It can make sense to say categorically that a look is wrong for oneself as an individual, but I really don’t think we can ever say about anything that it’s a wrong-across-the-board look, because people’s physiques are all so different.

I think pants are going through an identity crisis. After the 50’s and 60’s where everthing was tight and fitted, we rebounded with pleats and baggy.
This time around it’s been a nice flat front and varying leg widths. It just hasn’t gelled into one look for long enough.
Now they are tossing pleats back onto us.

why? Capants AND pleats? I don’t know many 12 year olds who can pull that look off. I suddenly realize why women who are my mom’s age and there abouts get stuck in a fashion era. It’s easy. You know it, it’s comfy, it’s not overly expensive buying an rebuying clothing like it’s a hobby.

I dress to look decent, I enjoy fashion from an artistic perspective and do enjoy the trickle down, but I see these pants and and I envision puffy pants on puffy people. I hated the dirndle. I grew up with the darn thing. By the end of the 80’s I was so glad to chuck every pleat in the world. Except the sewn down pleats of a good Burberry kilt.

Sorry. Just a major vent.

Perhaps the top middle pair are workable. Better fabric, like a wool or whatever passes for a faux wool these days, might drape better.

It is impossible to contemplate. I can see the day when Lands End brings back pleated jeans. Or pleated courduroys!!!!!!!

I will run screaming when I see that. I will nurture and carefully launder my flat fronts, I don’t care if I am that rut. I know my limits. I. just. can’t. go. back.

*whew, that feels better*

I believe that a certain body type pulls off pleated pants with style. An extremely slim, tall-ish and straight body type is the requirement. Whether they look better than flat fronts is debatable.

I don’t think any of the models look good in the wide legged styles that are shown. Even they look dumpy. I can see subtle pleats working on pants, sans the volume. That’s what’s key. I therefore much prefer the skinnier pleated pant styles above. Pleats and volume are often like oil and water.

To Nicole’s point, there is a good chance that pleated pants will become mainstream again. But we WILL have the flat fronted option this time around. Thank goodness.

I agree with Nicole and Shiny in that the pleats might well make a comeback and also that we might adjust our attitude towards them, just like many of us did with skinnies. I was one of the women who thought “yikes – definitely not for big-butted me” when skinnies first made an appearance, and now I love them; I know I’m not the only one who underwent that shift. It’s really interesting -and a tad disturbing- to see trends and our reactions towards them evolve. I have been wondering about some other trends, like denim washes getting lighter; I have a hunch that lighter and more “washed out” looking jeans will become more trendy agan, and while many of us think “no way” right now, we might be sporting them as well a year from now…

Anyway, back from those musings to the pleats. I don’t plan on wearing pleats again, they do awful things for my already protuding belly. But if I was skinny and 5′8” I’d try the look, and find the pants in the top row artsy and stylish. I even like the pleated skinny in the first (left-most) picture in the bottom row – though not the last two. I do know that a mainstream version of the pleated styles on “the rest of us” will make for some pretty unflattering looks and so yes, I do hope we can stem that tide.