Pants for Short Men: The Ultimate Guide | Ash & Erie
How Pants Should Fit
Buying the perfect pair of pants can often be a chore. The process is too complicated and tiring, especially as a shorter man. As shorter men, we need pant sizes that fit our smaller frames, and quite frankly, none of the mainstream brands can help us. Most pants brands have inseams that only go as short at 30 inches, and if you can find a pair of pants that fit your legs, you’ll find that the waist is too tight, or the hips don’t sit right. This is why we made this guide to finding pants for short men.
In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know when buying a pair of pants for your shorter frame. We’ll go over all the measurements you need to take, the style tips you need to know, and the mistakes you should avoid.
Measuring Your Waist Size
The first measurement you need to take into consideration is your waist size. Overall, your pants should fit snug, but not tight around your waist. You want the option of not wearing a belt.
You have to find the right amount of snugness because if your pants are too tight they’ll dig into your stomach. That doesn’t feel comfortable, trust me. On the other hand, if your pants are too loose around your waist, then they’ll end up either falling off or bunching up when you wear a belt. You want to avoid both of these mistakes by measuring yourself before you buy a new pair of pants.
To measure your waist, it’s best to grab some measuring tape and start measuring from right below your belly button, circling around the small of your back and through the starting point of the tape.
Depending on how much waist leeway you need, you may want to opt for pants with a little stretch that can accommodate an extra inch or two. We’ve all had to undo a belt buckle or two after a big meal, so we suggest taking this into consideration when you’re buying your next pair of pants.
How the Hips of Your Pants Should Fit
The next measurement you need to take into consideration is your hips. Specifically, the way your pants fit on your hips. Every man has a different hip to waist ratio, so you’ll likely have to try on a few pairs of pants to get your preferred measurements and fit. If you have a bigger butt, you’ll want to account for that when figuring out what size pants you want. Of course, you don’t want your pants to sit too tight on your pants. You shouldn’t be uncomfortable walking or sitting down, and you definitely want to avoid pants that are so tight you’re afraid to tear the fabric just by squatting down to pick something up.
Most men wear pants that are too big and unflattering. You want to wear pants that compliment your backside, not the other way around. Wearing pants that are too big can (and often do) give your backside the impression of being saggy. You definitely don’t want that.
For us shorter men, this can be a challenge to find the right pair for our proportions. Our hips are generally smaller than the average guy’s hips, so we suggest trying on a pair first before you make the investment. Buying pants that are specifically made for shorter men will help you narrow down the size you should pick.
By making sure your pants sit snug on your hips, you give yourself a leg up on your style and treat your partner to a great view.
Should I Wear Low-rise or High-rise Pants?
The next measurement you need to take into consideration is the rise of your pants. The rise is measured from the top of your front waistband, down your crotch, to the top of your back waistband. This measurement decides where your pants will sit on your body. If your pants are low rise, then they’ll sit closer to your hips. If they’re high rise, then they’ll end up closer to your belly button.
The rise of your pants is an important measurement, and it is also subject to whatever style is trendy at the moment. Trends ebb and flow over time, but there are some common rules that we suggest taking into account when understanding pants rise.
Low rise pants sit lower on your body, and so they’ll give the impression that your torso is longer. High rise pants give the impression that your legs are longer. It’s up to you to learn what you prefer.
We suggest finding the right rise for you and the occasion you’re dressing for. High rise pants are typically worn for more formal occasions, such as the office, a wedding, a fancy dinner, etc. Low rise pants are well suited for casual affairs, such as going to a sporting event, the grocery store, the coffee shop, etc.
As shorter men, wearing a rise length that elongates your legs will be helpful in giving yourself the impression that you’re taller. You can typically accomplish this by wearing a higher rise than you normally would, but we suggest finding the right rise for your body proportions.
How to Choose the Right Cut for Your Pants
Up next on our pants for short men tips list is the cut of your pants. This is a very important measurement because most men opt for a cut that’s too baggy or too tight. We suggest opting for a slim cut because it’s a happy medium that isn’t too trendy, yet still stylish.
There are many types of cuts available for men, so we understand the confusion trying to make sense of what you should wear. The best method we suggest is simply trying on a few cuts and seeing what looks better on your body.
For shorter men, we suggest wearing a slim cut pair of pants. Most slim cuts will give your legs a longer look, so avoid baggier cut pants.
The Taper of Your Pants
Should your pants be tapered or not? Short answer: it depends, but more often than not you’ll want your pants to be tapered whether you buy them that way, or you get them tapered after purchase. The reasoning behind this is simple: a tapered look is very slimming to your frame, and it can give you the illusion of looking taller. This is a good thing in pants for short men.
What you don’t want to be wearing is pants that are too baggy at the bottom or even flare out like bell bottoms. This isn’t a good look. For us shorter men, we suggest wearing pants that have a slightly tapered look. This will give us a “taller” look.
It’s important to wear the proper inseam so that you reduce the chances of your pants making you look shorter. When the bottom of your pants start stacking (this is called a break), it gives off the illusion that you’re shorter. You want to avoid this by knowing your proper inseam, which you can read about here: how to measure your inseam.
Wearing and Style Pants: Short Men Fashion
The Ash & Erie Pants Collection
Thoughtfully crafted pants for short men
When we designed our pants, we looked at hundreds of details to design a perfect fit from the ground up. From our inseam lengths, waist fit, and more, we’ve come up with the best possible pants for shorter men.