Welcome to the 21st Century: Pleats are dead.

image from http://permanentstyle.blogspot.com

OK, they’re not a complete fashion no-no like boxy jackets or white socks with black shoes, and we’ll even admit that we’ve seen them on the runway recently, but in our fashion eyes, a flat front pair of pants is far superior to pleated pants, especially when going the non-suit route. Dress shirts are becoming more and more tailored and fitted, and pants should follow suit (pun intended).

It’s time to face the facts. It just doesn’t look right to have a sleek, fitted button-up shirt tucked into a pair of pleated pants with all that extra fabric around the front. We’re not endorsing skinny, flat front dress pants for all—although, if you can pull them off, we heartily encourage you to—but, the message to take home is, wear pants that fit and say buh-bye to the boxy pleats.

Why? Well, it is just a fact that the majority of looking good is about wearing clothing that flatters your body. If your pants puff up in the hip area it makes you look full or bulky. If you are a skinny man, this just looks ridiculous, and if you are a larger man, it emphasizes an area you probably don’t want to emphasize. And since pleats (no longer) serve any functional purpose, we recommend you drop them off at the nearest Goodwill. Stat.

Once you’ve ditched the pleats, you can trade up for something better—like color and patterns! Just remember, if the pants are going to be somewhat loud, make sure you temper that with a more classic shirt, like this pink twill dress shirt.

So go forth and live your post-pleat life to the fullest.

And, in case you were wondering, we support anti-pleat evangelism.