HOW PANTS SHOULD FIT

Pants are probably the most underrated and the most important part of your outfit. They form the base for all the other pieces of attire and accessory that you associate with your outfit. Pants act like the background to a painting. Without an appealing base, your outfit won’t shine. Therefore, more than anything, you need your pants to fit right.

Fit can be with respect to length and with respect to the pant type.

Talking about length, the fit is measured in terms of ‘pant breaks’. A pant break is the fold or bend above the cuff of the leg, which is created when the fabric of the leg is longer than your physical leg.

1) Full Break — A full break is when there is a deep bend on the bottom, which means the length is too long. A full break would only look good when paired with pointed leather shoes.

2) Half Break- A half break is when the line of the pant bends noticeably, but not significantly. These do pretty well as part of a formal attire.

3) Quarter Break — A quarter break is when the trouser meets the shoe and breaks, but only slightly.

4) No Break — A no break is when the pant reaches the shoe and does not cover it even slightly.

Talking about length with respect to pant type, this is how the fitting should be:

1) Formal Pants and Dressy Trousers

The perfect fit for these pants is should sit at the top of your hip bones, directly below your navel. Dress trousers will fit tighter as compared to other pants, which means one should not be able to see the contours of your butt. Degree of break is up to preference, but we’d recommend going for a half break.

2) Chinos

Chinos fit thinner than most other pants and are also preferred low-waist. However, if you are wearing chinos for an occasion or a business meet, try fitting them like your formal pants. If the chinos are to be worn casually, they can be worn slim.

3) Jeans

Jeans are most commonly worn as casuals. Therefore, these tend to be worn an inch or so lower than even chinos, sitting at the top of your butt. A straight pair of legs is preferred as opposed to slim fits.

4) Shorts

The bottom of today’s shorts should not go past mid knee, although shorts that are 2–3 inches shorter than this are even acceptable. Shorts should fit like casual chinos in the seat and leg, i.e, they should be slim but not tight. They should look and feel comfortable.

With this guide, you can complete your look with ease and look as effortless as ever.