A question regarding rises and fits

Lower rise and more fitted will give the appearance of longer legs.

Fitted does lengthen.

Lower rise doesn't lengthen the leg.

Bootcut might lengthen the leg, if it goes with boots.

Definitely go with the low rise, straight leg. Should accentuate your legs and thus produce a longer visual line.

How tall are you?

Anyway to answer your questions: high rise and slim leg, I'd go with straight instead of tappered if your legs are really short.

lower rise tapered or straight leg is better

For awhile, I had the same problem, being barely 5'8" and wearing a 31 inch inseam. What works for me is limiting the ball room. It's a harsh reality, but the diminished space between the grundle translates into an extra inch or two of legs. This is truly key in making your legs look longer. Additionally, get jeans that're slimmer fitted so long as you're of decent weight. In terms of the rise, either low or mid rise is fine. But if you're wearing a low rise, make sure there's no break between your shirt and your jeans. Otherwise, the lower rise will make you look like you have stubbier legs. In all honesty, I think the safest length is for the shirt to just barely cover the belt. If you're the type of person who likes to display your belt and/or belt buckle, then get a mid rise. Regarding bootcut/taper, I personally don't wear taper because it looks like I'm wearing Ronald McDonald shoes. Straight leg is pretty much universal so long as you get it in the right length. I only wear boot cuts to prevent the shoe from overwhelming the leg opening (or if I'm wearing boots). Otherwise, I don't find the boot cut or straight leg to make much of a difference, so long as the boot cut is not extreme. Best of luck. Again, this is what works for me, so I can't guarantee how well it will translate, but it's still worth a shot IMO. Honestly though, I think that cutting a bit into the ball room is your best bet.

Modual, I forgot to mention:

I'm not sure if this is your style (I grew up on a farm, go figure), but you might want to invest in a pair of western boots. Thanks to the thick lining and the heel, you can give your self 1.5"-2" of extra height (which is never a bad thing). Plus, they look really good with heavily worn jeans. If you decide to wear boot cut jeans with western boots, you'll probably want to get your jeans about an inch longer than you normally would. The reason for this is that it'll proportion you better, making your legs seem longer. If the jeans are too short, it'll be apparent that you're standing on a platformed shoe. It's all about optical illusions, my friend.

-SMS

High rise and fitted.

I fail to see how a lower rise will give the appearence of a longer leg. The waist line on a pant visually cuts a person in half. The lower the rise on a pant the lower the waistline will be, giving the appearence of a longer torso. The exact opposite effect Modual wants. However, this is all thrown out the window if he has a large collection of slim tees and shirts that he always wants to wear untucked. So, whoppee's advice is your best bet. A.

[quote=Stalker McStalkerson]For awhile, I had the same problem, being barely 5'8" and wearing a 31 inch inseam. What works for me is limiting the ball room. It's a harsh reality, but the diminished space between the grundle translates into an extra inch or two of legs. This is truly key in making your legs look longer. Additionally, get jeans that're slimmer fitted so long as you're of decent weight.QUOTE]

31" inseam is definitely not short for a 5'8" person....since 32" inseam is usually 6', no?

I agree with aaron and stalker. As long as the crotch isn't hanging low, and the shirt covers the top of the jeans, rise shouldn't matter too much. If you like to wear your jeans a bit lower, like on the hip, lower rise will definitely be a better choice as the crotch will remain higher from the ground, thus making the legs appear longer.

Also, you may want to go with straight-leg as tapered jeans usually don't cover your shoes. If you get the leg opening wide enough to cover your shoes, it can make your leg appear to continue longer, rather than to stop right at the top of the shoes.

As a short guy (5'3"), I find that a low rise, bootcut makes my legs look longest.

A straight cut bunches/stacks the jeans near my ankles creating a shorter line while a bootcut allows the line of the leg to flow. It's the same reason I don't wear cuffs on my dress pants.

However, even a straight leg looks much better in a low rise jean than a regular rise. If you're 5'7" or under and haven't tried a low rise jean, you'll be amazed what a difference it makes.

Rolo