How to wear cropped flare jeans
Photo: Dvora @Fashionistable
Not a Charlie Perfume ad minus the vitality but an excuse to show off my kick flare jeans. Engaging in a little DIY action over the Bank Holiday weekend, I took a pair of scissors and lopped a couple of inches off a pair of old Gap flared jeans. Et voila. Instant update. To be perfectly honest, I’ve resisted the kick flare/boot crop/whatever trend for quite sometime; when you’re tall, it just looks like your trousers don’t fit. Which is all a bit too ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin,’ for my liking. Anyhow. I’ve finally succumbed to ankle-flapping fashion – and can confirm it’s absolutely fine if you’re wearing ankle boots. In fact, I’m so taken with this look, I may move onto a more summery block heel soon. Topshop has a range of kick flare jeans (available HERE, and HERE), I’m also a fan of J.Crew jeans (demi-boot crop available HERE) which, like Topshop, come in tall and petite sizes. Or save yourself some money and chop the hem off a pair of old jeans. Make-do Style. I’m moving onto indigo next.
During the Q&A session at Bath in Fashion, I was asked by a gorgeous woman in the audience if it was still OK to wear a denim jacket. My answer was in the affirmative, of course. I’m still wearing mine and so is Iris Apfel. Denim like style, is ageless. Enough said.
Oh and the gorgeous, sky blue leather frame bag in the photo is by Ally Capellino, more on that coming soon.
Discussion (25 Comments)
Great look. Best boots to add have to be the Dear Frances Spirit boots because they fit so snugly and don’t gape around the leg. May be tempted to try this.
Thank you for sharing.Sue says:
Such timely advice, Alyson. Thank you. I started off last year thinking they were beyond hideous, but now I am desperate to find a pair that fit. I am quite short with stumpy legs, so I find it difficult to find a pair that actually graze or hover above my ankles. Am hoping to wear them with my new Robert Clergerie backless loafers. Which I also started off by hating… btw, your bag is totally gorgeous.
Interesting that you hesitated because you felt too tall. I always assume that being tall would be the answer to all my problems (fashion-wise, that is!). I think you look wonderful, but I can’t quite see me carrying it off!
Agree completely about the denim jacket, one of my favourite items.
Harriet says:
Cool…I tried my £19.00 top shop version with a pair of battered old cowboy boots…was a bit unsure at the idea but my ankle boots didn’t meet the hems and it was a bit chilly that day – looked good and no blue ankles!
jane says:
I too have disliked this length – what I considered “half mast” shrunk in the wash. I pulled on a pair of flared Paige white jeans bought several years ago (which have always needed shortening) and realised they looked very dated/suburban bbcue, so need to get the scissors out. Living in the back of beyond I can’t go out and try some so can anyone advise roughly where the hem should fall in relation to my (rather thick) ankle please?
I too love my denim jackets – so much easier to wear in the summer than a tailored piece.I love the cropped look in a pant and jeans–as long as they don’t cross over into the land of Capri pants. My body type lends itself better to a skinny crop rather than a flare crop. And if I were not born so clumsy, I would be able to wear a heel. Sadly, my ability to live a life of calamity means Repettos, flat sandals and other low-to-the-ground shoes with crops. You look fantastic-I’m both intimidated and envious
Maureen says:
These look fine but then they aren’t very flared. It’s the wide leg cut off mid calf thing being foisted in us by the fashion industry that I find depressing. On another blog I commented that they reminded me of the local WI cake stall women who see late middle age as a glorious release from needing to look stylish BUT I’ve revised my view and realised that they most
remind me of a certain sort of English tourist trudging around European holiday destinations in a baggy pink tshirt, those wide mid leg cut off trousers and a pair of clogs.Monica says:
Good for you for using what you already have. I just got used to skinny jeans! But then again I’m a teen from the 70s. Everything old is new again. I consider a Jean jacket a classic piece for the wardrobe. Love your blog!
angie says:
Hi Alyson –
Love this look – thank y ou!
I’d also love your opinion on styling white jeans. For some reason I tend to shy away from them – maybe because I tend to style a lot of things with a white t-shirt and feel that the all white palette is too……white 🙂thank you
really love your posts!!Charlie perfume ads… now there’s a blast from the past. Great idea to chop off an old pair of jeans. I might try that. While Astrid seems surprised that you hesitated because of being tall… I totally get that. I remember too clearly, and painfully, as a teenager always having trouble getting pants that were long enough. And the horror of having them shrink when they were just barely long enough to begin with. Or maybe something to do with being a teen in the seventies when we wore our jeans verrrry long. Took me forever to like cropped pants.
Catbird Farm says:
Sue, I am 5’10” and was a teen in the 70s. I too have the same memory of the horror of what we called “high waters.” It was nearly impossible to get pants long enough for us long-legged girls! I remember having my friends help me stretch the legs of my wet jeans to get a little extra length. Now, with young women growing taller and all different lengths of pants being worn, it’s easier to get the longer lengths, but also (hallelujah) the shorter pants actually look stylish too.
A couple of weeks ago I realized I had a surplus of J.Crew jeans I wasn’t wearing and lopped off the hems on a pair to make my own kick flares also. Worked like a charm and it means not making an investment before knowing if the style really can go the distance for me.
Lastly: Alyson, that is a truly fabulous photo of you!
Cathie says:
You’ve given me the inspiration to lop off a couple of inches on a pair of jeans that I have that are a little too tapered at the leg and will look better with a wider opening. Thanks for the post!
Claire says:
Like! A lot . Am similarly the proud possessor of a little brown Ally Capellino frame bag . Tragically I left a little brown Ally Capellino dress in Wycombe Hospital twenty years ago and still lament its loss . Really , at 55 I should learn to move on ……
Aud says:
I love 7/8 length. So versatile and figure flattering when compared to the awful abomination that is the mid calf Capri pant. Also, they show off the best bits of my lovely suede ankle boots ( which hide my less lovely cankles) while preventimg dastardly colour transfer…. White jeans are great. Back in the day Mr Aud and I had matching pairs which we cheerfully wore with pastel linen jackets ….. Miami vice on the Clyde!
Loving this look! I can always start with a little, ahem, scissor modification to my own : >
-Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.commaudie says:
You have given me inspiration to try the ‘ankle flappers’ as we tall girls called them in the 70’s! My scissors are shouting at me to hack off those old flares as we speak – nothing to lose – loads to gain! Still unsure of the denim jacket ‘though (I have a Massimo Dutti one that I have never worn). Sadly, no amount of DIY will magic an Ally Capellino frame bag that adorns my Pinterest boards in quantity will transport itself into my wardrobe. Sigh ……………………..
It’s always so fascinating to see how one’s style-eye changes! All of a sudden what was hideous is now pretty cool. I’ve DIYed two pairs of cropped flairs (light denim) and allowed them to fray at the bottom. They’re cool in the encroaching heat and look great with flat sandals. I would NEVER have imagined wearing these a year ago. Add the half-tucked button up, and I’m good to go. I never wore button-ups either! Now I thrift linen, silk, and good cotton shirts in lots of colors. You look great in your updated classics!!!
White denim is my favorite. Looks so different and chic. Thanks for sharing, Alyson.
[…] for the thrift store a couple of weeks ago when I did my closet inventory. And then I remembered a post that Alyson Walsh wrote last year on her blog That’s Not My Age. About chopping off a pair of […]
Olderbutwiser 
Jane 
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I recognised the Ally Cap bag – my favorites & I seem to have built up a collection over the years . Lovely soft leather & the old ones are stylish as the latest to me . Like Margaret Howell clothes , there are subtle changes over time but nothing drastic . And no nasty , flashy logos just a little signature tucked away . Will be snipping the bottom off some summer flares soon & have the denim jacket ready . It’s from the David Beckham range at H & M . Wonder how he would feel about that ?