Take a look at the Black Fleece collection at Brooks Brothers by Thom Browne who became one of the more prominent designers in the past few years. http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=718
To pleat or not to pleat
- Thread starter Abdiel
- Start date
Take a look at the Black Fleece collection at Brooks Brothers by Thom Browne who became one of the more prominent designers in the past few years. http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=718
Actually, there so out they might be back in! If the right guy wore them and had veeery upmarket everything else, he might be considered one of the fashion cognoscenti
I have a humor book of various traits or things they do that guys have which will condemn them as far as every getting a date. Pleated trousers or shorts is listed as one thing. I am not dating, but it is because I am married! I wear various pleated shorts/trousers, as well as flat fronts. I sure had not noticed pleats being that far out of fashion.
<Black Fleece collection at Brooks Brothers by Thom Browne>
If Thom Browne likes turn-ups, you can be sure they are not out of fashion in the US. Is the UK really all that different? Good for the UK as far as I am concerned about the Thom Browne style overall. I
If they are out of style now, pleats will be back. They have always come and gone. And every time they come and go, whatever is coming in will be described as "thinning"!
<Black Fleece collection at Brooks Brothers by Thom Browne>
If Thom Browne likes turn-ups, you can be sure they are not out of fashion in the US. Is the UK really all that different? Good for the UK as far as I am concerned about the Thom Browne style overall. I
If they are out of style now, pleats will be back. They have always come and gone. And every time they come and go, whatever is coming in will be described as "thinning"!
Pleats are far enough out that you shouldn't be buying new pants with them, but no so far out that you'd be embarrassed to wear a pair you already own...
i hate the look and feel of pleats but they fit my large behind without needing a lot of tailoring... not that i'm a big guy, i just have a large ***.
having said that, i don't own a pair of pleated trousers!
having said that, i don't own a pair of pleated trousers!
(@ Steve) Yes YES! Exactly. I am not tall at all, one inch shorter than you and very stocky (floating around 175-180). Not fat, but I play a ton of sports that have made my legs embarrassingly muscular (my fiancee doesn't like to look when I flex, she says it's gross). The pleat is the only way I can get my tree trunks into a pair of dress pants without looking like one of those ridiculously angst-filled Brooklyn hipsters (men by name only half the time). Forget about it if I wear a derby hat along with flat front...
I find aesthetically pleats help draw out the front seam pressed into the pants as well (and IMO nothing looks better than a crisp pressed fold). To me it gives a good ending and finality to the crease when looking from the bottom-up and a sharp defined start when looking the other way.
The only thing I don't like is the David-Bowie-in-Labyrinth bulging that can happen in the front of a pleated pant. I notice that does not happen as much with my only pair of flat front, but it could also be the quality and consistency of material (the flat front are a very thick winter wool).
Anyone else with the beastly leg problem? I once had to get my pants 2 sizes up and have them taken in just to accommodate them (in South Korea). Boy I miss the age when parachute pants were all O.K.
jk
-Mike
I find aesthetically pleats help draw out the front seam pressed into the pants as well (and IMO nothing looks better than a crisp pressed fold). To me it gives a good ending and finality to the crease when looking from the bottom-up and a sharp defined start when looking the other way.
The only thing I don't like is the David-Bowie-in-Labyrinth bulging that can happen in the front of a pleated pant. I notice that does not happen as much with my only pair of flat front, but it could also be the quality and consistency of material (the flat front are a very thick winter wool).
Anyone else with the beastly leg problem? I once had to get my pants 2 sizes up and have them taken in just to accommodate them (in South Korea). Boy I miss the age when parachute pants were all O.K.
jk-Mike
I'm pleated and cuffed all the way. Just a personal preference. As far as "in" vs. "out"...meh...doesn't really have much effect on what I wear.
MC Hammer = bad pleats.
I only have one or two suits left with pleated pants, and it will probably be years after pleats return to fashion before I wear them again. However, a comment on whether pleats can be slimming:
When pleats were in, I seem to remember reading that you should pay attention to the number of and the type of pleats on pants. According to wikipedia regarding pleats in trousers:
I don't remember which type of pleat looked better on me, but I do remember that I had one pair of pants that made me look wide, while another pair with the pleats running the other way were slimming. I made sure to buy several pairs like the latter.
When pleats were in, I seem to remember reading that you should pay attention to the number of and the type of pleats on pants. According to wikipedia regarding pleats in trousers:
I don't remember which type of pleat looked better on me, but I do remember that I had one pair of pants that made me look wide, while another pair with the pleats running the other way were slimming. I made sure to buy several pairs like the latter.
I am still not convinced that pleats in suit trousers are so out of fashion, not that I wouldn't because of this thread seek flat fronts.
And if pleats are completely out of style, by the time they come back in, there will have been some change n the placement of the suit coat buttons and/or the width of the lapels and/or the height of the waist or a myriad of other things so that pleats being back in style will not save the suit from looking unfashsionable! But that is the clothing industry!
I despise both cuffs and pleats. There, I've said it. Cuffs make me look even shorter and pleats just don't flatter my waist at all, plus they always look messy on me.
I firmly believe one should strive to develop a personal style which transcends the latest fads. Boys can concern themselves with the latest fashions. A man should strive to build a wardrobe informed by a timeless, more classic aesthetic. If in 50 years, pleats have gone the way of the zoot suit, then perhaps we can consider them passe.
I find that pleats give me more "room" to move my legs. They aren't constricted as much as with flat front that tend to stretch something fierce when you lift your legs. I have a pair of khaki shorts (for beach/boatwear etc.), and they're pleated, which is really excellent.
If I were to order a tailored tweed suit for outdoor use (hunting etc), I'd definitely go with pleated trousers. For other, not so "functional" occasions, I'd always go with flat front.
If I were to order a tailored tweed suit for outdoor use (hunting etc), I'd definitely go with pleated trousers. For other, not so "functional" occasions, I'd always go with flat front.
Yes, but if you bought all your suits in 1984, no matter how classicly styled they are they would still look dated.
Not to mention they wouldn't fit - a was a skinny teenager. I do, however, have a Seersucker and white linen suit from not too many years later which don't look dated at all.
Love pleated pants however I think they look best with cuffed pants.
Saw someone with pleated pants without cuffs and just couldn't decide if they looked right.
Saw someone with pleated pants without cuffs and just couldn't decide if they looked right.
It depends on where one wears their pants. If you're wearing your pants at your hips then I'd say flat front every time. At that point on your body things should get smaller on the way down, adding pleats gives you a diaper look. You want a smooth look from the hips down when standing and pleats get in the way of that. With that said, if you're wearing a higher rise with your waistband at your waist then pleats are preferred (this assumes that your waist is smaller than your hips). It allows the pants to hang properly around the hips and butt.
I personally have both. All of my non-suit pants are flat front as I wear them at my hips (as is the current style). I also have several suits with pleats. Since I am always wearing a jacket you can't see my waistband, and since I have 9" of difference between my waist and my butt the pleats help to keep everything comfortable and hanging correctly. Read Style and the Man by Alan Flusser for a very good description of how pants (and shirts, and suit coats, and everything else) should fit.
I personally have both. All of my non-suit pants are flat front as I wear them at my hips (as is the current style). I also have several suits with pleats. Since I am always wearing a jacket you can't see my waistband, and since I have 9" of difference between my waist and my butt the pleats help to keep everything comfortable and hanging correctly. Read Style and the Man by Alan Flusser for a very good description of how pants (and shirts, and suit coats, and everything else) should fit.
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