Clothes are only clothes until you bring them to life.
This was, is and always will be what I feel most and feel deeply when it comes to putting outfits together. It is you, building your confidence in how you want to wear an item through your own personal lens.
This journey includes thinking about the right alterations, if any to suit your body, your height, your proportions, and what feels good to you.
A few posts ago I shared my Denim Experiment, where I tried on and chatted about jeans - ones I own and others I was trying. I wrote about what I’ve learnt about finding the right fit for you, and what really matters and what doesn’t. I bought one pair from this personal experiment, the Agolde Low Rise pair in Milkshake.
And so today, I thought it would be a nice follow-on to share how I’ve altered them to make them feel right for my style and my wardrobe.

Why I Picked the Agolde Jeans
These particular jeans are everything I like in a pair of denim (which I have learnt slowly over time):
A relaxed leg (sometimes wider in the leg, sometimes straighter but always a more relaxed feeling either in shape or in the softness of the fabric).
A high waist. For me, this is really key. It gives me a lovely feeling of support & comfort around the tummy, but more so a high waist gives a better foundation and shape at the waist for styling around (don’t be fooled by these jeans saying they are low rise, they really are not!)
A colour tone that feels smart. My favourites are darker denim, white, oatmeal tones or a mid blue.



After I Bought
As with all new additions to my wardrobe, I try not to just lob them in hoping for the best :-) I think and consider how I see them working for me.
I ask myself a couple of questions, which really happen before I decide to buy!
How do I see myself styling them them?
Do I see them being worn with different shoe heights?
How will I make them feel stylish and dressed up?
How will I wear them with flats to make them more relaxed?
What alterations will make them feel right for my body and height and for how I want to wear them?


The Alteration
I have shortened to just above my ankle.
Thoughts on this Length
I think there is a balance of personal considerations here. Yes, maximum eeking out of the length will make the legs look their longest just like every rule book will say.
..And yes, more cropped length will cut the leg.
But you’ve got to look and decide proportionally for you, what feels like the best balance in how you see yourself styling and wearing your Jeans. For me personally, a very cropped length does feel wrong but interestingly it’s not about leg-cutting, it’s more than that. As a pear, I feel (literally feel when I wear a crop style) that the shorter length draws the eye up higher on my leg towards my widest point (my hips), which I don’t love the feeling of.
The funny thing is, I also sometimes get this feeling when I wear full-length jeans. The outfit becomes TOO MUCH ABOUT MY LEGS because more fabric can = more emphasis on the area. I feel this in a lot of full-length jeans but not all. With the Agolde wider leg, it’s mainly because of the extra relaxed style and therefore amount of fabric, added to the full length.
Just look at the picture again below to see what I mean - I am ALL LEG & BUM, most especially because the leg is a wider style.
Compared to the picture below, with the slightly shorter length, where the outfit feels proportionally better (the eye is drawn to shoes, legs and the top half in a more balanced way).
Going a little shorter, within the right balance for you, makes things feel neater especially if like me your bottom half is where you feel more in your clothes.
My Style Learning?
I have learnt over time what feels good to me. It takes time to figure this out and feel your way along for your body. For me I know that in most cases this is a length that feels long enough to keep a feeling of length in my leg but short enough to not feel that the eye being drawn to my hips takes ownership of the outfit ;-)
I like an outfit feeling like I am drawing the eye other points. It feels more interesting and more balanced.
Key Thoughts to consider for picking the right length for you
I think there are fluid, more intuitive considerations It takes time to become attuned too - for yourself and your body - over and above what the rule book says. It’s more personal than that. Much more.
There will be a length that will feel really good to you and you will have all your own personal considerations to weigh up to get there.
Here are some questions to help you consider:
Where does it feel good for the eye to be drawn to in your overall outfit?
Consider trousers or Jeans you already own that feel good and ask yourself why.
Experiment with Jeans you own, roll up the hem and really look in the mirror and try on with different shoes. Do you notice anything different as you play in how they feel at different lengths?
If in doubt a good compromise can be for the length to be just sitting where your trousers meet your foot, which is just below ankle length. This is considered in modern styling circles ;-) to be the best balance. This way you will still see your shoes but also have good leg length, ticking that rule book box if that’s what makes you happy. The priority is what feels good to you :-)
Consider that a higher waist will help to feel good about a slightly shorter style as there is a longer line in general drawing the eye up towards the top half and helping to keep that feeling of a longer leg.
Pheww! Remember, it’s all a balance (literally!) so have fun exploring and remember we all get it wrong at times - it’s all part of the learning!
Here’s a nice little video on TikTok with Allison Bornstein who chats through the same idea.
Finally, a couple of relaxed styles similar to the Agolde that I love.
RAEY Drop Organic Low Rise Baggy Jeans.
Levi’s Baggy Dad Jeans (stocked in lots of places).
& Other Stories Relaxed Fit Tapered Jeans.
Boden High Rise Wide Leg Jeans (love these a lot - I’ve 2 clients who have bought and loved).
Have a super weekend and week my lovelies and I am always here for thoughts and questions.
Julie x