How do you like pleats on your trousers?

[Styleforum Ari]

Are pleated pants cool, or are they dandyish and weird?

 

[An Acute Style]

I like how Ethan’s photo is used twice. Classic robot mistake. I love double forward pleats.

 

[Thin White Duke]

Don’t like em. Don’t need em.

I see they’re making their way back into fashion, which baffles me as they are an aspect of construction for me, not of fashion. If you are portly enough to need that extra flexibility they are serving a purpose. If you are slim like all the fellas in the photos shown above they are superfluous and IMO less than optimal. In some cases like with Connery above they actually contribute to an unflattering effeminate silhouette of child-bearing hips!
Horses for courses of course but there’s my two cents.

 

[Blake Stitched Blues]

Single-reverse pleats for me.

 

[JJ Katz]

I have both types, but aside from very informal types (like basic chinos and denim), I think that pleats make the fabric around the hip/bum area drape and flow better; nothing to do with portliness or slimness.

Some very well-fitted examples above; not least the Sean Connery example.

 

[SprezzaTrash]

Woo! double post.

In addition to the extra room, I think that pleats give some fun visuals that add something extra to an outfit, apart from them being "needed" for certain physiques. To me, flat fronts feel boring and uninteresting, though I own my fair share of flat front trousers.

With a high rise, pleats are good. High rise flat fronts feel too "blocky" for me.

 

[theox]

I like the third style. trouble is one must be in great physical shape with no bulge to carry them off.

 

[Michael Boehm]

Form follows function and pleats make trousers work better. Also, do not need the spider front common with flat front.

 

[dunkbomb]

I believe that every man should have at least one pair of pleated trousers in his wardrobe - after all "variety is the spice of life." I find that, while most days a flat front looks great, once in a while, it's good to mix it up with a paiir of nicely crafted pleated pants.

 

[Texasmade]

I prefer flat front over pleats. I already have large legs and pleats gives them extra fullness which I don’t need.

 

[ledouche]

Off

 

[Anachronist]

Personally, I prefer pleated trousers (no matter which style - just need to make the rest of the outfit work) over flat-front ones. That said, there is a simple and very sensible reason for them, according to a friend of mine, who is a tailor: when a person sits down, your pelvic bones move outwards, i.e. your hips widen. The additional fabric was added to give the trousers room to give for three reasons, i) to not overstretch the side seams, ii) avoid making the pockets gape open too much and pulling them out of form and iii) to reduce the amount of wrinkling in the front of the trousers from sitting. IMHO, you can easily see the drawbacks of flat-front trousers in how they look after a day of wear compared to a pleated trouser.

 

[emptym]

... If you are slim like all the fellas in the photos shown above they are superfluous and IMO less than optimal...

I think there are some functions that slim guys could benefit from:
1) Forward pleats give you a bit more room when putting your hands or other things into your front pockets.
2) Both kinds provide and aesthetically pleasing start (or end) to crease lines.
3) I've read that reverse pleats were popular among thin guys in Italy because they allowed for a smoother transition between the fullness of a coat hem and the pants.

Personally, I prefer single forward or flat front. Double forward is OK. Dislike reverse.

 

[IJReilly]

I use a single reverse pleat on the trousers that look good with them. The reason is that I have large thighs, making the trousers a bit looser and comfortable in that area. They are reversed because that's what my MTM guys told me was best.

 

[IJReilly]

Personally, I prefer pleated trousers (no matter which style - just need to make the rest of the outfit work) over flat-front ones. That said, there is a simple and very sensible reason for them, according to a friend of mine, who is a tailor: when a person sits down, your pelvic bones move outwards, i.e. your hips widen. The additional fabric was added to give the trousers room to give for three reasons, i) to not overstretch the side seams, ii) avoid making the pockets gape open too much and pulling them out of form and iii) to reduce the amount of wrinkling in the front of the trousers from sitting. IMHO, you can easily see the drawbacks of flat-front trousers in how they look after a day of wear compared to a pleated trouser.

This! If you are like me and engage in sports which give you large thighs (barbell squats, grappling), it's a great way to maintain a fairly slim line over the thigh but not making them feel tight when you sit.