Ask Sherry: Wide-legged pants with heels – what to do?

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Fashion question: I love the look of long wide leg pants, but I need to wear heels to pull it off.

I thought that too, but in the end, flats for me also work, or if it is a cropped style. More on that later.

I don’t like commuting in heels, but flats.

AGREED! Commuting in heels is torture.

Do you have any advice for commuting in long pants so that they don’t drag when wearing pants? I’ll change into heels at the office.

Wide-legged pants are hard to roll up, plus they crease when you do.

Here are a few options to deal with your hem length when commuting.

1. Wear another pair of pants and change

Sounds silly, but works great because now you don’t have to fiddle with your hem length. Just bring two pairs of pants — one for commuting like jeans, and another for changing into once at the office. I know women who bring skirts to the office, but commute in pants especially during winter, to stay warm.

2. Double-sided tape or safety pins

You may need STRONG double-sided tape, but you could fold in and tape up the hems while commuting. I don’t love love love this option because tape can easily come off, and it may wrinkle the bottom of the hem.

Ditto with safety pins, I don’t like pinning stuff up, but this is very quick and easy.

3. Sew on velcro “buttons” or snap-buttons at the hem

Velcro buttons or those little snap buttons on the insides of your pants so that it doesn’t show when you unsnap your hem lengths to come back down is another nicer, more permanent option.

I prefer this over tape or safety pins because you can just easily snap or velcro up the hems, then unsnap them. It makes cleaning a cinch (no need to remember to peel off the double-sided tape), and it won’t have holes stuck in all over your pants (e.g. safety pins).

The only downside is making sure the snaps don’t show when they’re sewn on the inside of your pants.

4. Try clips like MyHikes

Okay these MyHikes Clips look silly because they’re meant for children, but they are essentially barrettes or clips to hold up a hem. If your wide-legged trousers are not stiff enough to cuff up and stay up, you will need something similar.

5. Or more adult-ish snaps like StyleSnaps

These StyleSnaps are a plastic snap and adhesive (much like double-sided tape but fancier) that will hold your hems up. The downside (in the reviews) is that the tape only lasts through 2-3 uses, and must be removed before washing.

6. Consider a different style altogether

I know you said you can only make it work with heels, but I’m curious as to why?

I have worn wide-legged pants and found that they look quite good with flats as long as the flats are POINTED toe.

If they are a round or almond toe flat, they look silly peeking out underneath the wide-legged hem.

If the shoes were pointed like my pair below, the little pointed toe peeking out is very chic.

Or how about CROPPED wide legged pants?

I was not a fan of this look until I saw it on someone and she looked incredible (plus she was only 5′ so there goes that theory about how cropped wide-legged items make short people look shorter).

Banana Republic has a very cute, tempting, jumpsuit that is wide-legged and cropped that I am sort of half-lusting over that looks great with heels, flats, you name it (but I still can’t get over having to undress fully to go to the bathroom in this thing):

Hope the above helps!

Personally, if you don’t want to change wearing widelegged pants with heels (I completely understand), I would carry them to the office and wear another pair of pants so I don’t ruin or have to tailor what I own.

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