Every gentleman needs an array of trousers made from a range of fabrics - wool and wool blends, cotton, denim, khaki or flannel - to fill out his wardrobe. A good pair of trousers will not only carry a man through many formal and semi-formal situations, but can also be dressed down with a kind of casual elegance as may by required. Logically, a man's wardrobe will need more trousers than jackets, because trousers tend to wear out faster. Not only are the seats and knee areas of the trousers vulnerable, they also tend to visit the laundry and dry cleaners more often.

Trousers are distinguished with different styles of cuts in the waist area, and in the manner in which they are cut and shaped down the legs. Generally they come with a flat front, or with pleats.

The pleating of trouser fronts is a twentieth-century innovation, perhaps necessitated as the trouser moved away from being nearly skin-tight to being cut wider. Comfort was a clear need as well. Pleats offer additional roominess when a man is sitting down or placing his hands in his pockets. Trousers generally have a flat, single or double pleat.

• Flat front trousers - slimming. Not forgiving to body bulges. Modern in choice.
• Single Pleated - popular, conservative, classic.
• Double pleated styles - generally camouflage tummy and thigh fullness - traditional in choice.
• Triple Pleated styles - while existent, it might be too full for most, especially shorter men.