How to Wear Capri Pants

How to Wear Capri Pants

Since the hem of capris hits your calves, this type of pants can easily create unflattering looks, especially for petite women. Whether you’re tall or curvy, you still need to make sure you’re following a few basic guidelines that show you how to wear capri pants.

Discover how to find and wear the right capri pants for your body type and style, to create a look that’s both flattering and stylish.

Finding the Right Capri Pants

The best way to find capri pants that work for you is to make sure the hem hits at the slimmest part of your leg. Otherwise, they will shorter your legs, even if you only wear them with heels. For petite women, the best fit are capris that hit below the knee, while taller women look better in capri pants that hit below the calf, instead of right above it. If you have short legs, you should also pay attention to the rise of your capri pants. Go for a higher rise if you want to elongate your legs, even if a lower rise looks equally well on your hips.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: Cabinet in Ruins

Go for Slim Capris

Another important step in deciding how to wear capri pants is the choosing a leg opening that works for you. If you’re very tall, you might get away with a bit more width, but most women should stick to very slim capris with a leg opening as small as possible. You should alter any capri pants to make sure they’re a slim fit for the best look.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: Brigitte Feld

Try Nude Capris

While black has a reputation for being slimming, that’s not always the case with capri pants. If there’s a strong contrast between your skin and your pants, your legs will look shorter. Nude capris are a stylish option and they’ll make your legs look longer, just like nude shoes. From light beige to browns, stick to capris that are closer to the color of your skin.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: Jessica R.

Pay Attention to Proportions

When you’re wondering how to wear capri pants, you need to pay extra attention to the proportions of your look. Using the rule of thirds, you can either go for a shorter top or for a really long one to pull everything together.

If you want to accentuate your waist, tuck your top in high-waisted capris for a good look. When you’re more curvy and that look doesn’t work for you, try a top that hips either at the hips or even mid-thigh.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: feelikeadoll

Choose Them Wisely for Your Body Type

One of the most important rules of how to wear capri pants is to only choose a pair with pockets if you’re very slim. Pockets, whether they’re slash or cargo, can create extra curves and make your hips look wider. Most women should go for pocket free capri pants, since there’s no point in adding volume to thighs and hips with pockets or other details.

Avoid Capri Pants with Cuffs

Instead of wearing capri pants with cuffs, simply alter them to get a slim fit. Unless you have very long legs, cuffs will make you appear shorter, by introducing horizontal lines in a look that needs to be very vertical. While cuffs aren’t really flattering even on nude capri pants, they’re a particularly bad choice for denim, where the inside of the fabric is lighter and will create an even more powerful contrast.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: Nina HS

Stay Away from Pleats

Capri pants with pleats will add extra width, so try to avoid them or any other detailing in the fron. A flat front in a good fabric, that doesn’t cling is the best choices.

Tops to Wear With Capris

Tunics are a great way to wear capri pants, and so are short dresses. By wearing a longer top with the right slim capris, you can elongate your legs and get a trendy look. The other simple way to create a good look with capri pants is to go for a short top, that’s tucked in. To draw attention from curvy hips, go for a brighter color on top or simply with a lighter color than your pants.

Add a blazer to your look only if you’re wearing a longer top. With a short top, a blazer can cut the proportions of your look in half, which makes your legs look shorter.

How to Wear Capri Pantsphoto: Natalie Conkel

Shoes to Wear With Capri Pants

Heels are always a good idea and strappy shoes will lengthen your legs even more. Wedges and peep toes are great options with capri pants and so are slingback heels. Don’t go for chunky heels when you wear capris, since they add bulk. It’s best to stay away from flats, so the lowest your should go is kitten heels, but they might not be the most flattering option.

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