How many inches can one hem pants?

Question

I am interested in buying a nice pair of slacks I found, but they are 35 inches in the waist. I want to hem them all the way down to 31. Is that too much? Is it going to look stupid? What's the limit? 2 inches? 3? 4? Maybe I can pull it off by only hemming 2 and then wearing a belt?

Additional Details

The "torso".

I am talking about the waist. How much can I take out of the waist?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Hemming is what you do to make pants shorter at the bottom of the leg, not to reduce the waist. Speaking as a person who has trouble finding pants that fit all parts of me, I would advise buying a waist size that's very close to what you need. You can fake an inch or two with a belt, but more will have a puckered look once you tighten the belt so that the pants don't fall down, and it will look pretty dumb unless you always wear the pants with an untucked shirt. I've found it's very difficult if not impossible to take in the waist of pants successfully, usually. There are belt loops and pockets in the way.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Excellent answer. Basically, shoot for within 2 inches with a belt. I still wonder if I should bring the waist in before that 2 inches or after, but I am going to make an educated guess and say "before". That leaves me with a total maximum of 4 inches. So, if I am a size 32, I can go up to 36.

Answer 2

Are you talking about the inseam is 35 inches and you want it to be 31"? The waist is what goes around your torso. The inseam is the length of the pant leg. You will need to cut the length. Taking it up 4 inches is too much. Your hem should be about an inch, inch and a half. If they are nice slacks you are going to be wearing to work or out in the evening, spend the money to have them hemmed correctly. Most dry cleaners will have this service.