In all their orderly forms, pleats have always been my wardrobe staple. I was wearing a pleated tartan mini skirt when I first met my husband at a party one rainy evening; there was even a little pleating on the bodice of my wedding dress.
It's easy to take pleats for granted but when I stop and think about it, what better shows the ingenuity that's possible with only a bit of fabric and some careful manipulation? There are knife pleats, creating dramatic sleeves and structure; accordion pleats, resembling that instrument – they're my favourite on skirts for swishing around in the last of any summer sunshine; the ever-reliable box pleat, as well as its mirror cousin, the inverted pleat. Pleating has been happening since at least Ancient Egyptian times, when…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 2023