Flat front trousers

I'm sure some of the more educated/tailor guys will jump in but IMO there's nothing wrong with pleats, done right that is. A single pleat is IMO actually perfect since it gives extra slack when you need it. Double pleats can be done and look good, but rarely do for OTR. I'd suggest you just stick to single pleats. if you go flat front you'll end up with baggy flat front pants, which really just defeats the whole purpose.

Buy flat fronts that fit in the leg and seat and have the waist altered to fit. It's pretty inexpensive.

Pleated trousers are more than acceptable, indeed to me flat fronts look dreadful - entirely a question of personal preference. MTM?

Suffer from the exact same problem. As said, you could buy flat that fit in the legs and have them altered. You could also get them MTM, not too expensive and they'll fit you better. That's what I do these days.

The reason I don't go for pleated trousers is that almost all OTR pleated trousers feature reversed (or outward facing) pleats these days, which only serve to accentuate the problem imo.

I had the same issue and don't like wearing pleats. So i buy one waist size bigger and get the waist taken in. I wish I had discovered this sooner.

I only wear pleated trousers. Double pleat, inward facing. I wear my trousers with braces, and I wear them high. It is almost impossible to wear flat fronts as high and for me to sit down.

Maybe it's just the cut of pants you tried on? I know I tried on the Regent cut flat front pants from BB and my thighs were about to burst out of the pants. I tried on the Madison cut and those fit much better for me.

when choosing rtw trousers the rule is.
pick the garment that fits in the seat and crotch,then alter the waist according to your needs.

Heh, prescient topic. I've been struggling with that of late as a cyclist (talk about thunder thighs...). I much prefer flat-front, as pleats tend to give me too much room in the crotch, even though the thighs are nice. I tend to do what several others have suggested, which is buy something that is fairly tight (but still fits) in the thigh, then bring in the waist to fit. Maybe taper the calf if it's needed.

Single pleats and you can play around with which direction you want them to face in.