A Guide to Perfect Trouser Leg Length

There has been much discussion about the sartorial tastes of Britain's latest Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. His close fitting suits with cropped jackets and ankle length trousers proved controversial with some (see end of this feature), but his preference for having his trouser cuffs above his ankle bone is a reflection of the upward trajectory of trouser lengths over the last few years. 

While I personally wouldn't wear mine quite so short, I'd argue that the look is preferable to the trouser style of the former US President, Trump, whose trousers fold around his ankle and over his shoes - a look that is mercilessly untidy and unflattering.

Comparing trouser lengths, Sunak and Trump

The Ideal Trouser Length

So what is the ideal length for your trousers (or pants if you are from across The Pond)? As ever with matters of style, it's a matter of personal preference, but, as the above photos suggest, a shorter trouser length gives a cleaner look. Too short can give the appearance of a schoolboy who has outgrown his uniform, just as too long can give the opposite impression, that of the schoolboy whose parents are careful with money so have bought an oversize pair to ensure they last longer. There is a careful balance to be struck.

Guidance about trouser lengths usually discusses the 'break', the fold(s) caused by the cuff lying on the shoe. Significant breaks are now less often seen on those who profess to style. Trousers which taper nicely to a minimal or no break flatter the wearer, increasing the apparent of leg length and giving a neater look. Rishi Sunak is 1.7m (5' 7") and his shortened trousers with their clean line, to my eye, give him added apparent height.

My favoured trouser lengths

Turnups (or cuffs)

I've been having turn ups on my trousers for the last few years and, while I'm beginning to tire of them, this seems a good opportunity to share my thoughts on them. They do finish off more formal trousers nicely but I would avoid them on casual trousers as they fill with debris when worn on country walks. Jeans are hard to shorten without losing the stitching at the cuff (unless you're a dab hand with a sewing machine) so I tend to roll them up. Historically jeans were always sold at standard lengths so folding up the cuffs is a long and honourable tradition.

I wear my turn ups 2" deep. For those with slightly longer legs this works well, but for those with shorter legs I'd suggest 1.5" or 1.75" as deeper cuffs have a leg shortening effect.

Cropped Trousers

Cropped trousers, ending a couple of inches or more above the shoe, are a separate issue and are more of a fashion statement. They are associated in my mind (quite acceptably) with sockless summer wear with loafers, trainers or sandals or with the now rather overdone look of brogues on sockless feet. Cropped trousers look best with casual wear but many (such as Rishi Sunak) wear them tailored with suits and blazers where they give a more contemporary than classic look. 

Cropped trousers / pants - image The Sartorialist

And finally, below I cheekily reproduce a post from my Instagram grid from October 2022. Click here to see some of the wonderful (and less so) comments:

The Rules of Style & Buttoning Your Waistcoat

From time to time people contact me to complain about one or other aspect of a look that I've posted on Instagram. The last I received ticked me off for wearing a cardigan with the bottom button done up; and I suspect they were serious. This got me thinking generally about the 'rules' of style.

Image Whitfield & Ward Tailors who overlook the bottom button 'rule' for good reasons (see below)

There is a convention that the bottom button of a waistcoat (or vest to use its original name - still used in the US) is left undone. Several explanations can be found for this tradition. The most common is that King Edward VII's courtiers undid theirs to emulate their sovereign whose ample girth prevented him doing up every button of his waistcoat. It was perhaps a matter of etiquette: respect or politeness. As that particular King is long dead the convention could be said to have long lapsed. 

Whatever the origins of the habit, there is no 'rule' that demands that you leave said button undone. Look at the image below of a slim Edward VII (taken in 1882), what do you notice about the buttoning of his waistcoat / vest?

Edward VII Image National Portrait Gallery London

Waistcoats are often cut so that the bottom button can't be done up without affecting the line of the garment. That's a result of the convention. This is good enough reason to leave it undone; the cut makes it hard to do otherwise. My advice would be that, if the waistcoat is cut so that the bottom button can be done up, do just that. It will help cover your waistband and also look tidier (see the above image by Whitfield & Ward, Tailors (link below) - doesn't that look neat?) 

But however you want to play that one, there is no law, rule, etiquette, convention or tradition (going back to the recent complaint that I received) that demands that the bottom button of a cardigan be left unsecured. We often see buttons on cardigans (sleeved or sleeveless) left undone. This may be because the buttonholes have stretched and the buttons pop open, or it's an attempt at sprezzatura or in confusion over the waistcoat 'rules'. Or it may be that the cardigan is worn by a genuine sartorialist who has found the best way to wear the garment to make it look as good as possible - read on....

"If there are rules of style they are simply that you should wear clothes in a way that makes both the garment and you, the wearer, look as good as possible"

If there are any rules of style they are simply that you should wear clothes in a way that makes the garment look good and you, the wearer, feel comfortable. There are some ways of wearing clothes that look so bad that it's best to pretend there is a rule preventing them. Ties worn undone and at half mast look sloppy and it would look better to go tieless with collar undone. Wearing brogues without socks is a look has been overdone and is best avoided as it looks too studied. Wearing watches over shirt cuffs is just aping the style of Gianni Agnelli. Doing up the bottom button of a blazer or sports coat is inadvisable simply because doing so will usually spoil the line of the jacket because of its cut. But these are guidelines, not rules.

"The overarching question is not 'What is the rule?' but 'What looks best on you?'"

Good style arises from self confidence, wearing good quality clothes that fit well and, most importantly, not looking as if you've tried too hard. The best way to sprezzatura, the art of looking good without appearing to try, is to find your own style rather than copying slavishly what you see at Pitti Uomo or on Instagram or following irrational rules. 

The overarching question is not 'What is the rule?' but 'What looks best on you?'

[With thanks to Whitfield & Ward, Tailors, for permission to use their image above. This is an unsponsored post.]

Collected Articles on Style for Older Men

Early in the days of the blog (eleven years ago!) I began collecting articles on style for older men. I was looking through these recently and found that, while some are now quite old, they all contain good ideas so I've revived the feature and added some more recent material. If you know more, do let me know.

Older men with different styles - I'm with Svante @theurbanhippieswe

[Updated from the original 2011 feature] Here are a few of the better (and not too serious) newspaper and other articles on style and fashion for middle aged and older men. They are in no particular order; just as I find them. 

The important thing about fashion in middle age and beyond is that we are getting too old to take fashion seriously. Dress for yourself, feel comfortable, and don't listen to the fashion police.

What do I do? I keep an eye on Instagram and the better blogs for ideas, but try to use them to dress to suit my own personality rather than slavishly following transient fashions. Whatever you do, be careful about trying to relive lost youth by dressing like a teenager. It may work, if you have an extremely sophisticated sense of style, but you run the risk of looking a little sad. It's also unnecessary; we should be proud of our maturity - there are many classic styles ideal for the older man.

Photo The Sartorialist

Can you wear Topman at 67?
An interview in the Guardian with Nicky Haslam and his sense of fashion and style.

Old men dress cool
From one of my favourite bloggers, Style Salvage.

Take That:Style Icons for Older Men
An article in the Guardian. Take That!! Must be some mistake, surely?

Groovy Old Men: The Rise of the Silver Swingers
From the Independent, 'nuff said.

Can Middle-Aged Men Have Long Hair? 
From that excellent blogger, That's Not My Age.

Styles Middle-Aged Men Should Avoid If They Don't Want to Look Old: These Fashions Don't Make Anyone Look Young

Yahoo Voices.

Middle Aged-Men Who Dress Like Teenagers
Style Goes Strong

Newbie Fashion Tips for Grown-up Men
Stepcase Lifehack. This may seem a bit proscriptive, but is worth a read - most of the rules are sensible.

The Almost Shocking World of Older Men's Fashion
In a Grand Fashion reviews advice for older men. The article mentions Grey Fox as follows, "While there are many blogs for young, definitely under forty, I could find only one aimed at older, middle age men.  Grey Fox stresses dressing for one’s self instead of  for the latest fashion trend".

Why do men over 50 dress like tramps?
Mail Online. For personal reasons I avoid the Daily Mail. The standard of journalism is appallingly, with damaging and hurtful articles published with no proper research or regard for the truth. However, this is an unusually (for the Mail) sensible analysis and it is recommended reading.

Men stop caring about clothes at 37
Apparently the conclusion of a survey, apparently based on a survey, but I'm a bit suspicious about this one - it may be a dubious publicity stunt. Reported in the the Guardian here. Despite my doubts,  there is probably a degree of accuracy in these reports.

Fashion Tips for the Older Man
From the Belfast Telegraph - some interesting and useful comments about older men dressing well and not so well.

Medallion Man is Back - The Rise and Rise of Middle-Aged Vanity
From the Independent - not too bad, in parts. I agree with the warning that '...dignity is in danger of being jettisoned in the rush to drink at the fountains of eternal youth, or at least the rush to the hair dye kit, which is the next best thing'.

The humble Mamil: why we need 'middle-aged men in Lycra'
The Guardian. A nice defence of the MAMIL (middle-aged men in Lycra) by one of my favourite cycling writers, Matt Seaton.

Why do fathers insist on dressing like their teenage sons?
Which increasingly they seem to do although some sons adopt crisp shirts, chinos and brogues. See the picture which shows Tom Cruise and his son. Sydney Morning Herald.

The Sartorial Geniuses aged 60 plus
From The Telegraph - with wise words from blogger Tony Ton of jakandjil.com.

At the age of 37, you needn't start dressing like J*r*my Cl*rks*n
From The Guardian, a newspaper that I doubt Clarkson has ever read.

Skateboarding Past a Midlife Crisis
From the New York Times. Be careful, though; your bones have become more brittle as you get older.

Jeremy Paxman in tweeds is typical of the affliction that grips men in middle age
Hadley Freeman in the Guardian discusses older men's style. All about men reaching an age where they want to try something new. Some vestiges of truth here; maybe.

Why men over 40 are fashion disasters
From the Mail Online. The writer is mocked by his family for his dress sense. He suggests a few ideas, but this article is rather inconclusive, as I feel he doesn't really find a solution. He should find inspiration for his own style, grasp the nettle and confidently forge his own path. Not a happy outcome to this one.

How to dress well after 50
British GQ. Sensible with some interesting discussion; but nothing new.

Guys don't be a fashion disaster
Chicago Tribune.

Middle-aged men and their sad self-regard
The Independent. Sadly close to the bone; but then all ages are guilty of self-indulgence, not just older men.

Baseball caps, backpacks and an unlimited supply of flannel shirts: How middle-aged Silicon Valley CEOs compete with their twenty-something rivals

From the Mail Online - given that it's the Mail, it's a surprisingly good read (assuming it's not all made up). It reports, for example, how, 'One tech CEO admitted that he probably wouldn't be in his job if he had not shaved his grey hair and swopped brogues for sneakers to blend in.'

Fifty shades of silver fox: Blog celebrating stylish middle-aged men takes internet by storm

From the Mail Online again. About a blog called Grey Fox started by a middle-aged man called David Evans looking for style. Seems unlikely to me!

What's a man to wear when his pecs turn to 'soft peaks'?

Speak for yourself! From The Guardian.

Dressing your age - 40s
Dressing your age - 50s
Posts on the now dormant Fashionbeans - I don't agree with everything here, but basically sensible advice.

Marc Jacobs at 50
Showing that there's hope for us all in changing our lifestyles and getting fit. From Mail Online.

Male celebrities with grey hair
In case you find comfort in the thought that even they are getting older. From sofeminine.co.uk.

I want to feel like a new man
Guardian columnist has a makeover (apparently paid for by Hennessy - some makeover!)

The Vintage Years: is the fashion world starting to respect the middle-aged market?

More about the women's fashion market, but much is applicable to us chaps. From the Guardian.

How I Became a Fashion Don't A lovely response to a Details magazine article. Simon Doonan describes Katherine Wheelock as 'some kind of conservative anti-flamboyance watchdog for the colostomy-bag brigade'. Brilliant.

Dressing Up is a Sign of Vitality New York Times. Ari Seth Cohen, of the Advanced Style Blog, comments on the Wheelock and Doonan articles above.

Why older men are more stylish than young men A nice piece in The Telegraph, October 2014.

Men's style dilemma: Am I too old to wear this? This Telegraph piece makes some good points and concludes, correctly in my view, that the question is, 'Does this suit me?', not, 'Am I too old for this?'

Men become invisible at 39: Now they know how women feel. Again, from The Telegraph. Reports the conclusions of a survey, but then, as the man said, there's lies, damn lies and surveys.

Is it OK for men not to care about fashion?  The Telegraph (I'm impressed how this newspaper writes about age and style so much). Confuses fashion and style, doesn't add much to the discussion.

What makes certain men more stylish? The Telegraph. A thoughtful piece by David Gandy which comes to the same conclusion as I have in my writing. As I say in my comments at the top of this post, style is about dressing to suit your personality, not following trends. Recommended reading.

How to Dress you Age - Forties British GQ. Good, emphasises style rather than fashion and highlights fit.

How to Dress your Age - Fifties British GQ. Good stuff, based on advice not to give up and again emphasising the importance of fit.

How to Dress your Age - Sixties and Beyond British GQ. Based on the inaccurate (I think, anyway) assumption that most men over 60 want to look younger, but this doesn't affect what is essentially good advice.

20 Things No Man over 40 Should Wear Daily Telegraph. I don't like writing that tells a man what he should and shouldn't wear. We may make suggestions and give our opinion, but not presume to tell others what to do. This verges on that approach. However, I agree with much of it!

Tom Hanks is redefining dad style - Not a bad article at all. Some sound advice from US GQ.

How to Dress Your Age - some useful ideas in this Gentleman's Gazette piece.

And see my own scribblings on this blog, for example on middle aged men and jeans.

Real People: Style for Older Men - I Put This On kindly interviewed me on this topic - sound advice (of course ;)).

What not to wear if you are a man over 50: The Guardian March 2019. Some useful thoughts here and much I'm not so sure about. Worth a read.

Dad Style: How to dress well as an older man: I wrote this here on the blog some years ago when 'dad style' was much discussed. Looking back, I'm not sure I like all that I say here, but have a read and complain to the management if you're unimpressed.

Grey Fox Style on Instagram

The 20 Definitive style rules for men over 40: cargo shorts need not apply - this is one of those black and white advice columns that set my teeth on edge - do this, don't do that. You can always tell what they will be like when you read the word 'rules' in the title. There are no rules - there are guidelines. While I confess I do follow some of their 'rules', I don't believe in being so proscriptive.

Dressing the older man: I came across this nicely considered piece in a blog I was unaware of before, Masculine Style. He makes the important point that staying in shape helps. Otherwise there is little you haven't read browsing the selection above, but a nice summary of thoughts for the older man in search of style.

Experience Required: Style Lessons from Men in Their Sixties: (August 2022) I had just about given up looking for decent articles on style for older men when I found this on Mr Porter's site. It makes a nice change actually interviewing stylish older men rather than telling them what they should or shouldn't be wearing. 

Ten Tips on What to Wear for Older Men by ace personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of Sartoria Lab.

What Are Men Wearing Now? NY Times. A useful style update.

Photo Tommy Ton - GQ