Hot weather dressing: cropped pants can look chic
— by Alyson Walsh
The image of middle-aged dads on mini-scooters in cropped cargo pants almost ruined it for me. Off-putting though this crisis-laden combo maybe, the rise and rise of culottes and kick-flare jeans has taken the edge off cropped pants. Thanks then to the numerous women I’ve spotted lately looking cool in a crop (the silhouette I’ve been seeing is similar to the picture above from COS). Just add an office-ready tunic top or breezy summer shirt, flat sandals or trainers. Enlist a lightweight blazer to take things up a notch.
Where do cropped pants crop up? Jigsaw has several styles, a few of which are on sale and the wide leg feather trouser (below) has an excellent Waft Factor, ME+EM has a fine selection, Everlane has a neat wide leg crop pant and Boden sells cropped chinos and jeans.
Can you crop it?
Discussion (24 Comments)
- Linda says:
I don’t see how these could flatter anyone regardless of figure type, and the slide sandals make it worse.
- Fiona Hunter says:
These do look lovely. However, s a short-legged woman, my observation is that even leggy models look short in the wide-legged versions. We petites should shop with care and keep it narrower. Thanks for posting a range of options which include Boden – they do petites!
- J says:
I love this look! I’ve been cropping a lot of my trousers…wide leg/coulottes only…I wear them with a substantial soled shoe..I do have long legs, and thin ankles, so it suits my body shape. Do play around with the length to make sure they look purposely cropped and not just too short!
- Mrs Tonia says:
I wear lots of cropped trousers from straight legged type to the more culotte shape, as in your illustrations. They look good with everything from t-shirts to baggy shirts fitted knitwear. Found the proportions which work for you. I even bought in Jaeger closing down sale a pair of olive green poplin cropped trousers with a kick flare. I got them for the colour since I wear lots of olive but wasn’t too sure of shape. They have become a staple of my summer wardrobe as it turns out. All shoes work : trainers if not too bulky, sandals with ankle wraps a bit of a flat form especially good.
- Treva Powe says:
For those of us who are tall and in our 60’s, slacks and jeans were not long enough and long or tall lengths were not available. I’ve already worn cropped and ankle length pants (not by choice) and will not wear them again ever!
- Char says:
Love them. I agree with Mrs Tonia on how to dress them! You need to play around with them,
Eileen Fisher has some great silk georgette ones and tencel, all look and flow nicely. - Anita Irlen says:
I think cropped pants CAN look chic but it really depends on a lot. Ones leg length, the width of the pant legs, the color of the pant, shoes, all of it. Yes, and that’s the point. Sometimes I wish that our readers, your readers, paid a bit more attention to the pictures. They’re there for a reason.
- Sarah S says:
One person’s “cropped” is another’s 3/4 length which is probably not a look I would want to aim for so I recently bought a pair of wide leg pants and had them altered to hit that exact spot. Very pleased with the result too.
- Kathryn says:
I have always loved the crop. Even when it was hopelessly “out”. The wide-leg crop? My reaction at the time was “atrocious” but knowing me, if it stuck around more than 5 years I would not only get used to it, I would love it. Well, it is over 5 years, and I am in love with the summer look. Still not won over on winter…..with long boots it’s too pirate-y and it’s too cold here to wear lower boots with stockings/socks. In western Europe or parts of the States, I’m sure it would be fine. (Is Britain still Europe? Was it ever?)
- Pam Thompson says:
This is good news! I am so tired of skinny pants as I do not have skinny legs. Always enjoy your posts and like your style.
- Lisa @ The Sequinist says:
I so WANT to love this look, but I think it is mostly unflattering on the models, never mind mere mortals. I have a pair of black ones and I have to admit that I look dreadful in them. Every time I put them on, I can’t get them off fast enough; they seem to add about 15 pounds to me 🙁
- Sharon says:
OK, I’ll admit it. I love crops in the summer and the winter with boots. I usually wear a more fitted top so I don’t look like a linebacker, but this has been my go-to work pant for years during the summer. Our summers are hot and humid as a default, so these pants make getting dressed when it’s already 80 degrees F at 7 in the morning bearable.
The COS versions have been on my list for a while, and now that they’re on sale… - Sharan says:
It may not be the most flattering look I can come up with, but I am definitely on board with this look. I am enjoying the change from fretting about whether my wide-legged pants are long enough to be flattering yet not dragging on the ground and getting ruined. Bonus: I think they actually make my ankles look smaller, too.
- Anna says:
For someone short and not-thin, this look is scary! I do like slim crops (capris), though – they remind me of Audrey Hepburn (I wish!). They can be worn with a fabulous long shirt to cover bumps and gorgeous sandals – flat, wedge, etc.
- Evelyn Olson- Smith says:
Finally we can get away from leggings,which can be so unflattering on woman of a certain age! I love a wide leg culotte or pant!
- Denys says:
For me, to be elegant large trousers need to be long and not 7/8. I do not like 3/4 trousers either as it cut your silhouette. I would never never wear trousers which stop over the ankles. And if women are small it is even worse!
- Sascha says:
Everyone has the perfect ‘crop spot’ or length, just like most of us have the perfect sleeve and dress length. An inch out either way can lead to intensely frumpy/ silly results…. in my opinion anyway. My culottes crop spot is exactly on the ankle or 2” below the knee. And even then, the whole rest of the silhouette has to be just right (in my case strong shoulders, short or tucked-in top, block heel, a slight nod to the 1940s that is). If I went down the volumous top, culottes halfway down the calf and flat slide route, I’d look awful! As is often the case, very tall people can get away with wearing these more easily than the under 5’7” crowd. Love the pictures you posted, though.
- Jan Miller says:
I love them and wear them a lot,but you have to be very careful what you wear on your feet.
- Chicatanyage says:
I have started to love the crop pant this season. However I found that when I feature them on my blog I get very mixed comments, some of my readers definitely do not like this look.
- Kathryn says:
Dear Chic at any Age: I just checked out your crop posts, and you look great. Keep it up!
- Rebecca says:
I was suspicious of culottes, but now live in my drapey, swishy black pair that just hit the ankle. They can skew casual with hoodie + high tops or formal with brogues + blazer. Linen pair next to wear with tucked-in stripey singlet + strappy wedges for that 30s Biarritz look or linen button-down + oxfords for work. They’ve turned out to be incredibly versatile, replacing dark wash skinny jeans during the warmer months, and the ninja-like ease of movement is a joy.
- Jill Ann says:
Not sure I’ll ever be on board with this look. I love wide pants if they’re basically floor length, and I like narrow cropped pants, but IMO the wide crops look bad on nearly everyone. Some of the commenters note the various elements that have to be exactly perfect in order to make the look flattering (length, fabric, shoe, volume of top, etc). If it’s that complicated to get the look right, maybe it’s not worth it! Of course, to each her own….
- Sford says:
I do wear copped slim leg and wider leg trousers but have to wear a heel with them otherwise I look very stumpy!
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It’s funny that you bring this up, Alyson!! When I first had my mom (the 70+ model on my blog) wear ankle pants—she hated them. She felt like they were “floods”, and even though she doesn’t have a ton of them, I think she likes them better lately!!
They are certainly cooler, and it’s a fun change!!
XOXO
Jodie