The first time Jordy, our go-to stylist extraordinaire, and I worked together for a capsule wardrobe, a new catchphrase was born. Jordy said “Gotta Cuff” about one MILLION times throughout our shoot. She cuffed everything from pants to t-shirts to sweaters to leather jackets! And while I was certainly not a stranger to cuffing things like my jeans, I had never really thought about how much better everything looked on me with just this simple little trick.
Cuffing things is the perfect way to make an item feel more fitted or make an outfit more finished. It’s also great for shortening up something, like a pant leg (did I mention I’m alllll torso?) or a boxy t-shirt sleeve! We snapped some before + afters to show you guys the difference. Take a look!
You can even “cuff” the bottom of a shirt that’s too long, and tuck the very end into your waistband to hold it in place!
Don’t be afraid to cuff unexpected items like leather jackets!
You can find the sources for all of the items pictured above in my colorful spring capsule wardrobe post here!
Do you guys cuff a lot of items in your wardrobe? It’s certainly not revolutionary, but it always amazes me how much better I feel (and look!) once I cuff whatever I’m wearing!
Abi says
That’s a great tip! Really, I love it! It does happen that with cuffs every seems more cute, I’ll try!
Kelly says
Yes! Glad you like it Abi! Give it a try!
Brittany says
Since I am a super short and small person I pretty much cuff everything. Lol.
Kelly says
Love it! A built in reason to make every outfit just a little bit better 🙂
Jana says
Great post! It’s crazy how something so simple enhances an outfit.
Kelly says
Right?? It totally changes the outfit!
Kristina B says
I don’t but my husband cuffs ALL his shirts. I recently learned a trick about cuffing shirts so they stay up! You don’t just roll, roll, roll; you pull the shirt cuff up to your elbow, THEN roll the bottom of that “giant cuff” up to the shirt cuff at your elbow and it stays up better. I heard that’s how J. Crew does it for catalogs and whatnot. #themoreyouknow
Kelly says
Such a good tip!!
Janel says
I worked at JCrew for many years, many years ago (circa 2009) and we “rolled the sleeves” on everything. To this day it is still something I do to all my sleeves and pants. It just looks strange otherwise ha!
Kelly says
Yes! Jordy used to work for Madewell and said the same thing! 🙂
Mia says
I really only cuff my jeans but I’ll have to start doing this! I tend to wear mostly dresses at work, but I could cuff the cardigan sleeves 😊
Kelly says
Totally! And if any of your dresses have sleeves you could play around with cuffing those too!
Michelle says
Thanks for the ideas, I actually try to cuff everything because I feel that it just looks better that way!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
Kelly says
Totally agree Michelle!
Joy says
Oh yes, sitting here right now in my cuffed tee and jeans!
Kelly says
Makes even the simplest outfits look put together!
Jess says
You have revolutionised my wardrobe. I have even cuffed my sweatpants for a more stylish lounge around the house 😂
Stephanie says
This just blew my mind! I love hearing styling tips from the pros.
Ines says
This is such a cool styling trick! I will definitely give it a try, instead of getting discouraged by how everything seems too long for me (I am quite petite). Jordy you are a genius! Bring on more styling tips, please? 😉 Ps. Love the pink leather jacket + blue shirt + teal pants combo <3
Jessica says
I love the look and think it adds polish to any outfit. How would you recommend cuffing for a very tall person with long limbs? So many clothing items are too short to begin with, so sometimes cuffing just accentuates that for me.