Should You Wear High-Waisted Pants?

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Like lapel width, the rise on a pair of pants is one of those things that go in and out, or rather, up and down, over the decades. But what exactly is it?

When you buy a pair of pants, do you look for the rise? If you are new to the finer points of men’s garments, the rise may not be your first consideration. So, in this article, let’s hike up our pants and address what trouser rise means and what sort of rise is best for you.

Cary Grant in The Red List wearing spectators and full cut trousers
A young Cary Grant in The Red List wearing spectators and full cut trousers that sit on the natural waistline

What is Trouser Rise?

Trouser rise is measured as the distance from the front waistband between the legs to the crotch seam. The whole rise may be generically referred to as the “crotch.” Low rise pants have a smaller measurement and sit lower on the torso while higher rise pants have a higher measurement and sit higher on the torso.

Low, mid and high rise pants
Low, mid and high rise pants

This may be in the range from 7-13 inches depending on the size of the pants (smaller sizes have lower rise height). The waistband of low-rise pants rests at the hip bones, mid-rise between the navel and hip, and high rise at the natural waistline (close to the belly button or directly on it).

To remember this easily, keep in mind the two reference points of hips (low rise) vs. belly button (high rise). Rise height matters because the amount of fabric in this area dictates how long your legs and your torso are perceived to be. A higher rise makes your legs look longer, while a low rise elongates your upper body. As we’ll discuss later, this will factor in what sort of pants rise you choose.

Ethan Wong wearing high-rise trousers
A mid-rise trouser rise at left–not too high, not too low. Photo by @sebastianmcfox

Pants Rise and Fashion

As mentioned in our introduction, pants rise is heavily impacted by fashion. High-rise also referred to as “long-rise” or “high-waisted,” pants have had a bad reputation for several decades because they are associated with either out-of-touch granddads or young nerds with their pants hiked up to their chests.

Steve Urkel's high-rise pants defined his nerdiness - if he'd just worn a jacket, lengthened his hem, and worn some real socks, this would have been a totally different look.
Steve Urkel’s high-rise pants defined his nerdiness – if he’d just worn a jacket, lengthened his hem, and worn some real socks, this would have been a totally different look. [Image Credit: Medium.com]

High-rise trousers are colloquially referred to as “old man pants” and were worn by the likes of Steve Urkel on Family Matters and Martin Short’s character Ed Grimley on Saturday Night Live. Of course, these are either intended for comedic effect or illustrate simply that the majority of people don’t think about how to dress well.

Look at the grey suit - beautiful lapels, high waisted trousers, boutonniere and pocket square plus collar pin - stunning from Night After Night
These high waisted trousers in Night After Night were du rigeur in 1932 – just look at how long they make the star’s legs look!

Some older men may recall that “back in the day,” high-rise trousers were the standard, and this is true. If you look at illustrations in Apparel Arts or vintage advertisements, you’ll see high-rise trousers, also with wider legs, so quite the opposite of the skinny and low fits promoted in today’s fashions.

Viennese Suit Styles
The style of the 1930’s was dominated by high-rise trousers with a longer, wider leg

The changeover to a lower rise is only a recent development. Ironically, along with a move to casualization, lower-rise pants are at the opposite extreme on the continuum, sometimes lying below the hip bones, or in the case of streetwear down toward the buttocks.

As with most things in life, it’s best to avoid the extremes. If you choose a mid-height rise, you can be assured that what you wear from the waist down will have enduring value. However, the middle of the pack can be boring too, so there are other factors to consider.

What Rise Should You Choose?

Navy pants with inward pleats worn with suspenders for a smooth look
Sven Raphael Schneider often opts for higher-rise pants because they drape nicely over fuller thighs

Consider Your Body Type

The first consideration in choosing trouser rise is your body proportions. Because there’s more fabric in the rise of high-waisted pants, they create the impression that your lower body, and especially your legs, are longer. On the other hand, low-rise pants make your upper body appear longer because your pants only start at your hips.

So, if you have a long upper body, high-rise pants will counterbalance that and make you look more proportional. On the other hand, if you are short waisted, a lower rise should be your choice to make your upper body appear longer. Of course, if you wear a suit jacket or sport coat and keep it buttoned when you walk around, these differences will matter less.

High-Rise Pants Elongate the Legs
Jan (@mrjantleman) of the Armoury Hong Kong showing how high-waisted trousers can elongate your legs and balance your torso and lower body.

Similar to pleats, a high rise can make your more comfortable if you carry weight in your abdomen. Often high-rise pants will also be pleated. As a side benefit, a higher waistline also helps disguise your belly.

If you wear low-rise pants, even some holiday overindulgence at the dinner table will give you an overhang or muffin top above your waistband. This makes the tucked-in bottom of your shirt look sloppy in turn, and if you wear a knitted sweater or vest, this in combination with lower-rise trousers will visually emphasize your gut.

Spezzato Suit Jacket and Matching Vest with Contrasting Yellow Pants and Brown Oxfords
Sven Raphael Schneider wearing bespoke mustard yellow high-rise pants

Higher-rise pants are therefore more flattering under these several conditions. When sizing, be aware that if your waist measurement is a certain size but you have a belly, you may need to have high-rise pants let out at the waist because it sits up where your stomach is and not at your hips.

Ethan Newton with Higher-Rise Pants
Ethan Newton of Brycelands in Beijing demonstrating how high-rise trousers can be flattering to different body types; note the pleats as well

The shape of your body also tends to change with your number of years, and pants rise is also a part of dressing appropriately to your age. While younger men have a wider range of possibilities when considering rise, an older man wearing low-rise pants risks looking like he is trying to recapture his lost youth. However, for younger men too, low rise will maintain a perception of youthfulness, but a strong motive for wearing tailoring and classic menswear is to avoid dressing like a boy.

Usually, this means not wearing flip-flops, a t-shirt and a backward baseball cap as your day-to-day outfit, but to be perfectly frank, a moderately high waist gives you a more mature appearance than pants that hang off your hips.

Check How the Pants Fit

Your decision then goes to which is more comfortable for you. When you try on a pair of pants, if the waistband is level and you feel like the crotch is bunching up or confining you, you may need a higher rise.

On the other hand, if it looks like there’s excess fabric in the rise and the material is hanging down, you need a lower rise. On the internet, you can find some old tailor’s formulas for calculating the optimal rise for you based on taking your usual pants waist size, dividing by 52 and then multiplying by 18. So, if you have a 34 waist, you would calculate 34/52 x 18, giving you a rise of 11.8.” This seems about right, but try the formula for yourself.

Clark Gable wearing high-rise trousers
Clark Gable wearing high-rise trousers

Consider the Aesthetics of Your Look

Other aesthetic considerations come into play when choosing rise height. Note as well that high rise trousers usually will help keep your shirt tucked in as a whole simply because the shirt has a long way to rise out above the waistband. With lower-rise pants, simply moving around, bending and getting up will force you to re-tuck your shirt throughout the day.

Keep in mind that because your waistband is higher your tie will either have to be quite short to keep it just touching your waistband. Though the image of Oliver Hardy has some comic intent, such short ties were more common with the high-rise trousers of the time. Otherwise, you’d need to tuck your tie into your waistband or wear it sprezzatura style with the blades hanging below the waistband. The trick to pulling this off is to make it obvious that it is intentional.

If you like looking fashionable and contemporary, a low rise–in a slim fit, along with a fitted suit jacket or blazer–will be your choice. However, if you prefer a traditional, even vintage, look, opt for a higher rise. That’s the way men during the Golden Age of menswear wore them, and they knew what they were doing in creating a clean, uninterrupted transition from the jacket to the pants.

Sam Smith and unknown - velvet green dinner jackets are nice but sockless tassel loafers are not for black tie events
Green velvet dinner jackets are elegant, but only when paired with pants high enough not to show the shirt under the buttoning point

There should never be a small triangle of shirt showing below the buttoning point of your jacket when you have it closed as this disrupts the flow of your look. If your trouser rise is too low, that bit of shirt will certainly be visible where the quarters (front skirt) of your jacket begin to separate. You can disguise this gap with your tie, which is a little better though technically still incorrect form, but the best solution is a higher waistline; some mid-rise pants will be high enough.

Fabio Attanasio Lower Rise Pants
With lower rise pants, your shirt will be visible below the buttoning point. Photo of Fabio Attanasio via The Bespoke Dudes.

Gents from the first half of the 20th century also knew high-waisted pants look best if you are wearing a suit jacketblazer or sport coat, especially closed. If you open your jacket, high-waisted pants risk making your chest look concave or sunken and also shortens your torso. Even the Swedish sartorial icon Andreas Weinås looks better with his jacket closed when wearing high-rise trousers.

Closed and Open Jackets with High-Rise Trousers
A closed jacket tends to look better (more proportional) with the jacket closed

Where to Buy Mid- and High-Rise Trousers

So, ultimately, in most cases, it’s better to go with a mid- to high rise. That’s why many gents who try a higher rise say they’ll never go back to something lower. We certainly would welcome a return of popularity for the more traditional high rise on dress pants!

High Rise Pants are Rarely Available Off the Rack

In fact, it’s virtually impossible. The trend for lower rise pants, despite the fact that they are flattering for so few, means you’re less likely to find high-rise pants because they won’t appeal to a broad clientele. One possibility is to try small menswear boutiques and haberdashers. Berg & Berg, for example, only sell higher rise trousers, but the selection is fairly small.

Mid-Rise Pants, However, Are Much Easier to Find (Just Avoid Fast Fashion)

Mid-Rise Pants

On the other hand, it’s much easier to find mid-rise pants from brands that lean classic, such as Ralph Lauren. They list the height of the rise in the “details” section of their product listings. Many of their OTR models are mid-rise, even though they aren’t advertised as such. In general, pleated pants require a higher rise to drape properly, so that feature is an indication the rise might be higher than average.

Avoid fast fashion brands entirely; they are simply too trend focused to offer mid- or high-rise pants.

Order High Rise Pants Bespoke or MTR

Button closures on a pair of pants
Multiple button closures on a pair of custom Luxire trousers

A better option, though often more expensive, is to go bespoke or made to measure. Luxire is a name that often comes up when discussing custom trousers. They’ll copy a pair of pants with a rise height you like in any fabric they stock, and they have a lot. The quality is not the highest, but the fits are good.

Buy Pants Large and Tailor Them to Fit

Ethan Wong of Street x Sprezza presents interesting advice for how to get around this shortcoming. He recommends buying pants 1-2 sizes larger than you normally wear and getting the legs tapered and the waist taken in. Bigger sizes will have longer rises by default, and you can will have a larger selection to choose from if you think outside the box this way.

Ethan Wong wearing high-rise trousers
Ethan Wong wearing high-rise trousers

Conclusion

Although many men don’t think much about the rise when buying a pair of pants, those who are true sartorialists understand that it has a tremendous impact on how the trousers fit, how they look and how they feel. Though the current trend is toward lower rises, a medium to high rise usually has more benefits in terms of appearance and comfort. The choice ultimately depends on your body shape and personal taste. So, what sort of rise do you prefer?

Reader Comments

  1. Great article….. will be trying the buy 2 sizes larger and having them taken in to get the high waist look… many thanks

    1. The only hassle about taking them in is that if you have back pockets on your trousers, they move closer too and then become somewhat awkward to access. They just feel wrong.

  2. Nice article.
    However, I just wanted to say that high-rise pants are making a comeback, and can be found pretty easily if you look into creator/sartorial labels. In France, Officine Générale, Editions MR & Pini Parma all offer high-rise pleated pants, for example.

    Cheers, Chris

  3. Personally, I prefer mid to high rise on my pants, since they cover my waist and make me a bit taller. Also, I wear suspenders a lot so low rise pants just feel very uncomfortable in them.

  4. High rise pants are the way to go. No more skinny hip-huggers. I only get high rise, since I believe a man’s trousers should sit at his waist and hang from his shoulders.

    1. Where do you buy your pants? I’ve been looking all over for pants with a 15” or even 13” rise and have not found any! Thank you. :)

  5. What about jeans? How will it look if worn mid- or high rise? Is it possible to wear mid rise? I personally can never wear anything unless ita mid rise. Would the idea of buying 2 size larger and then tailoring it work for jeans?

    1. Ramy, I understand your question concerns fashion. However, as a horseman I can tell you that no competent rider would wear anything but mid-rise jeans. A rise lower or higher would cause great discomfort, which in turn can affect safety and performance. I never thought about this before, as most if not all real riding jeans (Slim-fit Wranglers, in my case) are mid-rise. I believe mid-rise presents the best appearance as well.

      1. Terry, yeah I totally agree with you mid rise is a safe place to choose. I personally nver wear jeans for the reason that most if them arw low rise. When I look to my mates ita wired how it looks especially from the back, I wonder how do they tolerate it.

        Lucky iam, I have one Jeans that can be worn mid rise, but its light now iam looking for a darker ones, I will see, if didn’t find mid rise I may try the idea of buying 2 size bigger and tailoring it.

  6. 1) isn’t it simply a question of whether one wants to look like a gentleman or a gigolo?
    2) Isn’t rise simply the difference between the outer leg measurement and the inseam measurement?

  7. I’ve found it quite humorous that some older men may try to wear their trous in the lower end of the spectrum, so they can delude themselves as to their actual waist measurement. One such of my acquaintance, was claiming a 36″ waist when his pants were so low down he could have used his balls as a belt buckle. Both in apartments and pants crotches, High Rise is the way to go if you like classic style…IMHO.

  8. Thank you Christopher, another great article. I, also, am disappointed by the scarcity of anything other than low-rise trousers these days. Although I doubt any of us would want to copy the look in Clark Gable’s photo. The combination of high-rise pants and high buttoning point on his jacket looks terrible!

    1. Paul Beach, you sir do not know style. The 1930’s were the high point of men’s fashion. Everything looked great on a gentleman who knew how to dress and dressed well they did. All of Hollywood’s male stars would dress to the ninths. Today young men dress like trash, no elagance, or style. Their clothes don’t fit right. When I see young men dressed in tight suits I just cringe.

      1. I cringe when I see guys dressed in traditional fit baggy pants and jackets. They look so sloppy. While I don’t think men should get pants to fit below their guts, I also don’t think wearing high rise pants is comfortable.

  9. Very good information Having a long torso and short legs and researching what pant type would look best is what led me to this article. Very helpful and also agree that RL otr delivers higher waists than most. And I now know why I find them so well fitting and flattering. Thanks.

  10. Great article – informative and well written (good editing). Especially providing the old tailor’s formula for the proper rise – spot on. However I have fitted many older guys with low rise jeans whenever there is a protruding belly. The jeans sit on the hips on the side of the waist but need go under the belly in the front. Therefore low rise jeans seeem to be provide a more comfortable fit in the waist and thru the crotch for these guys. I also find that the low rise jeans help the back side if there is a flat derrière.

  11. Leonardo da Vinci’s The Golden Ratio, a.k.a. “Divine Proportion” is aesthetically pleasing, and is why The Golden Age of Men’s Fashion was The Golden Age of Men’s Fashion (1930’s). The Houndstooth Kid previously made the connection with his “Back to the Basics: Proportionality” post and “The Curse of the Low-Rise Pants” post. Thank you Dr. Lee for sharing your thoughts. You have to give it to Raft and Gable…doubt there are two better champions proving the masculinity of the long rise trouser.

  12. I take your point that a rise which is not long/tall/high enough leads to an immediate tight feeling and the trousers being pulled down from the waistline. What is the feeling in the opposite case? An extreme example is the “ghetto” look of trousers with the crotch coming down to mid thigh or knee. Unscrupulous or just plain ill informed sales staff try to persuade you that the fit is OK, so what visible signs would confirm or reject this?

  13. I can understand the need to wear types of clothing to make up for disproportionate body types. But I don’t like the methodology of the period of high-waist trousers. I think creating artificial contiguous silhouettes was in poor taste. The over-generous drape of fabric from that period, created stick figures.

  14. High!
    I think most of the agression and rude behavior today can be attributed to men having their testicals in a strangle hold by these ridiculous low rise trousers.

  15. Another benefit is that I find high rise trousers shift less with movement such as sitting to standing, so my pants stay up more comfortably. I compromise a little on rise to being closer to medium if the pants will be worn without a jacket mostly as they look a little more proportional (at least given current standards of “normal”). But otherwise, I find high rise more comfortable.

  16. I prefer a higher rise. It is timeless, keeps the muffin top at bay and can be adjusted per outfit. For example if you wear the pants with a sports coat the rise looks fine. If you like to wear untucked shirts, again, no problem. High rise pants also give more room in the crotch area, especially if you are muscular in the thighs or have a sizeable rear.

  17. I wear high-waisted trousers all the time. From a purely physiological standpoint, they sure are comfortable when you’re…ahem…sitting down. The roominess in a cut like that is terrific and the compliments I receive from people about how they look are endless (“You look taller” is the most prevalent). I’m wondering if wide-leg pants would have the same effect with respect to fit? A company called Tiglio makes some nice-looking ones, but I would probably have the leg opened and trimmed to a 9.5″ cuff opening rather than 11″. I can’t tell if they are high or more of a medium rise.

  18. It’s irritating that pants that hit the natural waist are now called “high-waisted” pants. They’re not high, it’s just that young people’s eyes today have been mis-trained by the low-riding pants that had a big comeback in the 90’s, and then never left. I’ve seen young actresses in period costume yank their skirts down below where they’re supposed to be, because they think your “waist” is below your hips. I would only classify pants as “high-waisted” if they were above your natural waistline (i.e., well above the navel). I’m not faulting Sven for the usage, as it’s become common–it’s just annoying.

  19. As always, a great and informative article. Always interesting to learn. Thank you. I too would always second a preference for high waist trousers, particularly given my preference for braces, which I find more comfortable than a belt, as well as button boots, regardless of height or proportion.

  20. Great video Sven. I’m 5’8″, and often shop at the big and tall mens’ haberdasheries for the longer trouser rise. England has a number of stores that feature long rises: Chester Cordite and Simon James Cathcart are among my favorites. My focus is to keep the main coat’s button hiding the waistband, à la Clark Gable. My coat is buttoned…put hands in trouser pockets…and still no shirt peeking out below fastened button…golden ratio achieved.

  21. Hart, Schaffner and Marx offers high rises. I’ve had fairly good luck with their “Chicago” style off the rack. Being long-waisted/short-legged, I’ve had a hard time finding pants that fit, particularly as I’ve entered my middle years. I recently had a suit made, and despite my explicit instructions, the pants came back with a low rise. I went to great lengths discussing my how my long torso and barrel chest made me feel embarrassed in the trendy, low-rise that I’ve found in department stores. It seems to be as much about saving money on fabric as anything. There’s no finding generously cut suits. Slim lapels are unbalanced in suits for broad shouldered body types, but no allowances seem to be made. I didn’t object to spending twice what I would in a department store if I could finally get a fit that I thought was flattering. Getting the high rise was a significant portion or why I went custom, but the tailor has not responded to multiple emails expressing my dissatisfaction. It’s frustrating when I think back to the beautiful fabrics and fit that could be found 30 years ago that one can’t even get from a bespoke outfit today.

  22. some people feel and think that mean we’re high water pants with wearing their pants above the waistline live some type of questionable lifestyle.

  23. Interesting article and video. I can’t reconcile the two guidelines given. One guideline is a formula based on waist: 34/52 x 18 or 34/26 x 9.
    The other guideline is based on torso vs. leg length.
    Is one better than the other?
    You could have two different 6’0″ people with the same 34 inch waist, but one person could have a longer torso and shorter legs than the other person and the formula would tell them they should both have the same rise.
    Am I misunderstanding this?

    1. I think I answered my own question. I found another formula online that says Rise = Outseam minus Inseam. Therefore, if you use the formula mentioned above (34/52 x 18) to arrive at the ideal rise, you can then measure your actual inseam and add it to the rise. This will account for the leg length difference between the two 6’0″ individuals with 34″ waist.

  24. Just had to double back one more time and say that high rise pants are boughey looking and questionable.

  25. Hello. Thanks for the article. For me, high rise pants are always very uncorfortable when I sit. They are great standing up, but when I sit, the waistband presses againt my belly and I feel like I am being cut in half. It really hurts. I tried with belts, side adjusters, suspenders. My pants are already very loose, if I loose them up even more, they will fall down when I stand up. I have a little bit of a belly, but not much. Is it normal? It would be wonderful to have an article or answer about this, it is a subject that has been bothering me for years, I have tried dozens of diferent pairs, but nothing works, only soft wool low rise pants, but the look is not very flattering to me, since I am a short guy and the lower rise makes me even shorter.

  26. Evidently, I am very late to the game in this discussion. I am a fan of mid to high-rise waistlines, for a longer vintage silhouette. However, I abhor all that baggy material from the thigh to knee to cuff. All the extra leg material flopping around just feels frustratingly unnecessary and dress-like to me. In my opinion it means that your crease needs to be razor sharp at all times to keep the silhouette slim through the leg, otherwise, why elongate your leg length only to have them appear fat and floppy with extra wide pants, which fights the illusion of length, making them look like sloppy tree trunks, instead of long lean limbs. This is my conundrum. I want mid-to-high waist WITH narrow leg and narrow calf and cuff. But most tailors just can’t bring themselves to going narrow enough, IMO. They think more sloppy leg material is the desired result. Frustrating.

  27. I’d recommend “Berle” as another relatively small brand offering classic-rise dress pants off the rack, including at substantially lower price points than some of the brands mentioned here. You can even buy them from Nordstrom’s online shop, which means the convenience of free shipping / returns. (Nordstrom list most rise measurements on their website.)

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