Here is Ben:
There is, of course, a profound
difference between style and fashion. Most simply, I’d say that style is
timeless and fashion is temporary; beyond that, I offer no value judgments.
Or at least I try not to.
Lately I’ve found myself
wondering about the fate of pleated trousers of all things. No one was happier
than I was to see them go; my own leg is rather large, and rather than making
me look svelte, pleats have the unfortunate effect of splaying out widely, as
if they’re hanging on for dear life.
I tried to avoid this fate for
years, to no avail. Admittedly I never went the bespoke route, which surely
would have helped, but the long and the short of it is I’ve never looked good
in pleated trousers -- not once.
On top of that, anyone daring to
wear them nowadays has the misfortune of looking hopelessly out of date. Pleats
are associated most closely with the ‘80s, and like many other accoutrements of
menswear from that time, they are now relegated to the dustbin of history.
Now, all that being said, this is
the question that was on my mind: pleats look bad on me, so naturally I
hate them, but do they truly look awful on everyone? No, of course not.
And what if they make a comeback?
It’s far from impossible to imagine. Low rise trousers are already somewhat
passe, and if those waists go back up to where they once were, pleats can
indeed serve a functional purpose to cinch one’s waistline in a bit and have an
overall pleasing effect (at least in theory).
Would I wear pleats if suddenly
everyone else was? I can’t help but think that no, I wouldn’t. I suppose I’d
look like the elderly gentleman proudly wearing his Don Draper-style suit of
yesteryear, nary a thought of current trends in his head.
Will I be equally proud? I’d like
to think so, but more than that, I’d like to think we’ll never find out.
 |
| Sean Connery, the last man to make pleated trousers look fantastic... |
No comments:
Post a Comment