What rise should I choose?

Higher if you want the waistband at your natural waist, which is more comfortable seated and keeps a shirt tucked in; lower if you prefer them on the hip. Rise is the decision that changes how trousers feel all day and the one most often left to the tailor by default, so say which you want. If you are unsure, bring a pair you already own and say whether you want them higher or lower than those. A garment in the room settles it faster than a description.

Pleats or flat front?

Pleats release room through the thigh and read as more traditional; flat front is cleaner and less forgiving. Neither is more correct. Choose by build and by what you do in them: pleats earn their keep on a fuller thigh or if you sit all day, and flat front looks sharper on a slimmer leg. A single pleat is a reasonable middle answer that almost nobody asks for, and it is worth considering if you like the cleanliness of a flat front but need the room.

What is the difference between forward and reverse pleats?

Which way the fold faces. Forward is the common choice; reverse folds the other way and reads a little fuller. One pleat sits between the two, and almost nobody asks for it. Neither is more correct and the difference is subtle in wear; it is the kind of detail that is free to choose at the order and impossible to change afterwards.

Should I have turn-ups?

They add a little weight at the hem, which helps a trouser hang straight, and they suit pleated and wider legs. On a narrow leg leave the hem plain — lighter, and cooler in this climate. One fixed rule: no turn-ups on dinner trousers. Turn-ups also shorten the apparent leg slightly, which is worth knowing if you are not tall. Decide with the shoes you will wear in front of you.

Belt loops or side adjusters?

Side adjusters allow a small change in the waist without a belt and give a cleaner line under a jacket; belt loops are more versatile day to day. You can have both. Dinner trousers take no belt loops at all and are held by side adjusters or braces.

Can I have braces buttons?

Yes, and they have to be asked for at the order rather than added later, because they go inside the waistband while it is being made. Braces and a belt are not worn together, so decide which you want the trousers built for.

What is a curtained waistband?

An extended waistband with a finished inner edge, which is more comfortable over a long day and holds a shirt better. It is worth asking about, and it is the kind of detail that is free to specify at the order and impossible to add afterwards.

Why do my trousers always end up the wrong length?

Almost always because the hem was set against different shoes from the ones you wear. Break is measured against a specific heel height. Bring the shoes you will actually wear to both the measuring and the fitting, and if a pair will be worn with two kinds, say so and the length is set as a deliberate compromise.

Tailored trousers

Rise, pleats and the trouser break: ordering trousers in Bangkok

What rise, pleats, cuffs and waistband finish actually change. Decided at the order, in plain terms.

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4.8 from 22 Google reviews
Tailoring in Bangkok since 2011
Trousers from 2,000 THB

A man in a blue suit photographed from above, full length, shoes showing

Rise

Rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the top of the waistband, and it decides where the trousers sit on you. It is the single decision that changes how a pair feels all day, and the one most often left to the tailor by default — so say which you want. The three rises compare like this:

Rise	Where it sits	What it does
High	At the natural waist	More comfortable seated; keeps a shirt tucked in; how trousers were cut before the 1990s
Mid	Just below the natural waist	The middle ground between the two
Low	On the hip	Reads as more casual

Rise, pleats and hem are all cut from one piece of paper, and that paper is kept: the paper pattern cut for you explains what is held on file and why a second order is quicker.

A man in a blue suit photographed from above against a panelled wall

Pleats

Pleats are folds at the waistband that release room through the thigh. Forward pleats fold towards the fly and are the usual choice; reverse pleats fold outwards and look a little fuller. Flat front has none and is cleaner and less forgiving. Neither is more correct, whatever you have read: pleats earn their place on a fuller thigh or a wearer who sits all day, and flat front looks sharper on a slimmer leg. A single pleat is a reasonable middle answer that almost nobody asks for.

Shirts are decided the same way, before anything is cut rather than after: see the same shirt decisions.

Hands pinning and chalking a panel of cloth

Cuffs and hem

Cuffs — turn-ups — add a little weight at the hem, which helps a trouser hang straight, and they suit pleated and wider legs. A plain hem is lighter and cooler and is the right answer on a narrow leg. Two fixed rules: no turn-ups on dinner trousers, and the break is set against the shoes you brought.

Break is how much the hem folds over the shoe:

Full break — the hem rests on the shoe and folds once at the front. Suits a wider leg and turn-ups.
Half break — a single soft crease where the cloth meets the shoe. The middle choice, and it suits most trousers.
No break — the hem sits clear of the shoe with no fold. Shows the sock, and needs a narrower leg to read as deliberate rather than short.

None of the three is more correct than another — it is set at the order against the shoes you bring. A hem pinned over the wrong shoes is the commonest fault in any pair of trousers, bought or made — tailored trousers says more about it.

A tailor in a white shirt drawing a pattern on navy cloth with a long ruler

The waistband

Belt loops, side adjusters, or both. Side adjusters give a cleaner line under a jacket and allow a small change in the waist without a belt, which is genuinely useful over the life of a pair. Belt loops are more versatile day to day. Braces need buttons inside the waistband, which have to be asked for at the order rather than added later. Dinner trousers take no belt loops at all — black tie covers why. A curtained or extended waistband is more comfortable over a long day and is worth asking about.

Our trouser work

A man in a blue double-breasted suit walking a red carpet

A man in a blue suit standing full length against a dark wall

A man in a dark suit, full length against a black studio backdrop

Questions people ask

What rise should I choose?: Higher if you want the waistband at your natural waist, which is more comfortable seated and keeps a shirt tucked in; lower if you prefer them on the hip. Rise is the decision that changes how trousers feel all day and the one most often left to the tailor by default, so say which you want. If you are unsure, bring a pair you already own and say whether you want them higher or lower than those. A garment in the room settles it faster than a description.
Pleats or flat front?: Pleats release room through the thigh and read as more traditional; flat front is cleaner and less forgiving. Neither is more correct. Choose by build and by what you do in them: pleats earn their keep on a fuller thigh or if you sit all day, and flat front looks sharper on a slimmer leg. A single pleat is a reasonable middle answer that almost nobody asks for, and it is worth considering if you like the cleanliness of a flat front but need the room.
What is the difference between forward and reverse pleats?: Which way the fold faces. Forward is the common choice; reverse folds the other way and reads a little fuller. One pleat sits between the two, and almost nobody asks for it. Neither is more correct and the difference is subtle in wear; it is the kind of detail that is free to choose at the order and impossible to change afterwards.
Should I have turn-ups?: They add a little weight at the hem, which helps a trouser hang straight, and they suit pleated and wider legs. On a narrow leg leave the hem plain — lighter, and cooler in this climate. One fixed rule: no turn-ups on dinner trousers. Turn-ups also shorten the apparent leg slightly, which is worth knowing if you are not tall. Decide with the shoes you will wear in front of you.
Belt loops or side adjusters?: Side adjusters allow a small change in the waist without a belt and give a cleaner line under a jacket; belt loops are more versatile day to day. You can have both. Dinner trousers take no belt loops at all and are held by side adjusters or braces.
Can I have braces buttons?: Yes, and they have to be asked for at the order rather than added later, because they go inside the waistband while it is being made. Braces and a belt are not worn together, so decide which you want the trousers built for.
What is a curtained waistband?: An extended waistband with a finished inner edge, which is more comfortable over a long day and holds a shirt better. It is worth asking about, and it is the kind of detail that is free to specify at the order and impossible to add afterwards.
Why do my trousers always end up the wrong length?: Almost always because the hem was set against different shoes from the ones you wear. Break is measured against a specific heel height. Bring the shoes you will actually wear to both the measuring and the fitting, and if a pair will be worn with two kinds, say so and the length is set as a deliberate compromise.

4.8 from 22 reviews on Google

What a customer said

A man in a blue check three-piece suit and tie standing by a wooden door — **Camille Thouvenot** · 2025-12-02 read it on Google

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BTS National Stadium Station Exit 3 & 4, Rama I Rd, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330.Open 10am to 9pm, every day.

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