High Rise Pleated Pants?

[_dap]

Hey all - I’m in the market for some new pants, and looking to change it up a bit from my Lands End year rounders.

Im curious if anyone has found a good place to buy high rise pleated pants (that are still slim - I’m pretty damn skinny)? Preferably in warmer weather fabrics since I live in Tennessee.

Thanks!

[evanparker]

you will find lots of the old traditional mens clotheirs, like j press or oconnels, to still make some of these, but they sure don't make skinny ones. they will have relatively broad pant legs.

[tankerjohn]

Check out the Berle website. Last I looked, they still had a few high-rise pleated trousers on clearance. Their regular prices aren't terrible either.

[_dap]

Thanks y'all! After I posted this, I realized Spier and Mackay makes high rise in slim, so I'll probably give them a shot even though I've never spent that much on a pair of pants haha

[whereismurder]

Pleats generally don’t look good on skinny guys. They’re generally for heavier guys to look trimmer.

[mark4]

Not sure how high rise they are but I occasionally check out the Alex Mill website (he's a designer but the price points are eminently attainable for designer label goods - barely more than full price J Crew or BR) and he definitely is doing pleats on many of his chinos. He does pretty much just casual wear so if you're looking for wool dress trousers I'm not sure he's the guy, but if you're looking for chinos it may be worth checking out. One place that is kind of on board with the higher waisted pants is PutThisOn (it's another men's style blog) and they may have some recs for sellers of higher waisted pants, pleated and not if they have a search function. The stuff they recommend tends towards the more indie boutique (read pricey) end of the spectrum but the don't go full on outrageous price-wise with most of their recs.

[mark4]

Also, I don't want to have to say this but...I'm old enough to remember the early '90s when they were selling men's pleated blue jeans. I think pleats can look good on chinos and dress pants, and in fact I wore pleated chinos and dress pants through most of the 1980s and into the 1990s. That said, DO NOT GO PLEATED JEANS FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY - they are an abomination.

[tankerjohn]

Pleats generally don’t look good on skinny guys. They’re generally for heavier guys to look trimmer.

I humbly disagree. Pleats don't make anyone look trimmer. On heavy guys (such as myself), pleats are not flattering, but can add comfort when sitting. However, I do think pleats look good on skinny guys. But you need a high rise to make it a timeless look. Pleats on low rise pants (or most awfully, jeans - thanks mark4!), look horribly stuck in the 90's. But high rise pants with classic cut (i.e. NOT slim) are pretty good. A sport coat and tie makes it work even better.

[neminat]

spier and mackay

[Galcobar]

I humbly disagree. Pleats don't make anyone look trimmer. On heavy guys (such as myself), pleats are not flattering, but can add comfort when sitting. However, I do think pleats look good on skinny guys. But you need a high rise to make it a timeless look. Pleats on low rise pants (or most awfully, jeans - thanks mark4!), look horribly stuck in the 90's. But high rise pants with classic cut (i.e. NOT slim) are pretty good. A sport coat and tie makes it work even better.

Pleats serve the same purpose as on women's trousers of accommodating a difference between the hip and waist, but do so differently depending if you're heavy or trim.

For the trim build, pleats become necessary when the waistband rises to the natural waist. This allows enough fabric to fit the wider hip measurement, but then is gathered at the narrower waist. It's the same effect, but looks neater, as the bunched waist of elastic or drawstring pants.

Of course the looser a fit, the more excess fabric there is at the body-hugging waistband. That's why a single pleat is sufficient for today's slim cuts even when high-waisted, while in the 90s and early 2000s two or three pleats were needed.

For the rotund, the may be no narrowing at the natural waist but sitting causes spreading at the hips and buttocks. That pleats can open like a stretch fabric accommodates this redistribution.

Pleats disappear when waistlines are low as much because they're an expense for the manufacturers as because they're unnecessary. Jeans have the advantage of being casual enough the waistline usually sits lower than officewear, and are worn with wider belts which manage bunching the fabric better.

[evanparker]

Pleats don't make anyone look trimmer.

i completley agree with these sentiments BUT i would point out, depending on your age and weight, you would likely remembering EVERY SINGLE PERSON over 36 waist being told to go to pleats when looking for trousers or chinos in the late 1990's.

it was rampant, and incredibly unflattering. and led to quite a few odd ideas about pants stayingfor quite a lot longer than anyone should have humored.

[CK83]

A fellow pleat fan! Alright. I don't always go with pleated pants but I think they're a nice change of pace pant, and if done right have a very nice classic gentleman look about them. Done wrong, they can be pretty awful as well.

I was able to find some higher waisted pleated linen trousers at J. Crew a couple of years, back, but not sure if they still offer anything similar. Suitsupply I believe offered some pretty attractive options as well, but more $$.

I would suggest that your best bet though, may be eBay plus a tailor. You will find endless options for high waisted pleated pants on eBay, and a skilled tailor can make any of those into a slimmer fit.

[tankerjohn]

i completley agree with these sentiments BUT i would point out, depending on your age and weight, you would likely remembering EVERY SINGLE PERSON over 36 waist being told to go to pleats when looking for trousers or chinos in the late 1990's.

it was rampant, and incredibly unflattering. and led to quite a few odd ideas about pants stayingfor quite a lot longer than anyone should have humored.

I sure do remember. It was like gospel. I think it started how Galcobar explained, that pleats were recommended for comfort, cuz yeah, we big guys "spread out" when sitting. Then somewhere along the way, people said "oh, pleats look better; they hide the bulk" or whatever, and people just nodded along. Groupthink is crazy that way. Let's face it, most men don't really care that much and are happy to go along with whatever the "experts" say and whatever is easy to get at their preferred department or big box store. I'm pretty sure pleats were all you could get on your Dockers and other basic khakis in 1995. You had to go the extra mile to find flat front pants that weren't jeans, and most guys didn't bother. The first time I can remember anyone in the culture promoting non-pleated pants was the original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" in probably 2001 or 2002. (remember when that show was actually kind of edgy?) Funny that its the opposite now and you can't get pleats easily anywhere, hence our humble OP's inquiry. However, if anyone DOES happen to want a low-rise, pleated chino for some reason ("Saved By the Bell"-theme party?), your local thrift shop is full of them. Trust me on that one.

[TheJasonaissance]

It's funny how cyclical this is. I remember being in college in the late-90s and constantly searching for flat front khakis for my small frame, it was alway hard to find them. I remember Bill's Khakis had them, but they were pricey for a college budget. Now, I'm sitting here thinking, you know, I haven't tried pleats since probably 2000-2001, I wonder what it would look like. I'm still small, so I'm not sure it would be flattering on me, but I'm jealous that some people have the flat-front vs pleated option.

[evanparker]

. I remember Bill's Khakis had them,

in addition flat fronts, i remembered BILLS khakis actually still have pleated ones lol


https://billskhakis.com/collections/...37880582439081