Trend Watch: "Where's the Flood?"

In the past 6 or so years that my love for fashion has flourished and grown to great heights, if you asked me what the worst fashion faux-pas was, I'd surely have said "pants that are too short!" I'd have much preferred to let my jeans drag and get a little torn up even if it meant I had to replenish my supply of denim every few months. And even now, I guess I still believe that it's better to have a pant that is too long rather than too short. But in the past few months, my views on pant length have changed greatly. This is due in part (quite a bit, actually!) to the photographs featured on a Linen Lounge favorite, The Sartorialist. As many a fashionista would know, almost everyday, the Sartorialist posts a photograph of someone he saw on the streets of New York, Paris, Milan, London (etc.), wearing a definitive style of their own. The clothes aren't necessarily fashion forward or even current, but the way they are worn, the confidence of the people wearing them, and the artistic elements of the photographs themselves are enough to provoke thought and captivate the viewer. Months ago, when I first began paying attention to the Sartorialist's works, I noticed that the men he photographed typically wore pants shorter than what I am used to. Not just suit pants, but casual pants -- jeans, even!

Anyone who knows anything about men's fashion and tailoring knows that suit pants are supposed to be short. If you haven't gotten the memo, you will understand once you see a man in a suit with pants that are too long. It looks quite awkward. But this recent shortening of pant-length seemed to me simply ridiculous. I don't think I would have even noticed shorter pant lengths on the runways if I hadn't been so detail oriented while viewing the Sartorialists photographs. I find that slowly, my disdain for cropped pants has begun to lift.

I just believe that it needs to be done with care. Shoes are most important when attempting to pull off a cropped pant - they will, after all, be exposed for the world to see. But I think the next most important thing to remember when trying to pull off a cropped pant would be a slim leg opening. A bootleg, a wide leg -- pretty much anything outside of a straight/tapered leg would look ridiculous were it not grazing the ground. Luckily, with the somewhat recent popularity of the skinny/cigarette leg, this look is easily achieved. My jeans all tend to be bootcut, so until I buy a pair of straight jeans, I won't be attempting to pull of a cropped leg, but when I do, the world better watch out!

Shorter trousers are coming fast, and soon they'll be everywhere!

This all being said, I was looking at the Bottega Venetta Fall 08 Men's collection, and it featured long, extremely wide-legged, baggy jeans and trousers, and they looked divine! I guess it's all up to you! After all, fashion is about personal style, not simply about mimicking other people!