"We found the perfect cropped pants -- so can you!"

Feel free to spend all summer in cropped pants. They're cooler than jeans, as fashionable as skirts and more wearable than shorts. The only caveat? Find the style that flatters your figure. To guarantee a slimming line, avoid hems that hit the widest part of your calf. And choose slip-ons -- skip shoes with ankle straps, which can make legs look thicker. Read on for more tips to ace this look.

Elongate short legs

Jennie Rizzo, 28, loves wearing cropped pants, and calls them her "perfect style" because they solve her biggest problem: finding pants that aren't too long for her petite frame. "I like them better than shorts or skirts because I can dress them up or down," she says. And since Jennie recently moved to the South, they may become her year-round staples.

Tips:
Look for a straight-leg style.
Find a pair that hits just below the knee.
Pinstripes make legs look long.

On Jennie: Pants, $70, sizes XS-XL; at Esprit. Shirt, $11, sizes XS-XL; at Forever 21. Necklace, Robert Rose, $20; at department stores. Bracelet, Robert Rose, $21; at department stores. Shoes, $18, sizes 5-12; at Payless ShoeSource.