Tapering and Decreasing Leg Width – YES
While legs cannot be made larger, they can easily be tapered, especially from the knee to the bottom if the leg opening is too wide at the bottom (an 8″ opening tends to look best for most). In fact, tapering is one of the easiest alterations.
Tapering the legs can certainly be done by a trusted tailor. The tailor will open the legs of the pants and remove fabric, tapering down to the bottom. You can do this by trusting the tailor to pin and sew, or you can control the process a bit more.
How much does it cost to taper pants? A good tailor can provide this alteration for around $30 to $45.
Yes, a tailor can make pant legs wider. Typically, there is a bit of extra fabric wrapped into the stitching of the inseam, about ¼ to ¾ of an inch wide. This fabric can be let out and re-stitched, allowing for a bit of extra room.
Let's be clear: Wide-leg pants really are slimming. The high, fitted waist not only makes your waist look narrower but also makes your legs appear longer. The wide trouser legs makes them really flattering for your figure, easily concealing lumps, bumps, and any little problem areas.
There's no upper limit to how wide they can be. But, it can sometimes get too ridiculous to the point that they just look silly. Most wide-leg pants aren't actually that wide. However, they are roomier than other fits—especially skinny jeans—and they have a more forgiving shape.
Waist Width
The waist of your trousers should sit on or just above your hip bones and be tight enough to sit there without a belt and loose enough to allow 2-4 fingers to fit easily inside the waistband. The Waist Width of Proper Cloth trousers can be taken out by 0.75” (1.5” in total circumference).
For Tapered / Straight Leg / Bootcut / Wide Leg Pants
Add an extra 1” to the length for the fold-over hem amount. I tend to keep the same hem height as the original pant had. Mark the cut line using a ruler and washable chalk or wax. Cut along the marked line and discard the extra length.
Tuck the rubber band underneath your pants.
Flip the cuff all the way underneath the rubber band so that it's completely hidden by your pants. Adjust the rubber band if you need to so your pants sit tightly around your calves.
Wide-leg pants are less restrictive than other options and easy to move around in, but if you're worried about getting lost underneath baggy clothing, opt for a fitted top. A ribbed cardigan or tight turtleneck will provide a bit of balance and still allow you to show off your shape.
Wide-leg jeans are great for those with rectangle or triangle body shapes; the exaggerated cut adds just a bit oomph to your straight, slim legs. And if you're short, a cropped pair with a high-rise can (seemingly) give you a boost in height.
As a guideline, the hem of your wide leg pants should be no longer than 1/4″-1/2″ above the floor and should be no shorter than 3″ above the floor. Basically, your ankles should always be covered. The silhouette and shape of your wide leg pants or jeans can really make or break the look for you.
Wide-leg jeans are a practical godsend for women who wear plus-sizes since they allow you to wear the denim styles you love without feeling pinched and prodded at the waist.
The trick to looking good in these pants is to create an illusion of curves. Tuck in a corner of a shirt or sweater. Wear sweaters that are fitted rather than oversized. Look for tops that hit at the top or bottom of the hip, but not-mid thigh.
The advantage here: Wide leg pants can camouflage areas you want to hide and highlight your most flattering areas. If you're petite, you can definitely wear a pair of wide leg pants.
If you're looking for jeans that will flatter your body, then you'll love wide-leg jeans. These pants look great on all body types from petite to tall and regular to plus sizes.
Without giving yourself a legging-like or skinny-jean-like look, you can taper your pants and look slimmer with a skinnier fit at around the calves that goes skinnier down your ankles. As long as there is enough material to work with, you tailor will manage to do the alteration and be happy with the result.
Yes, it is possible to taper wide-leg pants without a sewing machine. You can use fabric glue or hem tape to temporarily hold the hem in place, and then hand-sew the hem using a running stitch or a catch stitch.
It's easier to take things in, rather than let things out.” Waist Adjustments: “Assuming there's enough cloth inside, you can usually let out the waist by about two inches. As far as taking in the waist, it depends on your body shape — you don't want to warp how the trousers look, throwing off their visual balance.
This can be a fun DIY project if you are crafty or just prefer to do it yourself. Tailors also have other work to do, so sometimes the turnaround time for hemming your pants can take anywhere from three days to over a week. If you want your pants hemmed sooner, then doing it yourself is the better bet.
Waist gapping can be an issue with denim pants, but an experienced tailor can alter a waistband to nip it in a bit. Just be sure not to take in the jeans more than one to one and a half inches at the waist, as doing more can change the pocket positioning and front shaping of the jeans.