When you think of pleats does your schoolgirl uniform in a Black Watch plaid come to mind? Try again. Wedding dresses have some of the most pleated skirts and bodices you’ll find and it's about time they had a special post of their very own. Lots of A-line and princess styles in heavier fabrics such as satin, taffeta and moiré have deep (sometimes very deep) box or inverted pleats instead of gathers in the skirt. Okay so . . . . why use a pleat instead of a gather? Pleats are designed to fall flat in folds through the waist and/or hip area (where the skirt is joined) and not bunch up like gathering does. The result is a well-fitting, uninterrupted line up the bodice with a beautiful and even fullness in the skirt. There's more to pleats than the traditional bodice and skirt treatments. Here are a few happenings in bridal I'm loving . . .
Above: Pressed knife pleats placed horizontally create a cummerbund. From The Classic to Cutting Edge Shoot//Makeup by Prettyologie//Hair by Pins and Curls San Francisco//
Above: Inverted box pleats create volume and movement in the skirt eliminating bulk in the waistline//From The Winteresque Shoot//Photo by Rob Marsten
Above and Below: Deep knife pleats in a these bell skirts add volume but no pouf through the waistline
Necklace in last photo available through Studiolo
