Most of the guff on the internet abut wardrobe is just that -- guff. You may have pleats if you wish, thin or not.

 

To follow up on that: if you aren't a big guy maybe stick with single pleated as opposed to double pleated if you don't "need" the extra leg room.

 

I only like pleated pants, and I don't think I would be described as heavy (5'7", 160). But it does seem as though the current trend is definitely flat front.

 

They are still around, but the big retailers, and many of the suit makers don't offer them.

Bloomingdales, Nieman, Barneys, Saks, Nordstrom offer only a few pleated pants. Most of their suit lines like Canali, Armani, Zegna don't come with pleated pants either.

Brooks Brothers still offers a nice selection.

I fear that pleats at present have been deemed horribly "out." They can still be found, but you have to dig.

Agree with the great Orsini, most of the writing about such things is guff. It's a conscious style choice. If you prefer pleats...find them and wear them. If you fear someone will think you "out," you don't really get the fundamental "Ask Andy" vibe.

I assure you that pleats are "out." If this disturbs you, buy flat fronts and be "in." Here in SoCal wearing nice pants, shoes, shirt and sport coat are also out. God forbid you wear a tie with that ensemble.

 

Ive never liked pleats, but I think that's because it's all I wore growing up (also why I had an aversion to chinos for a while)

 

Pleats are very comfortable and practical, but they look dated and can make you look fatter (if that's an issue for you). Also, I find it is harder to make pleated pants that look good, but Andover Shop makes some nice front-facing pleated pants.

Anyway, my solution has always been single pleats. It's a good compromise; the pants look sleek yet classic, they drape nicely, and are more comfortable, without looking like a medieval minstrel's sleeve.

 

If your pants fit, it doesn't matter how you get there.

The problem with pleats is that most of the trousers available in the US are either flat front, or double reverse pleats. A single forward pleat narrowly beats a flat-front for me, but I have one pair of single-forward pleat trousers that fit really well.

 

Pleats have never gone out of style. It all comes down to personal preference. I have one pair of flat front trousers and the rest are pleated.

 

If your pants fit, it doesn't matter how you get there.

The problem with pleats is that most of the trousers available in the US are either flat front, or double reverse pleats. A single forward pleat narrowly beats a flat-front for me, but I have one pair of single-forward pleat trousers that fit really well.

I'll double down on this one. Most of my odd trousers are from the German company Hiltl or the Italian comapny Canali and feature a single-forward pleat that is pretty much unnoticeable. I'm 6'4" or so, and on the thinner side, so my size had little influence on my buying decision of pleated/nonpleated versus "looks" and comfort..

There is a big difference between these Canali single pleats:

https://imageshack.com/i/n7hdrs0j

And these:

https://imageshack.com/i/n79u26j

 

The new trend is no pleats but you can still get away with one pleat. 2 or 3 pleats make you look husky

 

The new trend is no pleats but you can still get away with one pleat. 2 or 3 pleats make you look husky

Yeah. The "trends" aren't what we usually preach here. Both styles are pretty much timeless and come down to personal preference. While I prefer the look and feel of a single pleat, many of my suit trousers are flat fronts. Neither will ever be out of style very long and as my wardrobe features both styles, it has been "cool" and "out of touch" at the same time for the past 8 years.

 

Pleats are very comfortable and practical, but they look dated and can make you look fatter (if that's an issue for you). Also, I find it is harder to make pleated pants that look good, but Andover Shop makes some nice front-facing pleated pants.

Anyway, my solution has always been single pleats. It's a good compromise; the pants look sleek yet classic, they drape nicely, and are more comfortable, without looking like a medieval minstrel's sleeve.

+1 I love the single pleat as it solves the one big problem I have with flat front pants which is that the crease has no natural way to end - in flat front pants, the crease just fades out awkwardly somewhere below the waist. But in a simple single pleat, the crease goes up into the pleat, but the pants still have the clean, simple line that flat-front advocates love.

 

Personally, I wouldn't buy a pair of dress pants without pleats. they are far more comfortable, and I am not heavy. Khakis and jeans, no pleat, sacrificing comfort for classic style. As to style, the "modern look" is to appear as though you are weariing your little brother's clothes.

 

In general:

I wear dress pants pleated, cuffed, and at the natural waist with braces or side tabs.
I wear casual pants unpleated, uncuffed depending on fabric and taper, belted, and a smidgen below the natural waist (but certainly not as low as jeans).

Pleats get a bad reputation because they indeed look awful when you wear a pleated pant below the waist. The pleats flare out at the hips and make your thighs look huge. It is essential to wear a pleated pant with a moderate to high rise so that the pleat hugs the hip and then allows the trouser to drape cleanly from hip to hem.

The "modern look" is prone to all kinds of problems for dress trousers - no place for the crease to end, crotch wrinkles, pocket flare, shirt showing beneath jacket button, etc.

Forward pleats ameliorate the bagginess associated with reverse pleats (Bill's Khakis M1P notwithstanding), but are more difficult to construct.

 

If you want to dress fashionably, wear flat front pants. But if you want to dress well, wear pleats!

But most importantly, wear what you like!

I couldn't find it in an acceptable length of time, but a few years ago I reposted a blog article by a young man who had received his first pair of well-tailored pleated trousers. They may have been bespoke. And he was slender young man. To paraphrase, he said, "I'm surprised, these make me look trimmer!"

Well tailored, properly cut and properly sized pleats do not make you look fatter. It's the opposite. Given all of that, both forward and reverse pleats can look good, but I think forward pleats look better. The difficulty is in all the qualifiers; poorly tailored and cut, improperly sized pants of any sort will not look good, nor will you in them. And that's the problem, most pants do not meet one or more of these qualifiers.

So, wear what you like, you probably won't look any worse than the guy standing next to you. (Unless, of course, he happens to be Vox. But then, I doubt that he'd really be willing to stand next to you. )

 

I'll double down on this one. Most of my odd trousers are from the German company Hiltl or the Italian comapny Canali and feature a single-forward pleat that is pretty much unnoticeable. I'm 6'4" or so, and on the thinner side, so my size had little influence on my buying decision of pleated/nonpleated versus "looks" and comfort..

There is a big difference between these Canali single pleats:

https://imageshack.com/i/n7hdrs0j

And these:

https://imageshack.com/i/n79u26j

I prefer a flat front, but am wearing M&S single forward pleats at the moment.
However, I do own a pair of Hiltl triple reverse pleated trousers, although since they are also a little loud in pattern, I've never really worn them out in public yet.

 

'They're tight - under the circumstances.' That was one salesman's patter for trying to sell me a pair of trousers with rather extravagant pleats, in preference to another pair that I favoured.

Personally I think there is something unsightly about pleated trousers unless they have a decent rise. Also, reverse pleats are abhorrent. And, thirdly, I find fat men wearing pleated trousers generally look even fatter. I concede, however, that they may enjoy greater comfort.

I do have a fair number of trousers with pleats, but they are all single pleats and facing forwards. All my less formal trousers are flat at the front.

 

^+1.

I have both pleated and plain front slacks and for me rise is the issue. Being 5'7", I prefer a shorter rise otherwise I'm wearing my slacks at my chest! At that point it matters little whether they are pleated or plain front.

 

I think the "trend" amongst the average guy nowadays is flat front, but it's been the norm for so long now that the pleat is bound to make a comeback soon (just like wider lapels). Look...even Suitsupply introduced some pleated trousers this season!

https://us.suitsupply.com/en_CA/tro...rousers/B331I.html?start=1&cgid=Trousers&prefn1=collection&prefv1=Spring/Summer

 

Most of the guff on the internet abut wardrobe is just that -- guff. You may have pleats if you wish, thin or not.

Agreed. I use the internet sites more for inspiration instead of trying to live up to an igent sartorial doctrine.

 

I've thought all along that the pendulum will swing sooner or later and pleats, wider lapels, and wider clothes in general will come back as the fashion industry needs to sell something "new" once everyone owns all the skinny clothes they need.

But what if the pleat is like the waistcoat or suspenders: an item that was once mainstream, but then went out of favor and now only hangs on as a quirky holdover occasionally gaining a little traction, but never really achieving main-stream acceptance again?

I was thinking about this because of the antipathy the pleat generates for many people today. An entire generation of young men think the pleat is their father's Oldsmobile. The press is littered with negative attitudes toward the pleat. My friend in fashion says the industry has compete disdain for them (with a few exceptions) and the trend right now is moving even further away from them. Several non-fashion friends - guys who are no where near as interested in clothes as those of us on this forum - have said they are purging their wardrobe of pleated pants as they feel dated and old when they wear them.

I appreciate both pleated and flat front pants - have and enjoy both and just assumed pleats would make a full come back over time. But now I'm thinking I might be wrong - they might be permanently moved out of the mainstream and will only be a marginal player (again) like waistcoats and suspenders.

Thoughts?

 

I don't have a problem with pleats per se, however most men wearing pleated pants seem to be wearing a size too large and cinch them high up on their waist with a belt, resulting in the excess fabric of the waistband being folded over itself. At the same time their shirt, which is a size or 2 larger than it should be, pools over their waistband.

The above was my general image of a pleat-pant-wearing man. However, should more stylish men begin to wear well fitted, nicely coordinated, pleated pants with the rest of their perfectly tailored clothes, then I believe that they can make a comback. But until enough men wear them in a way that exudes sophistication, the pleat will remain unpopular.

 

Clearly I'm in the minority here, but if someone is going to wear pleats, I vastly prefer reverse pleats. I positively abhor forward pleats. I also hate all pleats worn on the natural waist as well as pleated pants that are improperly sized, as the poster above me mentioned.

 

Interesting thread. I always prefer forward pleats and have said so many times on this forum. However, I do have one pair of single reverse pleated slim PRADA trousers, with a button fly, that look and feel wonderful. The back left pocket even has a flap, just like many trousers did in the 60's. Nice touch.

If anyone here knows of a manufacturer that makes off the rack trousers that have a single forward pleat, please let me know!

Responding to post #10, I have NEVER seen any Canali trouser that had a forward pleat. Please identify where and when you acquired yours. Same question for the M&S trousers you refer to.

 

Thanks everyone. Given the complexities described and the simple fact that I don't really like pleats, I think I'll pass on them.