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Pants...cuffed or not?

Pants...cuffed or not?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Art is King.


Results are only viewable after voting.
If your pants are tailored correctly it shouldn't matter either way. Cuffs do help keep the pant hem from riding up, but they also make the leg look shorter. If you're tall and lanky then cuffs can be used effectively to project more proportional dimensions, but I frequently see them worn by short and stocky men, adding visual weight and heft where it is absolutely not needed. As always, YMMV.
 
I've moved away from cuffs. There is nothing objectively wrong with them, and I've had lots of cuffed pants. Just need to change things up sometimes and also keep up to date. After all, you wouldn't catch me wearing a double breasted suit with big shoulder pads since it isn't the 1980s any more. But fashions change, so eventually my pants will be cuffed again.
 
As a new traditional wet shaver, finally something I know something about. For casual, like jeans or Kakis- art is your guide. But for slacks, suite pants, etc.. NO CUFFS. Go to any decent store and see what's new. You will not see any cuffs. In fact you will not have seen cuffs on dress pants for a decade and since Mad Man, cuffs look very dated. So dated they are probably due for a comeback been they's been out for so long.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Generally, I do not cuff flat-front pants. And since I generally wear flat-front pants, I generally do not wear cuffs.

However ... bear in mind the thickness and weight of your trouser material. Very thin material needs the extra weight of the cuff to help it hang better, so I have a few summery pants that are flat-front and cuffed.

Conversely, thicker material does not need the cuff to hang properly, and the cuff can even look awkward if the material is very thick, since it'll be folded over so many times.


Thanks ... great read!

As a new traditional wet shaver, finally something I know something about. For casual, like jeans or Kakis- art is your guide. But for slacks, suite pants, etc.. NO CUFFS. Go to any decent store and see what's new. You will not see any cuffs. In fact you will not have seen cuffs on dress pants for a decade and since Mad Man, cuffs look very dated. So dated they are probably due for a comeback been they's been out for so long.

... so, maybe it's time to get some cuffed pants so you are ahead of the Fashion Police. :sneaky2:
 
Depends:

Suit pant - 1 1/2 inch cuff
Wool, flannel or cashmere pant worn with sport coat - 1 1/2 inch cuff
Misc. wool or cotton pant - no cuff

And yes, I do cuff flat front pants that's all I wear.
 
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When I was living in Germany, the Germans were sometimes able to tell I was American without me saying a word. I finally learned that was because of the cuffed pants, which were not in style in western Europe at the time.

I still prefer no cuffs.
 
5'7" 240 lbs at 61 years. No cuffs, no pleats, no high waist. Was 5'7, 130 lbs at 18 yr's - Oversize jeans as a kid, rolled up cuffs ( you'll grow into them) NO,NO,NO
 
Being thin flat fronts look better on me but I still cuff all my slacks and suits. I do a more modern 1" 1/4 cuff. That little bit makes a big differance in my mind. A cuff is generally heavier and more durable because a cuff uses an extra 4"ish of pant and the type of stitch that can be used according to our tailor. I like the smaller cuff look and the hang of the added weight
 
No cuffs and no pleats. I have one pant in my closet that has cuffs, part of a suit, and I don't wear it because it has a cuff.
 
He explained that cuffed pants (because of the extra material), keeps your pants looking sharp and professional, keeps a crease better and won't roll up your leg from any possible 'static cling' from your soaks.

Those are all very compelling reasons to adopt the cuff but I just can't do it.

I follow the old rule of: Cuffed if the pants have pleats, uncuffed if not

I've never heard of this rule but I'm officially adopting it since I detest them both.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
Cuffs on traditional cut slacks/suit pants, ... and no cuffs when suit is cut straight/retro slim.

Good point on the style of the suit. Of course, most "traditional" cut suits will have pleats, and most "retro slim" Mad-Men-ish suits will be flat front, so obviously there's some overlap with the other oft-quoted "rule"; perhaps it's just a different way of understanding how to make a good decision depending on what sort of pants you are dealing with.
 
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