In recent years, I’ve been hearing people say that pleated pants are just about the worst thing one can wear over their legs. All f my pants have a flat front, but it’s mainly been a response to the “don’t wear pleated pants” crowd. So, what exactly is so wrong with pleated front pants, anyhow? I mean, they’ve been around for decades, about half of the pants on the shelves in stores will be pleated, and it’s not exactly like they’re tacky leisure suits.
They only look good on thin people, only if they’re tailored precisely, and only if you’re standing up. Other than that, they’re fine! 
They’re never fine on anything but a suit. My personal opinion, of course.
They put puffiness where it doesn’t belong and make you look heavier than you are. Especially when they puff up when you sit down.
Look where the pleats add volume. Is that where you have ever in your life needed volume?
They’re back in fashion what with the 80s revival going on at the moment, but only amongst the painfully trendy (and thin) young things (and those too young to remember it the first time around).
On everyone else, there’s no complicated answer. They just make you look fat.
I recently rewatched Wayne’s World, and if Rob Lowe couldn’t look good in pleated pants, then I’m pretty sure no one could! No one needs their upper thighs to balloon out. No one.
They look good with pointed shoes and a turban. If you don’t carry a scimitar to work, they don’t look as good.
The advice I got (since I have no inherent fashion instincts of my own) was that pleats are good on chubbier men with a belly, since they poof out and deemphasize the belly/belt line.
On thin guys they are bad, since it looks like you are a swollen black plague victim.
Bad advice. If you’re fat, adding more bulk with your clothes is never the solution.
They’re also necessary if you’re wearing a zoot suit.
Haven’t we had threads on this before? I’ll ty to search. If you don’t hear from me in a half-hour, send the rescue team…
Here’s one. Enjoy. Men's pants -- pleated or non-pleated? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board
Most people in this thread seem to equate pleats with poofy 80s pants. In that case, your problem is with the cut of the pants, not the pleats. Here is an example of pleated pants that are more appropriate for 2009.
To answer the OP’s question, pleats in general are most certainly not a huge fashion faux pas. Maybe amongst people who don’t know much about clothes & have taken a recent trend too far, but otherwise they’re still the default pant for a suit & most dress slacks.
I’m tall and thin & can pull pleats off fairly well, but I generally prefer flat fronted pants these days. They’re a bit more in fashion right now, though I doubt that will last forever.
I think the picture on the left looks fine, and don’t understand why some find it so horrid. White pants of any variety, though… :eek: 
The kind of pleated pants LD linked to are the kind I like to wear, because flat front pants made me look fatter. I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with a modest pleat like that, with or without a suit. YMMOC (of course) V.
I would say the more you know about clothes the more of a problem they are for you. Faux Pas just isnt a good description. Lot's of men who arent particular interested in their clothes are ambivalent, whereas women - who tend to care more about how things look are generally much more vehemently opposed to pleats (on men, or I guess on women’s pants too). Fashion magazines in turn have been extremely anti-pleat for a long time.
It’s fine if you like well tailored pleats as a timeless choice and eschew the fickleness of fashion magazines. But you can’t say they, or women, don’t know about clothes. In general the more interested one is in clothes and how they look, the more anti-pleat one will be.
I buy things at thrift stores once in a while. I don’t like to buy pants there, though, and its just as well because 98% of them are pleated. Or polyester, or both. All of them just screaming “70’s” or possibly “80’s”.
In reality, they haven’t been ‘around’ for decades…but perhaps you fell into a time warp. I agree the poofing out thing is just not flattering at all and pressing them to keep those pleats…not worth the trouble.
Did you know that all the clothes on “That 70’s Show” comes from thrift store collections? They are wearing the real thing…
Y’know people, sometimes I believe I must have known the only woman who likes pleated pants. I know, I should have sought to show her the error of her ways but… well, a man has his priorities, OK?
Myself I never particularly liked them other than in suits but most of my life hadn’t felt strongly enough to actively drive around town or spend more in order to avoid them, and definitely did not hate them or have negative associations. Still, I know I’ll probably never again be as sleek as I was in 1985, I have to make adjustments for it.
Thankfully, I’m now in a condition to shop at better stores and at the same time over the past few years clothes makers and retailers are starting to make a point of offering flat-fronts even in their mass-market lines (which I fear is the sign of an impending turnaround in fashion opinion – can’t have the fashionable style be something available at Sears for $50, can we?).
But still, to me it’s fascinating the level of vitriol and hatred it can sometimes generate.
The Fashion Guy at GQ has addressed the subject multiple times and has never wavered in his opinion that pleats are perfectly fine and often necessary, if not the height of fashion.
How is adding a giant poof of fabric deemphisizing anything? Here’s the trick all fat people need to remember (and I say this as a fat broad myself who regularly says this to other fat girls): no amount of extra fabric is going to make anyone think you’re skinny. Sorry. I’m still a fat ass regardless of whether I wear a mumu or a miniskirt.
Sure, your clothes should certainly FIT and a well tailored pair of pants will do that nicely. Pleated pants will do nothing but say “O HAI! LOOK AT MY BELLY ROLL I’M TRYING UNSUCCESSFULLY TO HIDE BECAUSE I’M UNCOMFORTABLE WITH MY FAT BODY.” Go ahead and do it if you want, but realize that no body is fooled.