How to Wear Cropped Flare Jeans and Not Look Like a Frump in Floods

Crop flare jeans are supposed to be cool and fashion-forward, but you may think they look like geeky floods.

In part, you are right. Cropped flares can look off if they aren’t styled right. They also tend to make you look short and wide. So how do you style these tricky pants, so you don’t look stumpy or frumpy? Here are a few good tips.

1. Find Your Perfect Pair

It’s easy to get stuck in a style rut, which is why it’s so important to challenge yourself when it comes to new trends like cropped flare jeans. Take a few pairs into a dressing room and try them on.  You might just need to find your perfect version of these jeans – the ones that suit your unique body type and personality.

For example, one pair of crop flare jeans might be more feminine than another, or slightly longer in the leg or higher in the waist. You might find a pair with a stripe down the side, which could make all the difference to how you look and feel in them. 

I bought these cute release hem cropped flare jeans because they are quite slim through the leg with just a subtle flare which I find very flattering. They’re also a good length (they hit just above my ankle) and I like the boho summer feel of the release hem. I’ve styled them casually here, but you can also make cropped flare jeans look a little dressier, as I did in another post.

If cropped flare jeans are still not for you, nothing is lost, but you’ll never know unless you experiment. Remember, fashion should be fun!

2. Wear Heels

The easiest way to nail this look is to wear heels. A sexy pair of pumps or sandals can look very chic with these types of jeans.  A while back, I wore a pair of cropped flare jeans with nude high-heel strappy sandals. My new look took me from being on the fence about cropped flare jeans, to loving them!

Are high heels too uncomfy for you? There are lots of other shoes that go with cropped flare jeans. Or, you can wear rope wedges in summer or even flat canvas espadrilles or sneakers for a laid-back summer look.

Backless mules look sophisticated too but remember you will look shorter and wider so flats are best for slim, average to tall types.  In the fall and winter booties with a medium-high heel give crop flare jeans an edgy look. One last thing to note: the wider the flare, the higher the heel.

 3. Try Longer Cropped Flare Jeans

Some cropped flares are short gauchos which end at or just below the knee, while others hit mid-calf or near the ankle.

Play around to see which ones flatter your legs best. In general, longer cropped jeans are more slimming. The perfect length is just above the ankle.

3. A Dark Wash is Slimming

If you are concerned about looking squat in crop flare jeans, the darker wash, the thinner you will look. Also the less detail on your jeans (studs, pockets, rips) the slimmer you will look if you are bottom heavy.

4. Avoid Long Tops

Looking fab in cropped flare jeans is about getting the proportions right. They look best worn with a fitted top, jacket, or a shirt or top that you tuck or half tuck in.

This way you show off your waist and make your legs look longer, which is important because as mentioned cropped jeans tend to shorten your legs. A belt also looks good.

The only time you can really pull off a long top over cropped flare jeans if is you have really long legs and wear heels.

Feel like giving this type of jeans a try? Follow these style pointers to look fabulous and not frumpy in crop flare jeans.