DarrenBarefoot.com

Pleats are horrible. I hate them and refuse to wear pants with pleats.

Jen is right.

[Reply]

Darren,
You’re wrong and right. Pleats are verbotten and have been for a couple of years. Lack of pleats, like certain bicep tattoos, and chest waxing, were for a while a good measurement of a man’s hipness/gayness. But like everything, straight men eventually catch on, and have stopped wearing pleats. You were very wrong to be so slow on the uptake.
But you are right, in that pleats are for fat people. Source:
Globe and Mail, RUSSELL SMITH (A better fashion guru was never born)
Saturday, March 5, 2005
“The disappearance of pleats on the most fashionable of suit trousers in the late 1990s was cause for concern for most men over the age of 25. Flat-fronted trousers look slick, like Sean Connery in early Bond movies, if you have the trim silhouette of an athlete; if you have even a normal swelling in your middle, the flat front can make you feel like a wrapped pear.”

[Reply]

There’s a quick way to check this: in general, expensive (or even moderately priced), fashionable trousers from stores like Zara or even Gap lack pleats. Cheap ones from Superstore, Wal-Mart, or Zellers have pleats.

I don’t know _why_, since by any objective measure pleats should be more expensive to manufacture—but it is quite possible to find pants with four or five sets of pleats at low-end stores (or in the old-guy suit department at Sears of the Bay), when no middle-aged or young guy should be wearing them.

The trend right now is for high-end trousers to lack even a single pleat front and back, being entirely flat-legged, like jeans. And while I have a bit of gut, that style looks fine on me.

Anyway, you should watch “What Not to Wear” (Fridays, 9 pm, TLC), since it gives those of us without instictive or learned fasion sense a good crash course in not looking like a clothesfool.

[Reply]

Derek-the thing that makes the more expensive brands more expensive, other than fabric, is the cut. It’s more expensive to make a well-cut garment (but oh so worth buying one). Pleats can be a little imprecise. Flat front needs to be more exact to hang appropriately.

Darren-all the fashionable beer guts are falling above the waist-band these days; ) Of course, there’s the muffin top phenomenon to deal with, but let me just say that a good tailor can do wonders. Just say no to pleats.

[Reply]

Pleats (and I do have a suit with pleated pants) are really dependent on the fabric, the pattern, colour and your suit jacket to name a few. The type of pocket you have in your pants is also something to consider. Any good tailor will give you sound advice about what options are available or not. I think fashion is great but I personally couldn’t care what someone else considers in or not if that is what I want to wear. Anyone can see when someone looks like they need a good tailor and there are quite a few that really need a good tailor.

If you keep your ties long enough they will eventually come back be they wide or thin. Brogues (wingtips) seem to never fall out of favour. Hathaway shirts (hard to find now) are the best for button down shirts - one reason being their buttons only have three holes and are sown properly.

Two things creep me out though, some beer belly in a speedo, black socks and sandals. People who wear running shoes with black socks. Did you keep your duffle coat, they’re back, aren’t they?

[Reply]

Forget it — you’ll have to pry my pleated pants out of my cold, dead fingers. I don’t care what the fashionistas may say, I’m sticking to the pleats. They’re just more comfortable.

People who wear socks with sandals, though, will still die a horrible fashion death.

[Reply]