How to Effortlessly Wear High Waisted Pleated Trousers (2024)

FAQs

Do pleated pants hide a belly? ›

Traditionally a style of pant associated with menswear, the pleat-front pant was designed to conceal a belly. The thinking was that if he pants fastened above the belly, the pleats would allow room to fall over a rounded tummy unlike a flat-front pant style which would hug the tummy and accentuate it's roundness.

Menswear is making a huge step this year! We are making the change from the very slim fit that was popularized in 2012, and are now making pleated, relaxed…

The good news is that when it comes to this style dilemma, you can't go wrong. Fortunately for modern guys, both pleated and flat-front pants are in style.

Choosing Pleated Dress Pants

Pleated pants are also the best choice for larger men and athletic types with muscular legs, both of whom stand to benefit from the spaciousness and comfortable utility that pleats provide. From the style side, pleated dress pants are a more traditional look.

The verticality of a well-placed pleat will make you appear taller, but it's all about moderation. If you're heavy-set, you will want to wear pleated pants because the extra room around the waist offers comfort. Plus, because they're worn slightly higher, they'll impart a slimming effect to your profile.

But it actually can be flattering if you can find the right pair of trousers. Overall, pleated trousers add volume so unless you are super thin and tall, how do you pull off this look without looking swallowed in the pants?

Gathers or pleats around the waist are no one's best look.

This extra fabric adds width and fullness at the waistline. Pleated pants or skirts also add volume at your tummy and hip area and will automatically make you look heavier than you are. Sleek, flat front pants and skirts are always more becoming.

Super-high-waisted pants have seen their day.

"High-waisted pants are out of fashion for spring 2023," he told Insider. "In fact, the high-waisted pants were not seen on the fall winter 2023/24 runways." The stylist recommended investing in low-waist pants for the next couple of seasons.

Are high waisted pants out of style 2023? High waist pants are out of fashion for summer 2023 – especially the carrot pants, paper bag pants and palazzo pants. And high waisted pants will be out of style for fall winter 2023/24, too. In fact, the high waist pants were not seen on the fall winter 2023/24 runways.

2023 Summer Fashion Trend: Semi-Sheer

“This season's transparent and semi-sheer ready-to-wear appeared all over the runways, from Bottega Veneta to Rick Owens for spring '23. We believe it's a theme worth investing in, because the style is more timeless than trendy,” Abba says.

Are pleated pants more dressy? ›

Perhaps the best thing about pleated pants is that they can dress up or down effortlessly. They offer a nod to tradition, but without being too formal, and can be reinvented through a modern men's lens perspective.

By the mid-'90s, flat-front trousers became the norm. Then, in the early 2000s, the new skinny-fit look championed by the super-forward designer, Thom Browne, ended the acceptability of pleats. They were relegated to granddad fashion.

Since the mid-2000s, clothing has pointed emphasis on skinny or slim-fitting clothing. Pleats simply don't look good with modern, low cut, ultra-light trousers. Therefore, it's easier, cheaper, and more attractive overall to simply offer flat-fronted styles in modern slim-fit trousers.

To wear the top over your pants, choose a loose, flowing blouse and the length according to your body type. A short length (at the waist or just below) will minimise full hips or a small tummy. If the length of your top is not ideal, try tucking it in at the front on one side only to create an asymmetry.

Let loose. The best way to wear pleated pants is on the loose side. If it's too tight, the pleats will pull and it won't look as easygoing.