Margaret Howell Relaxed Pleated Trouser

The problem with linen trousers is structural. Linen has no elasticity and very little recovery, so a plain-woven linen trouser bags at the knee and the seat within an afternoon and stays bagged. A compact twill answers both halves of that. Twill is a diagonal weave, which gives a cloth more drape and more resilience than a plain weave of the same weight because the yarns can move against each other along the diagonal. Compact means the yarn is spun tightly with the short fibers removed, so the surface is smoother and the cloth is denser. Put together, you get a linen that hangs from the waist properly, holds a pleat, and does not print your knee onto itself by lunchtime. Cut relaxed and pleated, with a matching blazer made in the same cloth.

Why we selected it

A linen trouser you can wear all day rather than for a photograph. The twill is the entire reason.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent compact linen twill, made in Italy. Relaxed fit, pleated front. Color: Brown.

Fit notes

Relaxed through the leg with the pleat releasing at the hip. Lettered sizing. The twill creases less than a plain linen and the creases it does take fall out with hanging.

Styling

With the Boxy Blazer in the same cloth for the two-piece. Broken up, with the Three Button Shirt or the Bib Front Shirt untucked, which is what the relaxed cut is for.

Care

Hang rather than fold, cool water if washed, and let the creases drop out overnight. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Pleated Crop Trouser is a pleated front in cotton, cropped at the ankle, and the Relaxed Blazer is linen cut as a jacket. There is more on the house on the Margaret Howell designer page. Everything we carry from Margaret Howell is listed together.