When To Cuff Jeans For Guys | The Best Situations When To Cuff Your Jeans
I often talk about areas of menswear that confuse guys. Trouser cuffing is no exception. I’ve seen all sorts of bizarre looks floating around social media, particularly when it comes to jeans. As such, in this article and accompanying video, I go over my do’s and don’ts of cuffing your jeans.
I want to be clear, you can cuff your jeans whenever you want, technically. However, if you’re after optimal aesthetics, this guide is worth a look.
WHEN IS IT WORTH CUFFING?
An example of stacking jeans, indicating they are too long
When wearing jeans that are too long
If you have a pair of jeans that are too long, there will be some obvious signs. With tighter cuts of jeans, you’ll notice substantial stacking of the material, above the ankle area. With baggier cuts, you’ll notice the material often engulfing the feet, sometimes falling below the heel, resulting in some material damage.
Cuffing in this situation can give a much cleaner aesthetic, with less excess folding.
Cuffing helps reduce fabric disruption caused by boots
When wearing boots
Boots sit higher than shoes. As such, they can impact the way your jeans sit. Slimmer cuts of jeans often end up stacking in a way that doesn’t appeal to a lot of guys. Boots with a wider ankle opening can even negatively affect the appearance of baggier jeans.
As such, in this situation, cuffing makes sense.
Sockless cuffs are a popular summer choice
When going sockless
Many guys lean towards a sockless look, especially during warmer months. This can contribute to a more casual aesthetic. I find that with non-cuffed jeans, the small area of exposed skin can look unusual and unintentional – almost as if you’ve forgotten to put socks on.
Cuffing jeans when going sockless further contributes to the casual look and makes the decision look like a stylish, intentional choice, rather than an accident.
If you’re wearing cropped jeans
As with going sockless, cropped jeans are also a menswear trend right now; with more and more retailers stocking them. These are jeans that end much further up the calf than normal. Unfortunately, I find that on many guys, these just end up looking like an ill-fitting pair of regular jeans, or a pair stolen from a female friend.
Cuffing cropped jeans, once more, makes it look like an intentional style decision; rather than a wardrobe malfunction. I think it outright looks better than not cuffing, in this situation.
Cuffs can make baggy jeans look even wider
When wearing tighter jeans
Slimmer fitting jeans tend to suit cuffs better than wider fitting jeans. This is because the jeans remain narrow at the ankle, even when cuffed. Baggier cuts of jeans, which are already wide at the ankle, get even wider with cuffs – an aesthetic that doesn’t look good on most men. Additionally, the slimmer cuts of jeans, especially those with stretch, give more support to cuffs; allowing them to stay in place for longer.
THE DON’TS FOR CUFFING
Huge cuffs give a bizarre aesthetic
Avoid huge cuffs
Somehow, somewhere, someone decided that this was a good look. When your cuffs are exceeding a few centimetres, it’s time to either get them shortened or bin them and shop for a shorter size moving forwards. Huge cuffs give others the impression you have no clue how to shop for your size.
Sometimes the goose socks aren’t worth showing off!
Showing the whole world your socks
If you start cuffing jeans that are already on the verge of being too short, you’ll end up flashing a significant portion of your socks. Not only will this leave you looking proportionally askew, if you have some experimental socks on the go, be prepared to share them with the world.
Too many folds
Folding the jeans once or twice can yield a nice clean cuff. Sometimes, however, I’ve seen guys go too far. If you start the over-fold the jeans they will start to unravel and become saggy, a look nobody wants.
