Cuff Love

Rolling up your jeans used to be something you did when they were too long. Now the cuff is built in: deep, pressed and stitched so it stays put, often in a lighter shade than the leg so it reads as a detail.

It is the easiest way to make a plain pair look like this season, and it shows off whatever shoe you are wearing. I have sorted these by leg shape.

Mid and pale washes with a frayed cuff, a dark palazzo, a navy cropped pair and a very wide light blue with an extra deep turn up.

I check the cuff depth against my height. Very deep cuffs cut the leg, so shorter frames suit a narrower turn up.

Very long palazzo styles are not worth it if you live in flats; they are cut for a heel.

The everyday version. Classic blue, a pintucked front, a pale boyfriend, a dark rinse with a brown velvet cuff, white and a faded straight with a big cuff.

Look for a cuff that is tacked at the side seams. Loose cuffs unroll after the first wash.

I would avoid stretchy skinny denim here; the cuff only works when the leg is straight.

Curved legs with a turned up hem: a dark barrel, a brown curved pair, a mid blue low rise and a very slouchy dark wash.

My test is to look from the side. The curve should come from the cut of the leg, not from extra fabric bunching at the cuff.

Pass on these with chunky trainers; a slim loafer or heel balances the volume.

A loafer and a fine sock, a slingback, or a neat bootie that sits just under the cuff. A tucked knit and a belt finish it.