Issey Miyake’s Perfect Pants

By Alex Marootian

The Homme Plissé and Pleats Please Issey Miyake clothing lines have become a new phenomenon in recent years. Many prominent men’s fashion influencers have championed the Homme Plisse line as the perfect pair of pants to easily compliment any outfit. An array of colors and cuts have allowed for the signature pleats to be easily mixed and matched with different aesthetics. The core of each pair of pants, a simple yet effective pleating, is instantly recognizable without needing a brand logo. Yet the true genius of both of these lines is not in the colors or the cool pleating, but in the way these pants do sizing. 

Normally, as a pants size goes up, the length of the pants increase as well. For Homme Plisse and Pleats Please, each brand has an elastic waistband that fits anywhere from a 28 inch to a 40 inch waist. A pair of pants labeled size two refers to the length, rather than the size of the waistband. This might just sound like an unimportant quirk of the brand, but this drastically changes the buying experience of a pair of Homme Plissé or Pleats Please pants. These brands also have a relatively similar style, the pleats are universal with the primary difference being more pattern variety and skirts being available in the Pleats Please line.

If a woman goes into a store and likes the look of a pair of Homme Plisses, she doesn't have to worry about the sizing being off since they’re a “men’s brand”, and vice versa. This allows for more experimentation amongst shoppers, and puts the power of styling into the hands of a consumer, not necessarily burdened with the idea that a pair of pants or skirts from either line won’t fit them. So many brands today are still body exclusive, but Issey Miyake wholly rejects the idea that one is confined to a certain waist size or even gender when trying on these pieces. Issey Miyake has created a brand that embraces experimentation and fluidity. It embraces the fact that clothes are meant to make the wearer not only feel cool but comfortable too.