Pleats!

Pleated pants!?!

Yes. Pleated pants!

I used to yell at my father for wearing pleated pants. They make your hips look huge! 

It was one of those fashion faux pas like wearing socks with sandals. Every business man in the 90's had a closet full of pleats and looked like a brick house with his giant blazers. Then the world realized flat-front pants look better and things started to change.

But as we all know, fashion repeats itself... pleats are back in!!

Now, they're not for everyone. If your dad already looks like a brick house, he probably shouldn't add more volume. But if you're long and narrow, you can basically do whatever.

Key styling tip: wear a tailored shirt on top when you add volume on bottom. 

The trend started in Europe over the last few seasons. Shirts and blazers got slimmer and slimmer while pants ballooned out, like Paris or Rome in the 1920's.

These pants aren't extreme. Some really ride the trend with double pleats and wide legs. 

My hips are wider than my waist so I streamlined my look with an open denim jacket. It evens out the proportions of the pant and gives an illusion of a narrow middle. I easily could have worn a slim fit sweater or tee and embraced the pleat.

What do you think about pleats? Should we have left them in the past or are they our future?