Need advice on dress slacks.

[BigMac]

I am trying to choose between two pairs, but also need advice in general on slacks when it comes to colors, pleats and cuffs.

I am looking at a pair of light-gray, flat-front Dockers slacks with no cuffs, and also a pair of dark-gray, pleated Stafford slacks with cuffs.

Which pair would be preferable in terms of style, and when it comes to dress slacks, which side should I be on in the pleated/flat-front debate?

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by BigMac

I am trying to choose between two pairs, but also need advice in general on slacks when it comes to colors, pleats and cuffs. I am looking at a pair of light-gray, flat-front Dockers slacks with no cuffs, and also a pair of dark-gray, pleated Stafford slacks with cuffs. Which pair would be preferable in terms of style, and when it comes to dress slacks, which side should I be on in the pleated/flat-front debate?
These don't sound like great quality slacks -- you would do better to look elsewhere. Do you need these pants urgently? What purpose will they serve? Work? Social occasions? What kind of work do you do? What is your existing wardrobe like, and how will they fit into it? What are your budget restrictions?

 

[BigMac]

Admittedly not the greatest quality. I don't have a pair in my wardrobe at the moment, and am currently on a bit of a budget. They would largely be for social occasions.

I could probably afford to wait, but when the time comes: pleats or flat-front?

 

[sho'nuff]

pleated or flat front is more according to your taste. there is no rule on what is more dressy or stylish.

ive seen pleated very stylish looking and also flat fronts look bad. flat front is a little more popular with the younger adult men.

i wear both. in business and casual.

why not get both? you need a choice of slacks anyways, those are nice solid colors to be had in your wardrobe.

cuffs or no cuffs are the same as above. more your taste but there is a proclivity to have cuffs for pants with pleats and no cuffs with pants that are flat front.



oh, and nothing against Quirk, but Dockers and such are perfectly fine. You dont need Attolini, Kiton, or Etro. just make sure you get them at a good discounted price.

 

[BigMac]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

there is a proclivity to have cuffs for pants with pleats and no cuffs with pants that are flat front.
Speaking of which, I own a pair of khakis with pleats but no cuffs (bought them a while back, before I discovered the forum

). So this is a fashion no-no, then?

My understanding is that cuffs help weigh down the pants a little so that the pleats don't look too baggy.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by BigMac

Admittedly not the greatest quality. I don't have a pair in my wardrobe at the moment, and am currently on a bit of a budget. They would largely be for social occasions. I could probably afford to wait, but when the time comes: pleats or flat-front?
Pleats are pretty standard and "safe". I'd say if you don't have a particularly strong sense of your own personal style yet, I think that pleats would be the safest bet. If not carried off well, plain fronts can look really terrible, especially with lesser-quality grey dress slacks. Think "security guard".

 

[sho'nuff]

Originally Posted by BigMac

Speaking of which, I own a pair of khakis with pleats but no cuffs (bought them a while back, before I discovered the forum

). So this is a fashion no-no, then?

My understanding is that cuffs help weigh down the pants a little so that the pleats don't look too baggy.

ive heard that often as well that cuffs weigh down the pants, but the extra bit of fabric is negligible in weight to actually feel any weighing down.


the understanding i have is, pleats add extra clothing goings-on up there. a nice cuff on the bottom evens out the look. without cuffs a pleated pant looks too top heavy in my opinion.

vice versa, a flat front has minimal action going on top, so a cuffling would make the look imbalanced. a nice straight profile is what i would prefer on the pants.

but it is not set in a rule or anything. you can still make a pleated pants with no cuffs look good.
there is nothing wrong with that, just preferences.



also, pleated pants that are single pleated or double are fine in my opinion. i have both. triple-pleated i will reserve for upon retirement from my career.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

oh, and nothing against Quirk, but Dockers and such are perfectly fine. You dont need Attolini, Kiton, or Etro. just make sure you get them at a good discounted price.
No offense taken. I just thought I remembered Dockers dress slacks as being wool/synthetic blends. Actually most of the chinos I've seen are blends also, though I have seen some 100% cotton. Do they carry 100% wool slacks?

 

[sho'nuff]

i dont think dockers make any premium type pants with 100% wool, i havent seen any but not sure.
i have found that certain blends are comfortable and clean wearing and dockers and kirkland (from costco) are some brands i would not mind wearing for work environments that are not always office.

as long as you can get a good price on these. check out macys and ross. macys usually have alot of nested discounts and clearance upon clearance.

 

[Jovan]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

vice versa, a flat front has minimal action going on top, so a cuffling would make the look imbalanced. a nice straight profile is what i would prefer on the pants.
Flat fronts with cuffs look excellent if you ask me. Pleats and cuffs both bulk up visually, so either/or may be good if you're thin.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by diorshoe

i dont think dockers make any premium type pants with 100% wool, i havent seen any but not sure. i have found that certain blends are comfortable and clean wearing and dockers and kirkland (from costco) are some brands i would not mind wearing for work environments that are not always office. as long as you can get a good price on these. check out macys and ross. macys usually have alot of nested discounts and clearance upon clearance.
What's the wool/synthetic ratio? I've seen some blended slacks, shirts, etc. that have a very pleasant feel, but in my experience, after a bit of wear, their impurity always betrays them and they end up looking and/or feeling like crap. I might take a gamble with 5% synthetic. Maybe. More than that is asking for trouble, IMO.

 

[sho'nuff]

meaning the dockers and/or kirkland?

i am not too sure.

i agree with you there on blends becoming worn out after a few months of wear.
i leave those trousers for my work which many times im in the trenches all by myself.

the 100% wool ones i wear to church and better occasions.

you may want to check out Macys as well. they have a vast selection of semi-well known brand names that are some 100% wool at low clearance prices. depends on the macys though, however the south coast one is the best ive seen.

 

[mensimageconsultant]

If you're talking about wool pants, charcoal gray is a good starter color, more versatile than light gray.