Pleats add room where you sit down. Folded fabric at the waistband releases across the hip and thigh when you bend, so a pleated trouser gives you the room of a much wider cut while keeping a clean line standing up.
Direction matters. A forward pleat opens toward the pockets and reads traditional. A reverse pleat opens toward the hip and sits flatter under a shirt.
One pleat or two
The seven here split on how many pleats set the volume, which matters more than it sounds. A single deep pleat opens the leg from one fold, so the trouser reads closer to a tailored cut standing still - the Crinkle and the Relaxed Drape both work this way, the Drape taking its pleat high on the waistband. A double pleat stacks two folds and releases far more cloth, which is what gives the Double Pleated Trousers and the Relaxed Wide Leg their width without adding width at the hem.
The rest place the pleat rather than count it. The Pleated Wide Leg sets two pleats at the waist and keeps the leg wide the whole way down. The Wide Leg Culottes pleat from the waistband and crop short of the ankle. The Curved Seam pairs a front pleat with a seam that bows outward down the leg, so the room sits at the thigh rather than the hem.
Waists run 68 cm to 80 cm and lengths 102 cm to 104 cm. 4 of the 7 carry a full size chart. Sizes reach XS to 2XL across 10 colourways, from $19.90. Wash cold, then hang dry.
Measurements come from the manufacturer's flat size table for each garment, converted to centimetres and mapped onto one size ladder. Available for 4 of the 7 garments here, last checked 2026-09-23. How we measure.