THE ART OF THE PLEAT
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 gathers do. 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.
PLEAT TYPES
Box Pleat: A Double pleat made by two facing folds joined at the center. Many gowns with full skirts have this application.
Inverted Pleat: Reversed box pleat where folds meet and are stitched up top. Another much-used application.
Knife Pleat: (See header photo) Flat pleats all going in the same direction. Primarily used on mid-weight fabrics like linen, and lighter-weight woolens and taffeta.
Above: Inverted box pleats create volume and movement in the skirt, eliminating bulk in the waistline. Below: Deep box pleats in this bell skirt add volume but do not create a pouf at the waistline.
Sketches below show a series of variations on standard pleats. Below Left: Narrow horizontal knife pleats on a bodice. Below Right: Bodice with relaxed horizontal knife pleats.
Above Left: An A-line has a bodice with relaxed horizontal knife pleats and asymmetric placement. Above Right: Bodice with vertical tucks. Tucks are pleats formed by folding fabric and stitching along the fold edge. Below Left: This ball gown silhouette showcases a variety of pleats. The center panel of the bodice has knife pleats. The portrait collar is draped in pleats, and the skirt is made full with inverted box pleats. Below Right: This dress of pleated chiffon has a pleated draped cowl neck and loosely knife pleated bodice.
CREDITS
Header Photo
All dresses and head chic by Amy-Jo Tatum
Necklace in last photo by Denise Hazelton
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