Recently a friend of mine asked how she should be wearing cropped jeans. She (like me) has shorter legs and wasn’t sure if this was the right look for her. If you’re like many of us (who lack a lot of real estate in the legs), it can be hard to even find true cropped jeans because they end up almost full length. And even if you do find a pair or get them hemmed, it can feel like they make your legs look even shorter. But here’s the deal: even if you don’t have legs for days, you can still wear cropped jeans!

Notice even this long legged model is wearing a top that hits at the waist and open shoes that show the front of her foot.

It feels like there are more options than ever when it comes to jeans these days in general: straight, skinny, wide leg, boot cut, high rise, low rise and of course: cropped. There are so many hemlines and definitions, it can be confusing, and everyone has a different opinion. Nothing is really “out” – not even skinny jeans (it’s true, they are still “in”!) So, what do we mean when we say “cropped jeans”? This season, “cropped” usually means above the top of the ankle bone. Not as hight as carpi (please, no capri’s) and not as low as right above the foot.

This is obviously a great look for summer and there are many ways to style cropped jeans - which I may write about in another blog post. These tips are for those of you who want to create the illusion of a longer leg - remember, you don’t have to! I’m not a fan of fashion being “right” or “wrong” or “in” or “out”. That’s why I use quotes when I write those terms. To me, style is about individuality, confidence and expression. Some people feel perfectly confident wearing things that some may say is “out” or not necessarily accentuating their figure. I say more power to you if you feel great! I’ve mentioned before that I feel that way in my poofy, dresses: I know they may not flatter my figure, but I feel great. When it comes to pants, however… I admit, I like to feel longer and leaner if possible. If you’re like me, read on for some tips to accentuate your legs with cropped jeans:

Here are a 8 tips for wearing cropped jeans if you don’t have legs like a model.

1. Make sure the length hits right above the smallest part of your ankle. Not only do you want to show off the narrowness of your ankle, but it also creates the illusion that the rest of your leg is narrow as well. Don’t crop up near your calf.

2. Go for straight or wider leg pants. You don’t want the fabric to hug your calf and show that calf shape and then taper in at the opening of the pants. For us shorter leg gals, we want the illusion of as much straight-ness as possible. There should also be at least an inch of space (or more) between the leg opening of your jeans and your ankle.

3.  Avoid stretch jeans when doing cropped jeans. The also take away from the straight illusion and they don’t have that nice, crisp definition at the hem line. It feels like an “anticlimactic crop” - ya I just made that term up but it’s good, right?

4.     Higher rise jeans will give your legs a ton more real estate on top. This is probably the biggest unknown tip I can share. Build up the leg length with a higher rise and do not cover it with a long top! (See next tip).

5.     Tuck in, French tuck or wear a top that just hits the waist of your jeans to ensure you show the top. The worst thing you can do is cut the top of the jeans off with a long shirt and the have a cropped leg opening. This creates a very short leg —>

6.     Add a heel. The higher the better. This is actually the number one thing you can do to elongate your leg with a cropped jean. Go with a nude pump or sling back. Keep your foot “naked” with an open nude heel. That naked foot will create more “leg”.

Note: these Mother Jeans hit right AT my ankle bone, so I turned up the cuff to create a crop. Some stylists say a cuffed jean actually makes your leg look longer. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but it could be true.

7.     If you’re wearing WIDE LEGGED cropped (see white jeans here) I think a chunkier shoe like a clog sandal balances out the wide proportions of the pants.

8.     Go for a neutral or monochromatic look. If your jeans are lighter, wear a lighter top. Darker jeans, darker top. This reduces a break-up of torso and legs and will create one, long silhouette. The exception is white pants for me. I have a hard time with all white unless you layer it with a cardigan or jacket.

I can hear you thinking, “but there’s no way I am always going to wear heels with jeans”. I get it and yes you CAN absolutely wear flats with cropped jeans not matter how long your legs are – my advice on that for you shorter legged gals is to make sure your crop is a little bit higher. I don’t have any jeans of my own with a higher crop (yet), but the other day I noticed a couple of my friends pulled it off because their crop hit a little bit higher up on the leg to revel more between the end of the cuff of the pant and their shoe.