Every time I find myself in a professional group setting, I notice that there is a hand-full of people wearing high water pants (aka High Waters). Today, I am covering the basics of pant lengths in the hopes that someone who needs my advice will take it.
Let’s start with the basics. A break is key to avoiding High Waters. The break is based on where your pants fall on your shoes. It is simply a result of the length of your pants. A good break should create a horizontal crease in the fabric across the front of your pant leg and gather a bit. For example, if the break comes too high or is not defined enough, your pants will look too short when you stand or walk.
When hemming pants, my preference is to pin my client’s hem at the bottom of the soles of their shoes. The hem is about be a quarter of an inch from touching the ground. In my opinion, when you walk you should not be able to see your socks.
The Right Length
The Wrong Length (AKA: fashion no-no)
There is always exception’s to the rule. If you are a hipster at heart, you can definitely rock the ankle length pants. Here are some pictures to give you an example of what I mean.
Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction
Dreamecho
Thom Browne
women's high waters look best with heels or ballet flats
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