Jeans are a staple in our wardrobe – no matter your gender.
But if you’re bored of your current look and are searching for new ways to revive your fashion, we’ve got you covered. Let’s look at how to pinroll jeans, including the steps involved and what to avoid. If you need a fresh way to smarten up your look, pinrolling is an easy solution!
A Bit About Pinrolling Jeans
Perhaps you have seen the look but aren't familiar with the term. Or maybe you know the lingo but aren't sure how to execute the look. No matter what your circumstances are, there are a few important things to know before you learn how to pinroll jeans.
What is Pinrolling?
Pinrolling is the art of shortening and tailoring your jeans for a practical and stylish appearance. This handy technique is not only effective at preventing your jeans from dragging on the floor, but shows off your awesome footwear.
Stepping on the scene in the early 1950’s, pinrolling was a functional look for working class boys. As jeans were often worn for manual work, people would attempt this look for practicality reasons. This trend soon caught on, and movie stars, such as James Dean, helped to popularize this look which give it a rebellious association.
It’s quickly become an essential menswear fashion style, so we want to make sure you get it right. This look has become a staple in streetwear to show off footwear, as well as give an edgy vibe to your overall look.
How is Pinroll Different Than Cuffing?
There’s speculation over the difference between cuffing and pinrolling. Unlike cuffing, the latter involves shortening the length of your jeans to ankle height. There’s also a big difference between the type of jeans worn to achieve both looks. Pinrolling doesn’t just shorten your jeans, but tapers them too. Cuffing is a quicker look which involves more rolls than neat folds.
Why Should You Pinroll?
After pinrolling, your jeans lie about two inches above the shoe. This is an excellent strategy to show off your sneakers. It also transforms the attitude of your look from casual to smart-casual. As such, just by presenting your jeans in a different light, you can completely revolutionize your look. Also, as you expose more ankle, it helps to lengthen the legs more – making it especially beneficial to those with shorter legs. Not to mention, you feel less clammy in jeans on a warm day, so you can get away with wearing them on summer evenings.
Where Can You Wear This Look?
As this look embodies a smart-casual feel, it’s great for meeting a friend for coffee, or perhaps a date. This fashion statement still resembles an edgy connotation. As a result, it doesn’t carry well at professional meetings or smart occasions. Think about where you’d ordinarily wear jeans and sneakers too and edge it up a little bit. Pinrolling gives your jeans and footwear emphasis to make your overall appearance sharper.
What You’ll Need For This Tutorial
Firstly, you’ll require a pair of jeans which fit well. Avoid baggy jeans, and switch your skinny jeans for a slim fit. You should be able to move comfortably in them, and if they’re too baggy, invest in an excellent tailor. The fit should be consistent throughout the jeans, so if they’re too loose at the top compared to the bottom, take a look at these options below instead.
1. Perruzo Skinny Jeans
These Perruzo skinny jeans consist of a durable cotton and a slight stretch for comfort. We’re a huge fan of the colour which looks great with light-coloured sneakers. Team these jeans with a long, tailored coat and white t-shirt for a simple, stylish look.
2. Lee Modern Slim Fit Jean
These slim-fit jeans come with a contrast stitching and tapered leg fit for a smart look. They also feature an exclusive active comfort flexible technology, so they remain comfortable all-day long.
How to Pinroll Jeans for the Perfect Look
Pinrolling became especially fashionable in the 1980’s when people quickly became fixated with what shoes they were wearing. In order to show off their footwear, people began cuffing their jeans. Make sure you plan out what shoes to wear with the jeans in order to complete the look. A bad pair of sneakers can easily cancel out the hard work you’ve put in.
1. Learn the Art of Pinrolling Jeans
Learning how to pinroll jeans requires following these step-by-step instructions. Despite the name of this art, you want it your jeans to look folded, rather than continuously rolled.
- Start with a slim-fit pair of jeans which will sit at ankle height once rolled.
- Put the jeans on along with shoes. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, bend over. Pull the pant leg up to the narrow part of your ankle.
- Regarding the additional material at the inside of the hem, fold it back tightly against the seam.
- Roll the hem up to expose the inside of the jean. Use the other hand to fold the rest of the hem by half an inch. Fold the hem up to secure the roll.
- Look in the mirror to check the length, whilst standing up straight. Repeat the cuff technique if the jeans lie too long or the roll is too thick.
2. Don’t Buy Jeans That Are Too Long
It might be tempting to buy long jeans because you can roll them up. However, starting with jeans too long can ruin the effect of pinrolling. If they do lap over your sneakers too much, you’ll have to roll them up a lot and create a thick roll which doesn’t look stylish. Although pinrolling your jeans makes them shorter which is great to utilize slightly-longer jeans, you shouldn’t purposely buy lengthy jeans to accomplish this look.
3. Carefully Consider the Socks You Wear
Ideally, you’d avoid wearing socks with pinrolled jeans. However, depending on what shoes you wear, you may need to. If this is the case, consider the colour and pattern carefully. You shouldn’t be able to see the socks, so we recommend no-show pairs. The above products are an ideal choice with dark-coloured sneakers.
The main thing to consider is that your ankles are on show and not your socks. By this point, you’ve exerted a lot of energy pinrolling your jeans to perfectly align your ankle. Showing your socks will only ruin the effect you’re going for. We also recommend choosing a similar colour sock to your sneakers.
4. Avoid Pinrolling Your Jeans Too Tightly
We’ve seen this fashion mistake time and time again. Many jeans wearers pinroll so tight that you can imagine how uncomfortable it’d be to wear them. You don’t want the fold to be so loose that it can easily unravel and you’re conscious of this happening all day. However, the fold shouldn’t be so tight that you feel pressure around your ankles.
5. Don’t Try This Look With Ordinary Trousers
It’s not a positive look to pinroll trousers. You can attempt this style with chinos, however, it works best with jeans. Thankfully, jeans are made from a tough material which can withstand rolls. On the other hand, trousers look unnatural folded. There’s also more of a chance of the folds slipping out throughout the day because the material can’t hold.
6. Take Your Time Pinrolling For a Clean Look
If you’ve just learned how to pinroll jeans, you might not have considered the condition of the inside of your jeans before. However, give them a wipe down before facing the public if they’re looking a little unclean. Aside from this, take your time with the pinrolling process. If you rush it, there will be uneven rolls and twists. Thankfully, learning how to pinroll jeans isn’t a hard process, but does require some careful handling.
What Tips Do You Have on How to Pinroll Jeans?
Once you’ve learnt how to pinroll jeans, you can begin playing around with different styles. Instead of wearing plain sneakers, experiment with different colours to add an extra splash of luxury to your look.
Do you have any tips on pinrolling jeans? If so, let us know your thoughts and advice in the comments. Share this with your fashion forward friends who are looking for a smart way to update their look.
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