Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

We're banner ad-free this month thanks to

ANTI Style Battle: Pleated Jeans vs. Zubaz

By | Heads up: Buying via our links may result in us getting a commission. Here's why.

Lee Stain Resistant Classic Fit Pleated Denim – $21.99 vs. Zubaz – $29.99

Many thanks to our arts & culture correspondent Ben for discovering and then passing along the pleated jeans.  Don’t hold it against him.  I have no idea how he stumbled across it either.  Time to decide which is worse in our first anti-style battle.  Is it the pleated jeans?  Or the seizure inducing Zubaz?

The case AGAINST Pleated Jeans:. There’s no forgiving these.  Jeans were originally work wear.  Pleats were invented for dress pants that were worn at the true waist, and thus, were the device to uniformly gather the extra fabric.  The idea of denim riding half way up to your nipples is insane.  At least with the Zubaz you won’t chafe half your torso raw.

The case AGAINST Zubaz:. Have you lost your mind?  Zubaz are by far worse.  With pleated jeans, people will think you just don’t give a damn anymore, and you could easily be fixed in one episode of What Not To Wear.  They’re an accident.  Manslaughter if you will.  Zubaz are apparel murder in the 1st degree.  The only people who have ever worn Zubaz are those that really want to stand out.  If you’re wearing Zubaz in the 21st century, it’s because you WANT the world to notice your slack legged trouser abominations.  And that’s not good for anyone.

Your turn.  Which is the worse option of the two?  Hold your breath, and leave your vote below.

Comments

  1. Pleated jeans are worse. If by some awful turn of events I find myself in Zubaz, I can be all HEY GUYS CHECK OUT THESE WILD COLORS. If I were caught in pleated jeans? I wouldn’t even be able to try to pull some ‘so bad it’s good’ voodoo.

  4. I’ve gotta ask. Joe, have you ever owned Zubaz?

    I know they are garishly hideous, and I never have nor will I ever wear them in public, but I inherited a pair that is older than me and they are the best lounge pants on the planet. I can’t vouch for the new ones, but they are a great weight, have pockets, and can easily be used as shorts or pants (the cuff at the bottom sits on top of your calves perfectly if you get warm). Totally ridiculous and totally awesome.

    Also, 2nd MagM’s opinion.

  5. I’ve gotta ask. Joe, have you ever owned Zubaz?

    I know they are garishly hideous, and I never have nor will I ever wear them in public, but I inherited a pair that is older than me and they are the best lounge pants on the planet. I can’t vouch for the new ones, but they are a great weight, have pockets, and can easily be used as shorts or pants (the cuff at the bottom sits on top of your calves perfectly if you get warm). Totally ridiculous and totally awesome.

    Also, 2nd MagM’s opinion.

  6. I’ve gotta ask. Joe, have you ever owned Zubaz?

    I know they are garishly hideous, and I never have nor will I ever wear them in public, but I inherited a pair that is older than me and they are the best lounge pants on the planet. I can’t vouch for the new ones, but they are a great weight, have pockets, and can easily be used as shorts or pants (the cuff at the bottom sits on top of your calves perfectly if you get warm). Totally ridiculous and totally awesome.

    Also, 2nd MagM’s opinion.

  7. This is quite possibly the worst choice imaginable. At least until your next installment. 🙂

  8. Pleated jeans are worse. At least with Zubas you can get away with wearing the ironically or in the comfort of your own home. I can’t imagine a possible reason to wear pleated jeans. 

  9. Pleated jeans are worse. At least with Zubas you can get away with wearing the ironically or in the comfort of your own home. I can’t imagine a possible reason to wear pleated jeans. 

  10. Pleated jeans by far. 

    Just typing that makes me throw up in my mouth. Like jose_jackson said, you can at least try to appear ironic in some Zubaz, with a ton of Charlie Sheen like confidence, you could even get a number or two. 
    Please note that I will not take responsibility for mixing Charlie Sheen’s swag w/ Zubaz. Butt-Kickings come at your own risk.

  12. I can think of multiple cases where I could wear Zubaz without shame. Just off the top of my head, if I was a working prostitute or if I went back in time to the 80’s and had to dance in a Pat Benatar video.

    Pleated jeans have no reason to exist that I can see except as maybe some angry attack against God.

  13. My thoughts exactly.  With the Zubas, you can at least get away with a “wackiness” factor.  The pleated jeans…just sad.

  14. Pleated jeans.

    As others have mentioned, Zubaz have that “so bad it’s good” thing going for them. They are so wildly over the top that people will know you aren’t serious.

    Pleated jeans on the other hand-people might actually think they look good in these as they are an otherwise “serious” item of clothing. 

    Both awful, but the pleated jeans take the cake.

  15. I had a pair of pleated jeans, but that was the 80s…everything was pleated and baggy. Both look horrible but put a gun to my head and I’d still take the pleated over Zubaz. I could at least wear a blazer with the pleated jeans and no one would really be the wiser. I don’t wear Affliction or Ed Hardy tee’s nor do I use anabolic steroids, so Zubaz I couldn’t ever pull off.

  16. I had a pair of pleated jeans, but that was the 80s…everything was pleated and baggy. Both look horrible but put a gun to my head and I’d still take the pleated over Zubaz. I could at least wear a blazer with the pleated jeans and no one would really be the wiser. I don’t wear Affliction or Ed Hardy tee’s nor do I use anabolic steroids, so Zubaz I couldn’t ever pull off.

  17. Well. At least you could wear Zubaz as pajama pants (which is more or less what they are). Those pleated jeans, though, have no practical use.

  18. I figure, pleated jeans are almost always worn by old guys, and they get a pass, whereas Zubaz are almost always worn by d-bags.

  26. pleated jeans are worse.  For the exact reason that jh above noted.  I’d rather be mistaken as a d-bag than as a guy who only wears old man clothes (think fanny-packs, not blazers).  Some d-bags come across as confident, some geriatrics come across as not knowing what in the world they’re doing.

  29. Is this a joke thing? Surely there is a late April Fools Photoshop mention coming soon…