Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette. in today's video, we'll discuss pleated pants,
their reputation today, who should wear them, and how to do so with style.
For some people, mentions of pleated pants evoke the worst fashion trends of the 1980s
and 90s.
Think for example of the power suit and other baggy fashions, with current trends favoring
flat front cuts, pleated pants are also seen as increasingly unfashionable today.
The truth about pleated pants, however, is that you can totally pull them off and we're
going to tell you how.
So first, we have to establish what is the definition of pleats.
Simply put, pleats are gathered folds of fabric in the area below the waist of a pair of trousers
known as the rise or more simply the front.
As you might have guessed on flat-fronted pants, this area is smooth.
Pleats can either face forward meaning they point inward toward the fly or they can be
reversed meaning they point outward toward the pockets.
Forward pleats are typically a safer and more conservative option as they remain flat whereas
outward facing pleats usually have a little bit of added volume to them, for example,
the pants I'm wearing in today's video have outward facing pleats and you'll see that
they don't lie completely flat.
The number of pleats on a pair of pants can vary usually there are just one or two though
some pairs of pants could have three or even up to four pairs of pleats.
So now that we know what pleats are, let's answer the question why do they currently
have such a bad reputation?
The short answer is right now, pleated pants just happen to be out of fashion.
In the 1980s and 90s, pairs of pants often had quite an excess of material and that led
to lots of extra volume.
Some poor trouser designs of that era resulted in pants that were much too roomy; this was
not a good look.
For example, think of middle management office drones wearing their way too baggy khakis
on casual Friday.
Because pleats gather extra fabric in the rise of a pair of pants, it can result in
lots of extra volume and therefore, unsightly ballooning.
However, if you take a look at vintage fashion illustrations, magazines, or Hollywood stars
of earlier eras, you'll see that pleats can be worn in a very fashionable way.
For example, Cary Grant wore suits with pleated pants, as did Sean Connery in the role of
James Bond.
Let's put it another way, the dislike for pleats that we see now is really more just
a result of the current fashion for slim flat-fronted pants rather than anything inherently wrong
with the concept of pleats.
You could also see this as a form of generational bias; that means young people are more likely
to see pleated pants as stodgy or something your grandpa would wear but that's really
not the case if you know how to wear them well.
So now that we've established how pleated pants are worn, the question is who should
wear them?
Firstly, because of the extra fabric, those men who are looking for more comfort or ease
of movement, especially in the waist, would consider wearing pleated pants.
For example, if you happen to have some weight around your midsection, pleated pants can
go a long way to disguising this whereas flat-fronted pants would emphasize that weight.
If you're a man who happens to have a large seat or large thighs, this is true as well,
especially if the pants you wear are worn at your natural waist.
For example, our founder Sven Raphael Schneider favors pleated pants because he shares an
issue with a lot of men.
They have thicker thighs that aren't accommodated by modern slim fit flat-fronted pants.
The pleats go a long way to assisting with this.
Conversely, it's often said that if you have a slimmer build, pleated pants are risky because
they can give you a sloppy appearance if they don't fit well.
If you are lean and you do like pleats, you can pull off the look well by emulating the
Italians specifically people from Naples.
They often wear pleated pants with well-fitted legs usually in lighter weight fabrics to
avoid a heavy look.
Basically, the key here is to ensure that the overall cut of the pants isn't too full.
Interestingly, pleats can be helpful to you if you sit for a long time but also if you
happen to be particularly active.
Finally, it must be said even if it is a little bit of a taboo subject, if you just want more
room for your privates, pleats can help with that too.
So now that you have some more information, let's get into how to wear pleated pants today
and still look stylish.
Some of the issues of bagginess that we've seen in past decades can be alleviated today
just by putting a pair of pleats on a more close fitting modern style pair of pants.
Make an effort to find a pair of moderately cut pleated pants that are neither too slim
nor too baggy and thus have a timeless style.
This is basically the same philosophy as when you are choosing a tie width or a lapel width
that's somewhere in the middle.
It's not too skinny and it's not too wide so it ends up being timeless.
Another tip is to start with a lighter weight fabric.
You can certainly still wear pleated pants in winter weight cloth such as flannel but
in that case, proper fit is even more crucial than with a lighter weight fabric.
If you are wearing heavier weight pleated pants, a cuff at the bottom can help to pull
some of that weight downward and make the fabric drape more evenly.
Another option is to find a pair of pants that just has fewer pleats on it overall.
In particular, dress pants with a single pleat will have a continuous line.
The leg line runs up and blends into the pleat elongating the leg line overall.
Double pleats or more pairs of pleats than that generally look more relaxed but if your
body requires them, certainly go for them.
The added fabric and the pleats themselves typically create a higher rise on a pair of
trousers so this necessitates wearing them higher up at your natural waist.
As we mentioned, this way they also do a better job of flattering and disguising a stomach
that might not necessarily be completely flat.
Conversely, the contemporary style of wearing your pants closer to your waist is more suitable
to more modern flat-fronted pants.
Now let's turn to a common question, if you're wearing pleated pants, do they or do they
not have to have cuffs?
Cuffs add visual weight to counterbalance the weight at the top of the pants provided
by the pleats.
Cuffs do make a pair of pants a little bit more informal and some people will also see
them as being more traditional.
So if you don't want to go for that look, you can wear pleated pants that don't have
any cuff.
Another technique to make your pleated pants appear a little bit more modern is to have
them tailored without any break at the bottom.
S break at the bottom of your pants can reinforce the idea of pleated pants looking more sloppy
especially if there's more volume from outward-facing pleats.
Also, a break interrupts that continuous crease that goes all the way down your leg if you
have a single pleat.
For an in-depth guide on how trousers should break as well as how that relates to cuffs
check out this guide here.
If you're cautious about wearing pleats, an easy way to start wearing them is to pair
them with a jacket.
Usually wearing them as the pair of pants in a suit.
Overall the closed jacket will minimize the appearance of the pleats so from a certain
angle, it might not even be possible for people to tell whether your trousers are pleated
or flat-fronted.
If you're wearing pleats with a suit, you may want to go with inward facing pleats because
of their slightly greater formality and you might also want to go with no cuffs for the
same reason.
Also, you can really flaunt a pair of pleated pants by wearing them with a shirt alone.
Either a polo shirt or a dress shirt with the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up for a
really casual look.
So although pleated pants are especially suitable for specific body types, it's definitely true
that any man can wear them if he wants to.
Ultimately, it's just a matter of finding a pair of trousers that fits you well, trying
multiple pairs on, and seeing what you like.
So, we'd like to know are you a fan of pleated pants or do you think they should be confined
to the past?
let us know in the comments!
in today's video it should be obvious that I'm wearing a pair of pleated pants they have
outward facing pleats and the color is simple black my sport coat features a herringbone
pattern it's primarily charcoal but it also picks up some green and brown tones too the
shirt is from Charles Tyrwhitt and it's simple pink the boutonniere which is from Fort Belvedere
picks up some of these pink tones the tie is vintage and features a rep stripe it's
primarily red but it has a multi stripe of khaki yellow and blue the pocket square picks
up many of these same colors it's a wool silk blend printed in England and it features a
rabbit design I'm wearing a pair of Eagle Claw cufflinks from Fort Belvedere they're
sterling silver and platinum plated and feature carnelian as the stone my shoes are black
and cap toed though we'd be tempted to call them Oxfords they're technically derby shoes
because of the lacing finally my socks are simple black there isn't really much else
to say about them