Nicholas Daley 2-Pleat Trouser

Two pleats and a taper is an old combination and a slightly contradictory one, which is why it works. The pleats are a tailoring device: they open the front of the trouser, give the thigh room to move, and put weight into the top of the leg so the cloth hangs from the waistband rather than pulling across it. The taper is a modern correction. It takes all of that released volume and closes it down through the calf so the trouser finishes cleanly at the shoe instead of pooling. The result reads full at the top and precise at the bottom, which flatters most bodies and is the single most reliable trouser shape in menswear. Daley cuts this one in Japan, in a plain navy cotton with nothing else happening on it. In a line built on bespoke checks and waxed panels, the trousers with nothing to look at are the ones that get worn.

Why we selected it

We wanted a Daley trouser that a customer could wear to work without explaining it, and this is the one. It is also the simplest way into his cut, which is what people actually buy this house for.

Nicholas Daley’s plain trousers are where his proportion can be judged on its own, without a check or a contrast panel doing any of the persuading.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent cotton, cut and sewn in Japan. Two forward pleats at the waist, tapered from the knee through the ankle. Colour: Navy.

Fit notes

The waist sits at or just above the natural waist, as the pleats require. Expect room through the seat and thigh and a close finish at the ankle. Pleated trousers of this cut are meant to be worn on the waist rather than the hip, and they will look wrong if you pull them down, which is the most common mistake made with them. If you are between sizes, the smaller waist usually reads better, because the pleats are already supplying the ease.

Styling

With the Waffle Crew Neck in black and a plain shoe this is an entire winter uniform. Under the Fonte Jacket it is close to a suit without any of a suit’s obligations. Break it up with the Classic Two Pocket Shirt worn open.

Care

Machine wash cool and hang to dry, or press lightly on the reverse if you want the crease to hold. Heat sets a crease into cotton permanently, so press only where you actually want one. Our fabric care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Pleated Trouser in black and the Pleated Trouser in khaki are the single-pleat version of the same thinking, cut in Japan from the same cotton. The Two Pleat Wide Leg Trouser takes the two pleats and opens the leg, and the Classic Two Pocket Shirt in beige is the shirt that goes over it. Everything we carry from Nicholas Daley is listed together.