Wearing Fashionable Pleated Skirts

Pleated skirts used to be reserved for school girls in the past, but nowadays they have really gotten inside the closets of many women. Although mostly known for its English-inspired "plaid" designs, pleated skirts are actually very unique, versatile and soft to the touch. Depending on the weave, material and color patterns, a pleated skirt can be used to accentuate or complement your chosen outfit. Although they can sometimes be loud or too "in your face" with their colors and designs, you can make the most out of it by trying to tone down the other garments in your outfit.

What Are Some Pleated Fabric Variations?

Pleated skirts are made from a type of fabric known as pleat. By definition, a pleat is "a type of permanent fabric fold that can be found in clothes, upholstery, and certain drapes." Pleat are created by taking a fabric then doubling it back to itself, securing it and making the final fabric seem to possess more volume. Wide and long fabric are usually taken to create pleats, but the final product is comparably reduced in width and length. To create a sharp crease on skirts, the pleat is then pressed down sharply and definitively --- these creases can flow down from the top up to the hem and can sometimes create rounded folds at the bottom.

There are many different types of pleat and they can be worn depending on the type of occasion. No matter how formal or casual the occasion is, there is a pleat that you can wear to complement your outfit. Below are some of the most common pleated fabric types crafted depending on the kind of look you want to achieve.

Different Styles Of Pleat

Accordion Pleat
These are pleats that are pressed down in alternating directions and are usually made from fabrics of equal width. They expand their shape when you are moving, which is kinda cool when used to make skirts that seem to "billow" while you are walking.

Fortuny Pleat
These are pleats commonly added on silk. Because the pleats of fortuny do not have seams to hold them in place and are set into the fabric itself, they make a free-flowing kind of dress that are perfect for creating evening gowns.

Knife Pleat
The knife pleats have sharp pleats pressed to face the same direction, as opposed to the accordion which is pressed on alternating directions.  These kinds of pleats are usually found in school girl uniforms.

At the end of the day, the fabric that is used to create the pleats can really tell you whether or not the style can be worn either for casual or formal wear. For example, crisper pleats are much more suited for dresses compared to loose and flowing pleats. If you really want to wear something more casual, loose and flowing pleats are much more suited for you.

Just to give you something to look forward to, here is a nice set of pleated striped print skirt that is perfectly worn to complement a casual yet easy-going look.