How long should your trousers be?

Tafadzwa Zimoyo Fashion 263
We are in September and surprisingly the weather now is unreliable and unpredictable.

Who knew that the summer season would be cold sometimes?

The best thing to always do is to move around with a jacket and not forget your mask as the coronavirus is still there and real.

Meanwhile, the debate on how long should your trousers be is continuing.

With the generation gap, there are a lot of changes that need to be adapted and accepted in the fashion world.

How many know about the ‘trousers break’?

I know that matching suit trousers sounds easy until you start to wonder if your trousers are too short or too long.

After buying your suit, do you go straight to the tailor or you just wear it like it is.

For those who do not know, the length of dress pants or suit trousers is defined by what is called the ‘break’.

This is how much of the trouser leg is folded or creased above where the bottom of the fabric meets your shoe.

According to local celebrity tailor Godfrey Chataika, who usually works with men’s trousers, there are four different types of break which are — full break, half break, quarter break and no break at all.

“If you have got a new pair of trousers that need hemming or a favourite pair of trousers that are too long, getting the length — and the stitch — right, is important,” he said.

“There is nothing worse than being able to see the hem of the trouser. If you are uncertain of the length, ask your tailor to retain as much excess fabric as possible, just in case the hem needs to be taken back down again.”

So, which trouser break is right for you?

Well, although there is some room for personal preferences with the length of your trousers, there should not be too much deviation from the gold standard: trousers that “break” just over the top of your shoe.

Here are quick guides according to DMarge:

Formal versus casual trouser length

◆ While the break is crucial for traditional trousers, there is plenty of room to adjust to suit your own style.

But first, consider this: how formal is the occasion that you are going to attend? And, how fashion-y do you want to appear?

“Overall, it is important to avoid the dreaded sack-suit look, where the trouser drags at the heels, or the very high-cut leg, which some might consider inappropriate for a formal suit,” said Nick Sangster, tailor and co-founder of the Afternoon in Australia.

He added that men should aspire for a subtle break over the top of their shoe with formal trousers.

Casual tailoring trouser break

◆ The formal rules of style may not always work with casual tailoring.

Still big this season, casual trousers — from linen pants to chinos and jeans.

Cuffs versus straight hem trousers

◆ Trouser turn-ups or cuffs are a great touch to casual styles (think chinos and linen), but they are not fit for formal wear, as a general rule.

As a rule, flat fronts —  the more formal style of pants — should have no cuffs, single-pleated pants are deemed versatile, and two pleats should always have cuffs .

But again, do your research.

Formal events are increasingly laid back nowadays, which is crowning the cuffed hem king this season, regardless of pant type.

However, with all that in mind, most people still ask where trousers should sit on shoes.

I conquer that for smarter, suit trousers, a quarter or half break provides the neatest look.

The fabric over the back of your shoe should end slightly lower than it does at the front, where the break will be noticeable.

Suit trousers can be specifically tailored to have this break, and is becoming the most common look for most men.

When wearing chinos, to achieve the best look, you should opt for a shorter pair, with no break at all.

Chinos are a versatile trouser, which can be worn to work with a shirt and tie.

They also work equally well in casual situations.

If you are wearing slim fitting chinos, no break will help to show the shape of the trousers, and further accentuate your style.

Again with jeans, you can tailor them however you want, going from a full break to no break to provide different looks.

The safest option with jeans is a half break, which is suitably casual, without looking too long.

The most important thing when choosing your trouser length is to make sure you think it looks good with the rest of your outfit.

Golden rule: try the trousers on both standing and sitting — and always try them on with shoes.