If you're a custom clothing aficionado, you understand the importance of the pant break: where your trousers meet your shoes. However, with all of the trends out there, it's hard to know what break will look best. Seemingly, there's either much confusion or not enough attention paid to this integral part of how your suit should fit your proportions. Ultimately, it depends on you and your personal style, but here are some helpful hints to guide your choice.
Too Much
We are here to tell you that too much break is NOT a good look. It comes off as disheveled, sloppy, and glaringly obvious that a visit to the the tailor is required to adjust your pants to proper length. It also singlehandedly defeats the purpose of wearing a suit, especially when you're trying to look dapper.
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| Courtesy of alibaba.com |
Too much break = too much bunching at the bottom. And heaven forbid your pant leg slips past your shoe and you're treading along on top of it—the frayed ends alone should alert you that your pants are far too long.
Too Little
Similarly, too little break isn't a great look either, depending on how one wears it. If a guy has really short hemlines, his pants will look too small for him. Geek Chic is one thing—Revenge of the Nerds is quite another.
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| Courtesy of starkinsider.com |
When considering the break of your pants, we suggest you adhere to three industry standards to achieve a polished appearance for your body type: the full break, the medium break, or the short break.
The Full Break
Considered by most to be an adventurous and bold trend, this version is for the taller gentlemen as it gives a little more fabric to provide coverage for longer legs. The full break gives the pants a deeper crease along the front and falls right above the sole of your shoe. This prevents the pants from looking too short on a man of higher stature. It still may run the risk of looking a bit too untidy, so proceed with care.
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| Courtesy of ESPN here |
The Medium Break
The most traditional and classic look is the medium break. Known for its conservative style, this is a clean look that cuts right across the top of the shoe and covers a little bit of the laces (if there are any). Men of middle heights wear this look very well, while those on either side of the height scale are better advised to approach with caution. However, the medium break has an angled hem in the back, which allows the pant to be long enough to hit the top of your back sole and shorter in front to reveal some dress shoe, which looks presentable on most men.
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| Courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk |
The Short Break
For the trendsetters who keep a watchful eye on the runway, this is a look that you know well as more and more designers consider this a style standard. The short break is generally a higher hem that gives little, if only barely, a crease to the pant leg and hits just below the top of your shoe front (a la
Thom Browne). Some refer to this as a "high water" pant, as it can show a bit of ankle. Any body type that wants to make a statement can pull this off, but it's generally delineated to more slender gentlemen. Not meant for those who are weary to reveal some ankle.
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| Courtesy of Mens's Health |
Cuffed? Rolled?
As for cuffing or rolling your pants: we leave this up to you. The trick here is not too much roll and not too much ankle, and it's usually done with denim, but it's a fashion-forward look worth mentioning.
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| Courtesy of GQ |
Those who don this look have guts. If you love it, go for it! If you hate it, better leave it be. The most important thing about wearing a look well is how comfortable you feel.
Still unsure what pant break you favor the most, or which one will accommodate your personal style? Email a style consultant at
info@9tailors.com for some sage advice on pant styles and lengths, or make an appointment to custom-design the look you crave.
*"These are the Breaks" by Kurtis Blow
