The craft
The anatomy of a perfect trouser break
A quarter-inch decides whether your trousers look considered or careless. Here is how we judge the break on the stand.
The break is the small fold of fabric where the hem meets the shoe. It is the most-overlooked half inch in a wardrobe, and the one that most often gives a garment away as off-the-peg.
We pin every trouser on the stand with your own shoes on, never from a chart. A full break suits a heavier flannel; a shivved, almost-no-break hem flatters a slim summer chino. The cloth weight, not fashion, leads the decision.
When you collect, walk a few steps in front of the mirror. The hem should kiss the shoe and settle — no pooling, no flash of sock at rest.