactly why I went natural – watching my little one nearly pull her hair out trying to pull her curls straight like mom’s….

        • CKB

          Even then I’d keep my hair curly. I don’t care if it’s seen as unprofessional. It’s me, I love my curls, and the few times I’ve had straight hair I haven’t recognized myself in the mirror.

      • KLG

        I’m the opposite. I’m really short but ALL legs and no torso. The last thing I need is to make my legs look longer. I look disproportionate enough already!

    • Sue

      I agree, some people are just not tall and thin or leggy. Even with all the visual tricks, some people just won’t look like this, this ideal is still something I don’t understand.

      I haven’t seen anyone wear cuffed pants lately but from the pics above, it only seems to look good with a heeled shoe. But going by SALit-a-gator’s experience above, it can be dangerous. Maybe a chunkier heel (low to mid-height maybe?) is better than a stilleto?

    • Godzilla

      Susan, you are seriously AWESOME today.

      Also, I sometimes wear cuffed wide-leg pants when I want to look more…substantial, to take up more space. Like, BOOM, I AM HERE. So…all the reasons that we’re advised not to wear cuffed pants are the reason why I wear them.

      • Susan

        Many thanks, Godzilla. :-)

        I took a drawing class years ago, and my two takeaways were:
        (1) Rembrandt, I’ll never be.

        (2) People are beautiful! In all shapes and sizes.

        Learning the technique for portrait and figure drawing made me really look at people in a way I’d not bothered to do before.

        It fills me with awe that humans are as well put-together as they are, that a person’s legs are shaped just so, or that the sides of a person’s mouth have the shape they do when that person smiles, etc.

    • Anon

      It’s sad how refreshing that thought is.

      I’m short and curvy — always have been, always will be — and no amount of tricks are going to change that fact. When I shop for clothes, I want to find something that makes MY figure look as good as it can, not like I have an altogether different shape.

    • Midwest

      Seriously. In the fashion world, you’re kind of screwed if you have the long torso/shorter legs thing going on. Sometimes it’s fun to play around with proportions, but must leggy be the default?

    • Alana

      Thank you!
      Not everyone is aiming to look as tall and thin and hourglass-shaped as possible all day every day. Although I am tall and thin, I am a pear with AAs. And that’s great! Some of the most insensitive comments I get are from women who are also from the IBTC who project their issues onto bra-free me.

    • Bonnie

      I disagree. There’s nothing wrong with looking your best. I will never look like a supermodel but can emphasize what leg length I do have by e.g. not wearing shoes with think ankle straps.

      • Anonymous Poser

        I think we’re just disagreeing here that:

        looking our best = looking the same

  6. 2/3 attorney

    Random: it’s 20 til noon here and I’m ravenous for my lunch. I feel like I am losing at my day when I start thinking about nomming at 11 am. Just me?

  7. Bluejay

    No, no, no! Kat, you are so wrong. I love cuffs. They are the best, even for 5’3″ me. I have my tailor cuff them for me. They don’t make my legs look any shorter than any other pants. It’s not like I have them cuffed to mid-shin; they brush the tops of my feet, just like uncuffed pants do. Frankly, I can’t see how it would even be possible for a cuffed hem to make your body look any different from the way you look with an uncuffed hem.

    The only case against cuffs that I can think of is that if you catch your stiletto heel in one you will fall on your face, most likely in front of your boss and your most important client. Admittedly, this is a hazard pencil-skirt wearers will never face.

    • Merabella

      I agree with your sentiment. Unless the cuffs are a different color than the rest of your pants I can’t see how they would cause your body to look any different. From the pictures she uses above, I can’t see a notable issue with them cutting off the legs of the models even if they are eleventeen feet tall.

  8. blank

    At least half of my (work wardrobe) pants are cuffed. I’m 5’3″ and wear them with flats; the cuffs aren’t making me look short, my lack of height makes me look short. And that’s fine. (wouldn’t change my height if I could)

    Interestingly, however, none of my suit pants are cuffed. And I don’t think I’ve even seen womens suit pants with cuffs.

    When my SO gets his suits tailored, he has to very strongly insist that the tailor not create cuffs. Tailors seem to still default to cuffs for mens suits, even for flat front. (In DC)

    • Research, Not Law

      “the cuffs aren’t making me look short, my lack of height makes me look short”

      I’m 5’1” and was thinking the same thing. I like a nice cuffed pant now and then.

    • Laura

      “the cuffs aren’t making me look short, my lack of height makes me look short.”

      Exactly, & I’m tired of suggestions as to how to look taller when I love being short.

  9. January

    Do not under any circumstances wear cuffed pants if you are clumsy. One morning I walked down the stairs in my cuffed pants, managed to get my high heel caught in the cuff, and ripped the pants so badly that the tailor said they could not be salvaged. I will never wear cuffed pants again.

    • January

      I see that this has already been discussed, so to reiterate: cuffed pants are not for the oblivious. :)

    • Bluejay

      Well, clumsy people can wear them with wedges or thicker heels. I don’t wear mine with stilettos.

      • January

        To be fair, I have also torn non-cuffed pants in this manner, so maybe it’s the heels, not the pants, that are to blame.

  10. MJ

    I love cuffs, particularly on winter-weight pants. I, am 5′ 11″ with a 36″ inseam, so maybe I prove Kat’s point. But there’s something glamorous about them. I have chicken legs, and pleats and cuffs make me look like my legs are a little bigger than they are, which, in my case, is a good thing, particularly when I’m wearing a blazer up top…they balance things out!

    • Tall Esq

      Agreed. I’m 5’10, size 6 with a 34″ inseam for pants with flats and 36″ inseam for my pants with high heels. I have three pairs of trouser pants from jcrew that I purchased about 2 years ago (one is a winter weight heavier wool- the University Trouser, the others are a structured stretch cotton- Durham pant I believe) that are cuffed and I LOVE them. Yes, maybe they work for me because I’m tall but I don’t think I’ve ever really paid attention to cuffs versus no cuffs. I think a lot has to do with the length of the pant and the shoe worn. I’ve seen plenty of woman look stumpy- no matter their height- when wearing ill-filling or too short non-cuff pants with the wrong top and shoes.

  12. Anonymous

    Threadjack. Can anyone suggest a good charity where I can volunteer in the DC area? Needs to be metro accessible. Looking for someplace where I can do something (physically), rather than a desk-type volunteer. Perhaps someplace where you can cook/distribute food for homeless people or something like that? Looking for some place where I can volunteer say one day a week, and don’t need to give a long-term committment. I am unemployed right now, and would like to feel like I am doing SOMETHING useful other than looking for jobs. Plus, it would not hurt to be reminded of how fortunate I am despite the job situation, and to focus on the plight of others rather than on myself.

      • Banker

        Seconding Habitat. I hear the ReStore’s in NoVA are looking for volunteers to help people with donations. They’d like longterm volunteers, but might have flexibility there.

    • Bluejay

      This was discussed recently. IIRC, suggestions included Washington Animal Rescue League, Greater DC Cares, Children’s Law Center if you’re a lawyer, or Bread for the City.

    • L

      Food and Friends is also a great organization to help out. They provide meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other illness in the city. And honestly their employees are a blast.

    • Boardroom Belles

      My friend works full-time for Food & Friends, a D.C. based charity that delivers meals to people with illnesses such as cancer or HIV. It is a wonderful organization and I’d be happy to hook you up with my friend. I think volunteering is a great way to make use of your time while job-hunting. And professional not for profit organizations are just like real companies, so you don’t necessarily have to do something you are completely unskilled at or something totally unrelated to your job. You can help and at the same time develop useful skills that are pertinent to your career. Leave us a comment on our website and we’ll hook you up with our friend.

  13. KLG

    I’ll stick up for the cuffs. I have a few pairs of pants and a couple suits that are cuffed and minus my issues with being clumsy, I love them. I don’t necessarily like them more or less than my uncuffed pants but I like the variety in my wardrobe.

  14. Anon

    I put glitter in my cuffs so when I walk, it spills out, leaving a trail of sparkly goodness. Haters gonna hate, but what can I say, I’m fabuuuuuulous!

  16. For AIMS From Barrister in the Bayou

    If you want to chat about allergy shots feel free to email me at binthebayou at gmail dot com. I’m currently getting them, but don’t have time to write about it at the moment.

  17. Bluejay

    Did anyone else notice that the advice Kat linked to about not wearing cuffs if you’re under 5’9″ was advice for men, not women?

  18. Cat

    I like cuffs – they just have to be the right scale! The short cuffs on 90’s pants weren’t flattering. But on a pair of wide legged (not nec. the dramatically wide legged) pants, hemmed to perfection for your desired shoe height, let’s say maybe a 2″ cuff, they can be very Katharine-esque.

    That said, after catching my heel in one, I always take them to the tailor to stitch them “closed” – the stitching only goes through the “inner” layer of the cuff, and is a short distance from the top of the cuff, so it’s invisible that they are sewn shut, but you can’t catch your heel too badly in 1/4″ of fabric.

  19. Hmmm

    I’ve never worn cuffs and it seems to be going out of style for guys too. Went to Nordstrom over the wknd to help my hubs get suits during the pre-sale, and the tailor said that cuffs were out of style and only for the older grandpa set (her words, not mine).

  20. Elysian

    Wait, we hate pleated pants now? I was taught that dress slacks should always have a pleat, and I always hang/fold my pants to maintain a pleat. That’s just what we “always” did. Why do we hate pleats?

  22. Jennifer

    I have a pair of cuffed, wide leg black pants that I adore. I also have a pair of cropped black pants (anyome who bought jcrew cafe capris in wool this last winter does too), that are awesome, even though they break Kat’s 2 cardinal rules of “leg-lengthening” (no cuffs and crops). I also turn up thte bottoms of my straight leg jeans in one large 2-in or so cuff, so it’s a different color from the rest of my pants because its inside out, and I have never felt “stumped” in any of them. Sure, I’m 5’8″ and skinny, but I don’t think that has anything to do with it: it is about how you feel, the rest of your outfit, and personal preference. To me it is overkill to ban cuffs.

    • kerrycontrary

      I do the jeans thing too! Only on the weekends when I’m wearing boat shoes though. I hope that doesn’t sound like I look weird…

    • CountC

      I do this with my skinny jeans. I feel more stumpy at 5’5″ with the scrunch of too long skinny jeans at my ankle than with cuffs. And I am too lazy to get them hemmed!

      And my favorite pair of dress pants is a pair of JCrew navy cuffed pants from a brazillion years ago. I won’t let them die despite the tear of the lining at my arse.

    • Natalie

      On me, skinny jeans look a lot better cuffed or cropped. I have muscular calves and thighs, so any skinny pants I can get my legs into will be kind of loose at the ankles, which I don’t really care for on women.

    • Eleanor

      I just bought these! ButI got them in the unlined navy version. They came to work in the mail today, and I’m so excited to get home to try them on – I kind of want to go to the bathroom to do it, but frankly am afraid people will think I’m frivolous.

      • academicsocialite

        I got them too! And they should arrive any minute… the beauty of being home on mat leave. And BTW, your handle is my new daughter’s name. Clearly great minds thinks alike. :)

        • Eleanor

          I love the name – I think it’s so pretty and classy. Also, I chose it for my handle because of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who I’m sure would be a [reader-of-this-blog] were she alive today. Congratulations on your new daughter!

    • SAlit-a-gator

      I don’t think they’re a faux pas! In my case, they cause me to trip over myself (see above). Others think cuffs make them look shorter. If you don’t have these problems, then rock ’em!

  24. zora

    I heart this post, it is cracking me up.

    And, i agree, because i think i am also traumatized by too many cr8ppy synthetic flared/cuffed pants in the 90’s/early-aughts

  25. Anna D.

    I have never had (nor seen, before this) such a visceral reaction to cuffed pants and honestly it’s kind of baffling. I always figured some were cuffed, some weren’t, oh well, no big deal, it’s just a fashion thing like pockets/no pockets/what kind of pockets. I have a pair of black cross-dyed pants for work that are fairly wide-legged and cuffed and I like them a lot (of course, because the cross-dye ends up as a sort of subtle black/white pattern, I don’t think the cuffs are very noticeable). I tend not to buy cuffed pants if they’re too long because then I have to take them to the tailor rather than shorten them myself with the wonder of iron-on tape, but that’s the extent of my dislike for them.

    I also LOVE the comment above about wearing cuffs when you want to make an impression/take up more space. That’s GREAT! I do think of cuffs as a more masculine touch, and that they can be a great accent to a Katherine Hepburn-y kind of men’s suiting/androgynous vibe (I know, someone else above already mentioned Katherine Hepburn, too).

  26. Mountain Girl

    I like cuffs because I’m 5’11” with a 36″inseam and then I have enough fabric for the tailor to lengthen my pants. I can buy pants off the rack if they have cuffs and that makes me happy!

  27. kerrycontrary

    I’m 5’8″ and no one could ever say my legs looked stumpy even if I was wearing the worst capris ever, but I guess now that I think about it I’m not an avid fan of a cuffed pant. I guess its just an unnecessary detail added to an outfit.

  28. JenK

    To cuff or not to cuff is a matter of style. Seriously, it depends on the pants.

    But setting an arbitrary height under which one should not wear them is really silly, if your goal is saying how long someone’s legs should be before they are “long enough”. I’m 5’8.5″ and have medium-longish legs. No one has ever called them “stumpy”. My 5’6″ sister has the same inseam as me. It’s simply a matter of body type/proportion.

  29. Anonymous

    My favorite pants are black with wide legs and cuffs. I am 5’4″. That is all.

  30. Lyssa

    I can deal with cuffs on pants, but I hate hate hate hate cuffs on shorts. Why would I want to make my thighs look wider?!?!

  31. K.S.

    Whether they are body flattering or not, currently cuffs are the opposite of fashion forward (for men or women).

  32. Boardroom Belles

    For women, cuffs aren’t terrible, though I second Kat: You need to be tall. I’ve had one pair of cuffed pants in the past. They were fitted through the waist and thighs but then pretty wide leg. I usually wore them with lower heels and since they are cuffed I wore them a bit longer than I would normally wear pants. Because nothing looks worse than a cuff in mid-air.

  33. Elle

    Geez, between the “must have a Cartier watch” post and the “no cuffs allowed” post, I’m starting to get a not-so-nice vibe here. Really, to be so doctrinaire about something so … minor … as to cuff or not to cuff. Who could possibly care so much about the bottom of someone else’s pants? If you tend to catch your heels and risk falling on your face, don’t wear them. If you like the look or see a pair of pants that fit well and have cuffs, go for it. My goodness, though, chill about it!

    • TCFKAG

      I feel like if you actually read the comments, you’d find that most of the people here agree. I think this might be one of those things that Kat is alone on….we all have pet peeves I guess.

      The watch thread WAS a bit absurd though. This is why I stick with the tried and true “look at my phone if I need to know the time” strategy. ;-)

      • new york associate

        I had to stop reading the watch thread because it was stressing me out, a lot. I’ve never felt so distanced from the financial mores of my peers!

  34. Ann

    I am 5ft tall, and steered away from cuffed pants for the stumpy leg line reason, but I have one pair of Banana Republic tan wool trousers that look amazing with a 1 1/2″ cuff – and I wear them with flats and low-heeled loafers. Ironically, the same style pant in black wool looked awful when I mocked up a cuff, so that hem is a regular one. So it really depends on you and the pant. Cuffs, I think, are an interesting detail, that if they fit your personal style, have at them. But I lean towards very tailored pieces in general.

  35. Lawyer in BR

    I am 6’1 and my favorite pants are wide legs with a cuff. I’m a little ‘hippy’ so I think a cuff (with a wide leg) helps balance me out. I like them better in winter, though, with boots.

  36. SSJD

    I like cuffs but will warn others about cuffs that need to be hemmed. Sometimes the cuff can be cut off, pants shortened, and cuff sewn back on. However, if the pant aren’t straight legged and the width of the pants changes along the leg, then the cuff may have to be aborted. I sadly had to give up the cuff on a beautiful pair of wool pants in order to have them shortened. They lost 75% of their style without the cuff. And they were maternity pants, so it’s not like I had a million choices. Sad memory. But I do like cuffs :)

    • Godzilla

      What????? No flipping way. I am as far away from an expert tailor as one can get (I use my sewing machine to collect dust, thankyouverymuch) but altering a cuff to fit the new dimensions of a shortened pant leg isn’t rocket science. I’ve done it myself.

  38. Kate

    I wore cuffed trousers – generally wide-leg – early in my career. They looked great, but inevitably my heels got caught in the cuff whilst walking up and down stairs, ripping the cuffs and causing me to stumble. I learned my lesson: no more cuffed trousers.

  39. Raleigh

    I have a favorite pair of wool pants that is cuffed (not pleated), but I am “very tall” at 6′.

    Rock the cuffs, tall friends! ;)

  40. socialkombat

    I have two pairs of cuffed pants. Both are a flowy, unique sort of fabric, wide-ish leg, one is high waisted so kind of a Katharine Hepburn vibe to them. I think that look is the only kind of pant look that can handle cuffs. I’ve gotten quite a few compliments so they can’t be all bad.

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