Massimo Alba Stan Cotton Trouser

One pleat gives a trouser ease. Two pleats give it volume, and that is a different intention. A double pleat releases considerably more cloth at the waist, so the leg carries fullness from the top down and the trouser hangs in a column rather than following the thigh, which is the proportion that men’s tailoring used for most of the twentieth century and then abandoned for forty years for no good reason.

The pocket detailing is what keeps that volume clean. Slanted side pockets sit flat against a fuller front and open with the movement of the hand rather than against it, where a straight vertical pocket on a pleated trouser gapes. Rear welt pockets are cut into the cloth rather than applied to it, so the seat stays smooth and there is nothing to interrupt the fall of the leg. In a cotton, in Smoke, this is a trouser that reads as tailoring without belonging to a suit.

Why we selected it

Wide, pleated trousers are easy to find badly cut and hard to find at all in a cotton this good. We bought it because the pocket work is right, which is the part that goes wrong on every cheaper version.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, made in Italy. Double pleat, loose fit, slanted side pockets, rear welt pockets. Colour: Smoke.

Fit notes

Loose and full through the leg by design, so sizing down will fight the pattern. The double pleat means the waist can sit cleanly while the leg stays generous, and length matters more here than on a slim trouser, since a full leg wants to break cleanly or fall straight to the shoe. Cotton holds its shape better than linen, so the column stays where it is put.

Styling

With the Florida cotton shirt jacket, which shares the Smoke colour and the season. With the Larry crewneck tucked or half-tucked to use the waist. With the Genova in Bianco. This trouser wants a real shoe rather than a sneaker.

Care

Wash cool or have them cleaned, hang to dry, and press the pleats if you want the column sharp, since a double pleat looks deliberate pressed and merely loose unpressed. Keep them off a hot dryer. Our general care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Stan Trousers in Midnight Blue are the Stan cut for a different season. The Florida Cotton Shirt Jacket is cut in Smoke as well, the Ionio2 Trouser in Caffe is the single-pleat cotton, and the Winch2 Trousers are the corduroy. There is more on the house on the Massimo Alba designer page. Everything we carry from Massimo Alba is listed together.