How to. cuff jeans?
Denim weights are also important to keep in mind. Denim weight refers to how much the fabric weighs per yard. So, a pair of 12.5-ounce denim jeans are made from a material that weighs 12.5 ounces per yard. The heavier the weight, the thicker the material and the more durable. We recommend not going higher than 14.75 ounces when cuffing your pant leg (and that goes for duck canvas as well).
If you go upwards of that, the material doesn’t take the fold as readily and can bunch up, making your pants look less cuffed and more rolled (in a bad, not so becoming way). As for the cut of the pant, you can try wider, boot-cut styles if that's what you usually wear, but be warned that cuffs added to already wide pants will look even wider, because although you can technically cuff any cut of pant, it works best with ones that are straight or slightly tapered. Lastly, if you dress for an era that isn't your own, meaning your closet is full of vintage or period-specific shapes, it's OK to leave the cuff a little messy; it adds character.
The Pinroll works best with shoes that are slimmer and narrower, like oxfords or simple white sneakers. Stay away from the pinroll with boots or bulky sneakers with a thick sole.
Take about an inch of fabric between your thumb and forefinger on the instep side of your pants so that the rest of the hem is snug against your ankle.
Fold the material towards you, against the leg, to create a diagonal line of material.
Cuff the pant by making two folds of the hem. Make sure to smooth out the cuff as you make each fold.
The Simple Roll is likely the most versatile on our list. Good with almost any shoe, the simple roll also works with most fabric types and weights.
Take the hem of your pant and make one fold up about two inches.
Smooth out the material to make a nice flat cuff.
Take the top of the cuff and fold the hem in behind the back, towards the pant leg.
Smooth out the cuff to create one uniform fold.
As its name implies, the Skinny Roll works best with tighter fitting jeans. Like the Pinroll, be sure to stay away from boots and wider-cut sneakers. Also, try to stay away from thicker fabrics, as they don’t fold as tightly and tend to bunch up.
Take just the hemmed seam at the bottom of your pant leg and fold it up to create a thin, small cuff.
Fold the cuff up again and smooth out the fold.
Repeat step 2 until desired length is reached. (Don’t turn your pants into knickers.)
The Iron Worker is the perfect fold for long raw denim or heavyweight canvas pants. This fold looks great with boots and is almost always accompanied by a beard and a flannel.
Take the hem of your pant and make a large cuff approximately four and a half to five inches in width.
Smooth out the cuff. (Can also be ironed to create a perfect flat fold.)
Repeat step two if desired, but never make more than two cuffs with the Iron Worker. Your pants should never be cuffed above your calf unless you are cycling.
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Jeans have come a long way from its controversial beginnings in the South, as now it can be used in both a professional and casual setting. But as it developed different styles, we also needed to learn a new way to improve the fit of our jeans, besides tailoring, and so people turned to cuffing. Why do we need to learn how to cuff jeans? Because it not only adds multiple new styles for the same pair of pants, but it also cleans up the hem line for everything ranging from wide leg jeans to the tightest skinny jeans. It’s not only something for women with sneakers or women with boots to consider and learn, but something both men and women need to know. It’s an easy way to style a casual outfit for men, and a great way to clean up pant lines for women. How to cuff jeans is a simple question with many answers, all fulfilling the same purpose of cleaning up your style and increasing the versatility of your jeans. In this article, we’ll show you the five best ways to cuff jeans for all sorts of styles.
Fortunately, there’s many many ways to cuff jeans for women and for men. It all depends on what you’re trying to achieve. For example, how to cuff jeans for women with sneakers will be very different from how to cuff jeans for boots. Because the difference in footwear determines the style of the whole outfit, you’ll need a different cuff to ensure that the jeans match. It also depends on if you’re trying to show off a little bit of skin or just to shorten the jeans a bit for a cleaner hem. The best thing is, it’s easy to learn all the styles once you’ve mastered one and it’s simple enough to try all different cuffs to see which works best for which pair of jeans. Naturally, a pair of cuffed jeans goes well with not only the casual t-shirt, but also pairs perfectly with a white dress shirt to add a bit of professionalism in a business casual setting.
If you’re still wondering how to cuff jeans, it’s both simple and easy to learn. We’ve identified the 5 best and most versatile ways to cuff jeans below. Naturally, all the styles listed below can be used for multiple outfits, as how to cuff jeans for women will be the same as how to cuff jeans for men. The only difference would come through personal preference and different jean styles.
This is the most basic and the most versatile of all the cuffs out there. If you’re looking for the easiest and most simple way on how to cuff jeans, this will resolve most if not all of your questions.
Step 1
Take the hem of your pants and fold upwards around one to two inches, showing the underside of the pants.
Step 2
Flatten the new edge of the cuff and make sure it’s an even and sharp cuff all around.
The double cuff is very similar to the single cuff, but cleans up the hemline a bit more and can take a bit more length out of the pants. Once you learn how to cuff jeans with the single cuff, it only takes another step to easily achieve the double cuff.
Step 1
Take the hem of your pants and fold upwards around one to two inches, showing the underside of the pants, or perform the single cuff.
Step 2
Flatten the new edge of the cuff and make sure it’s an even and sharp cuff all around.
Step 3
Take the hem that’s now pointing upwards and fold it back down towards the pants, tucking it into the cuff that has already been created.
The skinny roll is a great way to work with thinner denims and works great with tighter jeans. It’s a great cuff to learn if you’re wondering how to cuff skinny jeans.
Step 1
Take the hemmed seam and fold it up a tiny bit at a time to create a thin cuff.
Step 2
Smooth out the thin cuff and fold it up again.
Step 3
Repeat step 2 until you’ve reached the desired length. Just don’t roll up too much to avoid bunching of the fabric at the ankles.
The pinwheel is a more complicated style than the previous cuffs, but it’s still a great style to add to your repertoire on how to cuff jeans.
Step 1
Take around an inch of the hemline between your thumb and forefinger where the seams meet on your jeans and pull it tight against your ankle.
Step 2
Fold the material tight against your leg, creating a diagonal line of extra material.
Step 3
Fold the now tight hemline up, making sure to even out and clean the cuff line between each fold.
Step 4
Repeat the cuff once more until you have a clean tucked pinwheel cuff.
The wide or high cuff is also one of the easier cuffs to learn. It’s similar to the single cuff, but works for wide leg jeans.
Step 1
Take the hem of your pants and fold upwards up to four inches, showing the underside of the pants.
Step 2
That’s it! You can choose to smooth out the cuff line for a clean look or keep it rough and uneven for a rockabilly style.
While there’s multiple ways to cuff jeans out there, some cuffs work best for tight jeans and some work best for wide leg jeans. Naturally, it’s important to distinguish both to avoid creating a faux pas.
Wide leg jeans are usually not cuffed especially if it’s a fit and flair, but if you have mom jeans or boyfriend jeans, it’s important to know how to cuff wide leg jeans. The best way to cuff them would be to use the single cuff or the wide cuff. This showcases an easy going style without seeming too messy. Just be sure to not cuff too much or it will make your legs look small.
If you’re unsure on how to cuff jeans, many people choose to simply let the material bunch at the ankles. While that’s certainly one solution, it doesn’t look clean. The best way to figure out how to cuff skinny jeans is to know how much skin you want to show and how heavy the material is. Naturally, both the simple and double cuff works well, but the skinny roll and the pinwheel roll are made for tight jeans. This creates a clean tapered look on the legs while taking care of all the extra fabric.
Learning how to cuff jeans for boots is important for both men and women. It’s common to wear jeans with ankle boots, but it’s also easy to bunch the jeans at the ankles if it's not a perfect fit. The wide cuff is perfect for boots. You should also stay away from tapered cuffs such as the pinwheel roll or the skinny roll.
It’s easy to cuff jeans with sneakers, as it’s often so versatile that it looks great with most cuffs. The skinny roll and the pinwheel roll are perfect, as it compliments the slim and narrow profile of sneakers.
It’s important for both women and men to learn how to cuff jeans. There’s just so many styles out there and once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s easy to move on and improve your style with more complicated cuffs. This avoids the expenses of tailoring pants but also creates a great clean fit for all jeans. Not only does it pair well with a casual shirt and sneakers, but a properly cuffed jean shows a lot of professionalism paired with oxfords and a slim fit white dress shirt.
Keep scrolling to learn how to cuff your jeans!
The easiest of the tricks you’ll see today. With an easy flip of your hem, you instantly set the stage for statement shoes and your spring pedicure. Unsure how to make both sides even? Use the knuckle trick (see our editor’s tip below!) to make sure you’re cuffed to perfection.
Need to shorten a pair of too-long jeans? Want a cropped, casual look? Double cuff your denim dungarees! Starting at the hem, cuff your jeans to reach about half the length of your thumb (see our tip below!). Now do it one more time and voila!
This easy-to-do rolled cuff is a major key to effortless summer outfits. And, it’s the perfect styling tip for relaxed fits like straight leg and boyfriend jeans. The trick to pulling off this look? Turn up the bottom of your jeans in half-inch rolls, and remember—the messier the better!
Ready for a denim refresh to put these tips and tricks to the test? Our expert stylists are here to help. Take your style quiz and order a Fix. Be sure to let your stylist know you are in the mood for new denim! You’ll receive 5 carefully curated pieces to try on in the comfort of your own home. Shipping and returns are always free, giving you even more peace of mind.
Folding, rolling up or ‘cuffing’ jeans has become the default way of wearing jeans for many denimheads.
The cuffs are the rolled or turned up bits of fabric at the end of the legs. You might also see them referred to as ‘turn-ups’, but we’re calling them cuffs from here on.
Visit our buying guides before your next purchase. We guide you to the best raw selvedge jeans, denim jackets, heavy flannels and more.
Jeans are stitched at the bottom of the legs to prevent the fabric from fraying. This stitch is called the hem. If your jeans are too long and you want them shorter, you can either have them shortened (called ‘hemmed’) or you can cuff them.
Cuffing is not only a practical way of making your jeans shorter without having to cut and sew, it also looks great. And it’s a fun way to add a personal touch to the otherwise seemingly similar raw denim jeans we wear.
This guide explains the eight most common ways to cuff your jeans.
The single cuff is the father of all cuffs. It has a clean look, and it’s dead-easy to do.
How-to: About 5 centimetres (2 inches) above the hem, you fold up the leg outwards once. That’s it.
The single cuff works best if your jeans are just about the right length. And it looks good for virtually any type of jeans. (Apart from bootcuts or flared jeans, which you shouldn’t cuff at all.)
You can make the single cuff clean with an even-sized cuff all the way around. Or you can give it a casual look by purposely making it sloppy. The latter looks great with jeans that are a little on the short side. You can also combine the single cuff with stacking.
Wearing your jeans with the same cuffs for a long time increases the risk of premature breaks where the denim is folded. The fabric will get more wear along the creases, which makes it wear out quicker than the rest of the garment. This is especially the case with unwashed, raw denim.
The easy fix to prevent this potential issue is to change up your cuffs every once in a while. Try something else for a change, and your jeans will last a little longer.
The double cuff is essentially doing a single cuff twice.
How-to: First, you do one single cuff, then you do another. It’s ideal when you want to take off some more length of your jeans.
If your jeans aren’t long enough to do a double cuff but you want the look, you can fold down the hem.
How-to: Do a single cuff. Then, fold down the hem only to hide it.
As the name suggests, the mega cuff is, well, really big.
The summer cuff is ideal for a casual look and when you want to show off your ankles and calves.
How-to: Roll up the jeans twice, three times or even four in an uneven manner.
This is a casual cuff that’s meant to look a little messy. Like you just got out of bed. It works best with roomier fits, and it’s fine for lightweight denims too.
With this cuff, you’re allowed to deviate from the general rule that cuffs shouldn’t sit higher than the top of your shoes; you want your ankles exposed.
This is one of the most uncommon cuffs, so it’s a chance for you to really stand out.
How-to: Do a relatively big single cuff inwards. Then do a single cuff on top of that outwards.
Unlike all the other ways to cuff, you don’t see the inside of the denim with the inside-out cuff. You get a clean and more tailored look, and it works great with slimmer fits and darker denims.
The pin roll tapers in your jeans and makes them slimmer from the knee down. It helps you show off your shoes.
How-to: First, fold over the inseam of the leg vertically. Then you do a single cuff, around 3-4 centimetres or so (1.5 inches), while you hold the fold in place with your thumb. Then you fold it all once or twice more. Done.
For this type of cuff, you need jeans that have a little extra length. And it works best with slimmer and tapered fits.
Pinch the inseam of your pants, and fold it to the back of the pant leg. Then roll the bottom of your jeans up about two inches until snug. The pinroll shows off your ankle and draws attention to the top of your shoes.
