A Guide To Trouser Pleats
When commissioning a pair of trousers, a very important detail to their overall look is whether one elects or not to have a pleated front. All dress trousers will have a crease pressed down the front and back centre of the leg. If pleats are present, this front crease will continue up into the waistband of the trouser with a fold approximately one inch deep.
The function of a pleat is two-fold, impacting the trouser both vertically and horizontally. First, pleats elongate the leg visually, as the pressed crease down the front extends all the way up to the waistband, several inches higher than on flat-fronted trousers where the crease generally ends at the top of the thigh. Second, pleats add extra ease horizontally throughout the hip as they open and close with movement.
A common misconception about pleats is that they are necessary for men with larger thighs, or that they shouldn’t be worn by men with slimmer legs. This may be true for ready made trousers, where pleats will often quite drastically increase the thigh circumference, but at Shepherd’s we will always make the trouser thigh to fit the client regardless of whether or not pleats are chosen.
Pleats can face either towards the crotch or towards the hip. This detail is significant, and is largely a matter of preference.
Pleats facing towards the crotch are most commonly referred to as “forward” or “English” pleats and they pull fabric from the outer hip, and open with movement towards the crotch. These tend to make for a cleaner drape down the side of the leg.
Pleats facing towards the hip are most commonly referred to as “reverse” or “Italian” pleats, in spite of their invention being credited to Danish tailor Lars Larsen when he was working in Paris. Pleats of this sort will feed fabric outwards from the centre of the hip towards the outside of the leg. This can cause extra fullness around the hip, which may or may not be desired.
Whether to choose one or two pleats per leg is largely a matter of aesthetic preference, although a secondary smaller pleat does serve the tertiary purpose of feeding extra cloth into the main pleat, helping it to lay in a more clean way.
Ultimately, pleats are never necessary at Shepherd’s as we will make sure a pair of trousers fits comfortably either way. But we do like the additional ease they provide, especially for trousers worn for longer periods of time.
