Pants for Short Men - 3 Keys to Get Them to Fit Right!

Pants for Short Men - 3 Keys to Get Them to Fit Right!

Getting pants to fit correctly is difficult - but all the more so if you are a shorter guy below average height. That's why we started Under 510 - to provide an affordable solution to pants for short men. In this article, we take a closer look at the 3 main measurements that are most important for getting pants to fit the shorter man perfectly off the rack!

Being a shorter guy is great - we make coach feel like flying first class, we are better at riding horses, and age way better than taller dudes. But it also comes with challenges, one of which is getting pants that fit right.

Pants are too long, too baggy, and don’t sit properly on the waist. But Under 510 has you covered; our pants come in inseam sizes as low as 25” and they will fit your body proportions perfectly. Our pants will be the difference between looking at a picture and saying “gosh, I look so short here” and “Wow you can’t even tell how tall I am in this picture because my clothes fit me perfectly”! 


So here is a guide of how our pants are better than anything else you’ve been wearing:

1. Length - Most obviously, it is impossible to go to a traditional retailer and find pants that aren’t way too long. One option is to find a tailor to hem your pants which not only costs money, but precious time! Or, more commonly, guys end up just wearing ill-fitting pants. 

Pants that are too long on you will bunch up on the ankles, which swallows your shoes and ends up making you look stumpy, and a lot shorter. Buying pants from Under 510 that fit you is so important because it saves you time, money, and makes you look taller.

When the pant simply rests on the top of your shoes, like shown in this picture of our Jon Stretch Dress Pants, it looks like the pants were made for you. This communicates that you are someone who is thoughtful about the way he dresses. Instead of wearing clothes that are too big and that accentuate your height, people will be receptive to your sharp outfit and attention to detail! 
2. Taper - The second most important key to how pants should fit a shorter guy is the taper of the leg. The taper refers to the gradual slimming of the pant from the knee as it follows your leg down to your ankle. Ideally, the taper should match the natural and gradual slimming of the human leg.

If you think about pants back in the 90’s they were a straight leg, and there was no taper whatsoever from the knee down. Even today, many pants are available in straight cuts, and oftentimes, dress pants and suit pants that come unfinished and unhemmed do not have any taper. It’s something that most guys don’t know about and don’t know to ask for at the tailor.

That’s why our pants already come with a tapered leg - you won’t have to worry about getting them tapered. And you’ll be shocked at how much taller and more proportionate you look in our pants compared to what you have been used to as a shorter guy. It’s the kind of detail that will make all the difference. In the picture below, notice how the tapered leg of the Kingston jeans can make a shorter guy look leaner and taller!  

3. Rise - The most complicated and overlooked measurement on pants that can have a big impact on your perceived height is the rise of the pants. Basically, it refers to how high pants sit on the waist. Officially, it is the distance from the crotch to the top of the waistband.

If your pants have a high rise, that means that they sit high on the waist close to the navel. This will make your legs look longer, but make your torso look very short and disproportionate to your lower half. On the other hand, if pants have a low rise and sit low on the waist, your legs will look shorter, and your torso will look longer. Low rises are very popular right now and will look like kids who wear their pants extremely low to the point they look saggy and as if they have no butt.

Now, every guy has a unique body type and needs to find what works best for him, regardless of his height. But it’s especially important for a shorter guy to have a mid rise that will balance his legs with his torso. Our rise was carefully designed so that our pants will look balanced on a shorter guy. Take a look at the picture below; the rise of the pants is such that it elongates the leg but still looks proportionate to the top half of the model. 

Check out our in-depth sizing page for a full breakdown on how to measure pants inseam sizes for us shorter men. The page includes everything you need to know for sizing tucked and untucked men's button down shirts as well! We also have a blog which breaks down "Essential Dress Shirts For Short Men".

Ultimately, as short guys, we aren’t trying to hide the fact that we are short - but the least we can ask for is to wear clothes that don’t accentuate our height and make us shorter than we actually are. That’s what we try to provide for you at Under 510 - With pants that fit properly in length, taper, and rise, you will be able to project the best version of yourself

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