Shorter is better

If there is one style tip for business professionals coming into the spring of 2022 it is the length of their trousers.?And for many, this won’t be easy to accept.

During a trouser fitting I commonly hear, “Jordan, I don’t want it to look like I’m waiting for a flood!” or “Jordan, my wife?hates?short pants.”

In instances like this I have to navigate slowly.??

Fortunately (or unfortunately) ? - 1” makes a tremendous difference.?It’s not like we’re talking about a foot.?

And beyond that, the style of the pant is wide open.?Pleats, flat front, cuffs, plain bottoms, you can go with what you like.?But the length of the pant? Things are consistently shorter.

Let’s take a step back.

The break of a trouser refers to the length.?There are 3 general categories of break:

Full Break:?The longest category, resulting in a good amount of puddling on top of the shoe.?If you can see several “breaks” or folds in the fabric on top of your shoe, it’s full.?

Medium Break:?The middle category, resulting in less puddling than full, but still a decent amount of fabric breaking.?If you see at least one fold of fabric, it’s probably medium.?

Slight Break:?The shortest category, resulting in no puddling or breaking of fabric on top of the shoe.

Between these 3 categories, the total span is approximately 1 - 1.5” from shortest to longest.??

Why should you care about the length of your trousers??That’s easy, because it’s not about you.??

Anyone in your sphere of influence who is sharp, and has certain expectations about who you should be for them, will notice if your pants are too long.?Note, this is a reversal from the recent past when they would notice if they were too short.?

Clients, prospects, bosses, and those you’re leading want you to be your best.?And if they don’t, their spouses might.?Coming into this season, take a look at the finish of your trousers to see if you can move that needle.