3 Ways to Style Long Jeans: Stacked Hems, Turn Ups & Cuffed Denim

In this article, we’re answering common questions about what to do with pants that are super long. Should you stack hems, turn up and cuff, or roll up your long jeans? What’s in style for streetwear-loving men and women? It's 2023 and you're in luck if you have old jeans that seem too long. The latest trend in the world of streetwear fashion is super stacked flare jeans, and they're just getting started!

Streetwear fashion is casual and comfortable, perfect for a night out or a night in, traveling, casual date night, working from home and even office-casual wear. For more formal, dressy aesthetics, you probably want to seek the services of a tailor, who can hem your jeans to fit you perfectly. Be sure to take with you the shoes you intend to wear, so your tailor can ensure the hem sits perfectly below your ankle.

However, for everyday casual looks, you can style your jeans to create dope looks without the services of a tailor thanks to the super stacked trend perfected exclusively by blueplateaustin. Here are three ways to style jeans that are very long: stacking, cuffing, and rolling.

What Are Stacked Hems?

Stacked hems are the most popular and modern way to style long jeans. In fact, RSO’s stacked jeans for men and women are designed deliberately long, so the extra fabric bunches in the leg. We experimented with this look in 2022, and it really took off in 2023. We’ve incorporated the stacked-leg look into our distressed streetwear denim, patchwork ripped denim, frayed denim and split-seam flares. You can get more styling ideas for stacked denim, and shop for stacked jeans for men at blueplateaustin.  

What Are Turn Ups (& Are They In Style)?

Ready for a little fashion history? So, back in the day, when cowboys and ranchers wore denim because it was durable and practical, jeans were made to fit the tallest men (source: KipperandChalk). That meant that all men’s jeans came in the same lengths. So, shorter and average-height men had to fold up their jeans to cuff them. Cuffed pants became fashionable in men’s suits, too, in the 1920s and 1930.

Ok, but we live in the 2020s, and the question is, “Is it ok to cuff long jeans today?” It depends on who you ask, and, of course, how you do it. TBH, you won’t see a lot of cuffed turn-ups in Men’s or Women’s streetwear, especially on RSO’s pages. We’re partial to deconstructed and stacked hems. Denim looks for 2023 are wide and loose for men and women, and these styles don’t bode well for turn-ups.

If you do cuff your denim, here are a few basic guidelines:

• Do cuff skinny jeans, slim-fit and straight-leg jeans.
• Don’t turn up wide-leg or boot-cut hems; opt for the stacked look, or consider having them professionally hemmed.
• If you must, cuffs should be about 2 inches.
• Don’t cuff more than 2 inches, or more than twice, especially if have short legs and don’t want to draw attention to them; cuffed jeans make short legs look even shorter.
• For the streetwear aesthetic, don’t cuff your jeans higher than your ankles; the hem should hit the top of your shoe. 

The more you wear your jeans with cuffs, the more the denim will wear and naturally fray at the cuffs. You might be OK with that, as naturally distressed denim jeans are on trend too. If you don’t want your jeans to wear at the cuff, consider altering the folds each time you wear them. Also, again, consider having your jeans professionally tailored or, even better, go for the stacked jean look. It’s very hot for the 2020s.

According to the Denim Hunters wiki, cuffs should not sit higher than the top of your shoes, and they should correspond with the fit of your jeans. So, skinny and slim-fit jeans should have smaller cuffs while wide-leg and flares should have bigger cuffs (or no cuffs). RSO’s designers prefer to see stacked hems on the wide-leg and flare-bottom denim. 

Is It OK to Roll Jeans?

In the 1980s, tight-rolled jeans were all the rage, and the tighter around the ankle, the better. To achieve the look, for women especially, you’d pinch the bottom of the pant leg at the seam, and then tightly roll it to just above the ankle. Some people referred to this style as pinch roll, French roll, or pegged hems (see it in this article on the80sand90s.com). This sort of rolling or pegging is not back in style (thank goodness).  

Is any style of rolling jeans OK? Some fashion aesthetics adopted variations on rolled hems, but only for certain types of pants. Here are the guidelines:

• Don’t roll more than twice or, as Real Men Style says, you’ll look like you’ve got bagels around your ankles.  
• Do roll skinny jeans, biker jeans, and slim-fitting jeans. 
• Do roll jeans if the drip is casual.
• Don’t roll jeans if the drip is formal or business casual; opt for stacked or cuffed jeans instead.
• Don’t roll jeans if you want your legs to look slimmer. Rolls add and accentuate bulk.
• Do roll jeans in the summer, with or without socks and a pair of fresh kicks. 

Stacked Denim vs Cuffed: What’s Better?

Many stylists agree that cuffed pants make people look shorter. The Coolist suggests if you must, shorter men should keep cuffs to about 1.25 inches; taller men may cuff up to 1.75 inches. Even casual cuffs will draw attention. If you are trying to draw attention away from your legs and shoes, don’t cuff your denim; if you don’t care, then cuff away. 

Stacked denim, on the other hand, elongates your leg, because the hem can actually drag the ground, below your shoes. This is a casual look, not for formal wear, suits or dress pants for men. It looks great with a pair of fresh which kicks. Women can rock te stacked denim look too, with a pair of heels or kicks. (We’d probably avoid slides and sandals, as stacked hems will get caught between your feet and your shoes!).