Caviglietto del Pantalone

The trouser break is the fold or crease formed at the front of the trouser leg where it meets the top of the shoe. The amount of break — from no break (hem sits above the shoe) to full break (deep fold covering the laces) — is one of the most legible signals of a trouser's fit intention.

No break reads contemporary and precise. Half break is the classical standard. Full break reads generous and traditional. The choice is as much about posture and personality as it is about proportion.