English forward-facing pleats

[Mr. Rover]

I have just gotten a suit with forward-facing English pleats, and I find them so much more flattering on my frame (and I mean frame, not figure) than regular pleats. Did these exist in the Golden Era? Any pictures of Dukes of Kent or Windsor sporting them?

ray

[Baron Kurtz]

November, 1941 - Da Duke

http://members.aol.com/famjustin/king2.jpg

bk

[Mr. Rover]

Awesome! Does anyone here have an affinity for English pleats?

[Wild Root]

These pleats weren?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t only limited to English style. These are known as a regular pleat. The type that you don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t seem to care for are known as ?¢‚Ǩ?ìinverse pleats?¢‚Ǩ?.

They were all over the place in the 30?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s and 40?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s! I have a few pairs of them and find that I really enjoy the look my self. I can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t say I like it better but, I like it very much! I love what each style has to offer. It depends on the day some times.

I have a great pair of pants from the late 30?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s and they have deep pleats! They drape so nicely and just hold a crease like nobody?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s business!

=WR=

[herringbonekid]

i once thought that pleats were the fail-safe way to tell european from american trousers. all the american trousers i found had outward-facing pleats and all the english/european trousers had inward-facing pleats. then i bought a pair from america with inward-facing and that put an end to my theory. (besides, i was wrong all that time. i should have asked Wildroot).

i think of outward as being a bit more sporty and inward as being a bit more formal, but that's probably hogwash too. my ideal would be an inward single shallow pleat.

if someone threw me a pair of trousers now and asked where they were made, the things i would look at would be the rear pockets, the buttons, then the waist lining. then i'd throw them at the wall like fred astaire did.

[Baron Kurtz]

I have vintage english trousers with regular pleats, and vintage english trousers with "english" pleats (same for american pants). I didn't even know there was any story or convention (or stories of conventions ;)) re. pleats until i joined the FL.

What's the thing with throwing them at a wall? Never heard of it. My chemistry teacher at high school (a yorkshireman) used to say that "If you throw enough sh*t at a wall, some of it will stick" - his explanation for going through things again and again. Was Fred making a similar comment re. the quality of his troos? ho ho ho, that's my joke for the day.

But i'm truly interested in the throwing trousers at a wall thing...

bk

[herringbonekid]

i was just being silly....i read in the suits forum that fred astaire, when trying on a new suit at a tailor's, would throw it at the wall, then put it on and dance in it. or maybe the other way around. anyway, i'm sure he could afford to do that sort of thing.

[Mr. Rover]

That myth was brought up many a time. Mr. Astaire was very specific in his needs in clothing considiering what he did for a living. I don't think his style of dancing in what passes as a suit today would be altogether possible- he'd have wool at the top of his skinny little neck. And don't even ask Mr. Deckard about the bat wings!

[Wild Root]

Yes, Astaire wouldn't be at all happy with what's out there in the line of suits or pants we have today. In this case, he would take it out back and throw it against a brick wall and bank it into the dumpster out back.;)

=WR=

[MudInYerEye]

Ah, the old wall-throw.
I use the same technique to soften up my ladies.