Nothing is wrong with a pleat (something is very wrong with pleatS). I think a single pleat looks good on a pair of suit trousers. Where a pleat should never show up is on a pair of khakis.

Some people, especially those with wide hips, find pleats unflattering--even if it's just a single pleat on wool suit pants. On the other hand, as a big guy, I like the extra room provided by the pleat. I'd still never wear pleated khakis though.

No pleats.
No turn-ups.
No kidding.

We fight pleats and turn-ups today, so that we won't have to fight spats and cravats in the future.

Pant pleats look nice if you're just standing there, like the models in the catalog, but once you start moving around and especially sitting, they bulge out and look horrid unless you're very very very very skinny.

Abhorrence of pleats is a snobby fashion nazi thing.

I've long ago put myself on a no-pleat policy, but I wouldn't presume to rule them out for everyone. . .I wonder if it has something to do with hiding The Business down there. . . although I'd think roomier would be better. You're right the word obviously is strange.

I've always felt that pleated and/or cuffed pants just don't do any favors for shorter, stockier people. I don't kow if it's "obvious," but that's how it strikes me.

(not really counting the subtle, "barely-there" pleat)

'avoiding pleats' became this fashion buzz-word for the fashionless populations in middle america who had been previously content to buy their khakis at walgreens and kmart, and their dockers at sears, up until television started carrying those 'make-over' shows.

this is because in the 80s and 90s, khakis tended to be made with big-ass pleats stemming from the waistband to accomodate girth. i think it was actually those gay dockers (and even worse commericals) that disseminated pleats to america.

therefore, since pleated khakis were so saturated into the mindset of the american public, it was one of those generalized, rules-of-thumb for people to stick-to when moving from buying their khakis at kmart to the gap.

pleats rawk. pleats are your friend. i'm sitting here wearing a pleated skirt that makes my ass look 5lbs heavier, but i don't give a fuck, because when i walk, my shit looks like it's jiggling. and aint nothing wrong with that.

I will give up my pleated khakis when they pry my cold, dead fingers from the pleated area.

Or sumthin.

heh, danf. Made me giggle.

However, on the middle america thing, I can definitely say this: most all pleated pants, and definitely khakis and dockers will pretty much identify one as being American, or at least North American, middle or otherwise in other parts of the world. In fact, I always know Americans (or possible Canadians) by their clothes, even before I hear them speak, and it's not a pleats thing... I don't even know how I know, but so does everyone. It's like a huge freaking billboard with blinking lights.

That's not to say american-style is a bad thing. At all. Some people try to imitate it, actually (mostly hip hop styles, really), but never quite carry it off. If I had to put my finger on it, I would say that Americans (generally, of course) are too neat to successfully mingle anonymously on the international fashion course.

I was born with pleated legs. Consequently, my pants are always out of fashion.

I plan to tour Europe naked.

*starts designing website for the matildaben European tour*

Honey, some things surpass fashion, and nakedness is chief among them. You will be welcomed with open arms (and thighs!), and quite a lot of pooling drool. Leave the clothes, but bring the towel!

Fashionisti are all slim and waifish and don't need pleats to prevent high-waisted trousers (like suit pants) from pinching or tearing when seated. Unfortunately, trends are set by mincing flyweights, and so pleats are the target of some heavy criticism. They may as well be making fun of the girth of the wearer's legs or waist.

The thing is, for folks who wear a suit to actually work in, pleats and the back vent in a suit jacket allow the wearer to sit comfortably in the office or the club without taking them off.

One aspect that is often overlooked in the whole pleat controversy is the gradual lowering of pantwaists over the last half-century or so. Most separate pants have a waistline not much higher than a pair of jeans might, and often have a rather high inseam to match. Suits often follow suit.

These low-waisted and flat-fronted pants, along with ventless "European" jackets, look great on the skinny when standing or walking, but will crease and pinch when the wearer sits.

Pleats and vents are comfortable and help clothes look pressed and smooth. While they oscillate from fashionable to outre, they'll always be an important part of everyday style.

Look, as long as we're talking about fashion... I've been fairly perplexed to see two or three people recently wearing that whole pastel-polo-shirt-with-white-sweater-draped-across-shoulders thing. Please tell me that this is an anomoly. Please say that this isn't coming back. Please?

There is a simple key to pleats.

Single-pleats -- as found on your basic Dockers, Duckheads and so on -- should appear, if they do, as simply that folded line of fabric. One basic necessity of pleats is that you're going to have to iron them, even if the tag says worry-free. Lose the crispness of the flattened pleat and you no longer have pleated pants. Instead, you have pants that bloat on either side. And if even after ironing, the pleat remains pulled apart, like the flattened folds of a bellows, then the pleats are no longer working for you.

So while this statement is mostly true: Pleats and vents are comfortable and help clothes look pressed and smooth. ... be wary, as a broken pleat can make your pants look anything but pressed.

Double-pleats are a different matter. With rare exception, you're not going to find double- or triple-pleats on a pair of khaki (twill, cotton, etc.) pants. Why? Because of the need to maintain the folds, as expressed above concerning single-pleats. Instead, you'll find double- and triple-pleats on suit and tuxedo pants. Two or three pleats on either side of a pair of suit pants work because the material is usually some wool blend that is dry clean only and therefore assured of being pressed into proper shape every time. Beyond that, the thinner fabric is more forgiving to having a fold expanded and compressed.

More than four pleats? No. We've not seen that many pleats since 1989 and the brief reign of Z. Cavarricci jeans, so let's not go back.

One more thing. When folks rail against pleats, it is not a fashionista thing. Basically, pleated pants only really work for a select group of people. If you're body runs narrow and constant from hips to your chest, then pleats are your friend. If you've got a wide ass, a curve (convex or concave) to your shape, a bit of a belly, or even if you're scarecrow thin, I'd say that flat-fronts are the way to go.

Oh god, taz. I've seen that too recently, but in pink. It's baaaaaaad.

oh, flopsy, that's disheartening.

Wonderful explanation, grabbingsand! Very clear and enlightening.