What to Wear with A Pleated Skirt?

When it comes to a pleated skirt , maybe your thoughts will drift back to your school days when you wandered carefree on the playground in a plaid pleated skirt. In fact, the pleated skirt is a very versatile and elegant fashion item, and should not just be regarded as a piece of school uniform for girls.

We can find fans of pleated skirts among ladies of all ages, and pleated skirts are suitable for most occasions, whether formal or informal. But we need to choose different outerwear or tops to pair with a pleated skirt on different occasions. If you have no ideas about what to wear with a pleated skirt, then this blog is exactly prepared for you. Let’s go ahead and talk about the latest fashion trend of pleated skirts!

As its name suggests, a pleated skirt is a skirt with plenty of pleats. The history of pleated skirts may be much longer than you think. It is said that early pleated skirts appeared as early as four or five thousand years ago. What may surprise you is that pleated skirts were made for males initially. It was later that they gradually appeared in women's wardrobes.Through ironing and sewing, many vertical pleats will appear on the skirt, which is the distinctive feature of the pleated skirt. Nowadays, with the improvement of mechanization level, pleating process can also be made by machines. However, manual pleating can adjust the width of pleats more flexibly.

There are many different fabrics for pleated skirts. In the past, perhaps for the sake of comfort, soft fabrics were preferred by more people. But nowadays, the fashion trends have changed a bit. Nowadays, many ladies prefer pleated skirts with a heavier texture because the pleats appear sharper and the skirt drapes better. From the perspective of fabrics, it is said that the fabric originally used to make pleated skirts was silk. Pleated skirts made of silk are very smooth, beautiful and comfortable to wear, but precisely because they are too smooth, the pleats on silk pleated skirts are not durable. Nowadays, more and more fabrics are used in the production of pleated skirts, such as linen, mesh, corduroy and so on. In summer you can choose a pleated skirt made of linen while in winter it is better to choose a corduroy pleated skirt to keep warm.

Now, let’s go back to the occasions appropriate for pleated skirts. Most girls probably first started wearing pleated skirts as school uniforms. Therefore, many people associate pleated skirts with campus style. However, pleated skirts are actually suitable for many different occasions. For example, you can wear a pleated skirt to commute, which is elegant and professional. You can also wear a pleated skirt in casual occasions such as walking and shopping, which fully shows your charm. In addition, some very gorgeous pleated skirts are even suitable for wearing at some grand celebrations. There is a special kind of pleated skirt in China called the mamianqun. Nowadays, with the rise of the new Chinese style, many couples even wear mamianqun to take wedding photos.

The special characteristics of the pleated skirt mean that although every lady needs to wear it at least in school, it is not suitable for everyone. Pleated skirts that may seem beautiful and elegant to some ladies may seem embarrassing to others, as they can inadvertently reveal or even magnify some of the figure flaws. So now let us discuss, who is suitable for a pleated skirt?

First of all, a fact that we have to admit is pleated skirts are not good for hiding excess fat. Since pleats are created by folding the fabric, more fabric is actually used to make a pleated skirt than other skirts of the same volume. Therefore, in terms of visual effect, pleated skirts often make people look stronger or even fatter. So, although those slim girls look elegant and light in pleated skirts, this kind of skirt is not very friendly to ladies who are plump or even obese.

Secondly, compared with petite ladies, pleated skirts are more suitable for taller ladies. As mentioned above, pleated skirts will visually increase a person's horizontal volume, but they are basically of no help in increasing the vertical volume needed by petite ladies. What’s worse, in order to fully show the charm of pleats, pleated skirts are generally longer than other types of skirts. This is especially disadvantageous for petite ladies.

Compared with ladies of the pear shaped figure, ladies of the inverted triangular shape figure are more suitable for wearing a pleated skirt. If you unfold a pleated skirt, you will find that in order to create a flowing effect, the hem is usually much longer than the waist. In other words, most pleated skirts get wider as they go down. This is beneficial for balancing the proportions of women with inverted triangle figure shapes. For women with pear-shaped bodies, pleated skirts will further emphasize their body flaws and make them look even more disproportionate. If ladies with pear-shaped figure shapes have to wear pleated skirts, they are advised to choose ones that are more slim-fitting.

The reason why pleated skirts are popular is largely due to their versatility. Since pleats are a neutral element that does not represent a specific style, the same pleated skirt can be combined with different tops to create different styles.

Since most people's knowledge of pleated skirts starts with school uniforms, let's first discuss the campus style outfits of pleated skirts. The combination of a white shirt and a plaid pleated skirt is probably one of the most classic outfits of the campus style. For more formal occasions, such as a graduation ceremony, you can wear a blazer over the white shirt. For colder days in autumn, try a knit vest over the white shirt.

If you have chosen a pleated skirt made of velvet or corduroy, then you can prioritize the elegant style. You can wear a jacquard cardigan, a ruffle collared shirt, or a lace tank top. This kind of combination will make you extremely elegant as the focus of other people.

In the first section, we have introduced the reason why silk is not suitable for making pleated skirts. But we can pair the pleated skirt with a silk top. Especially in summer, silk can bring you a cool and skin-friendly feeling. So you can choose a silk tank top or camisole to pair with a pleated skirt in summer.

To create a more casual outfit, you can also wear a hoodie with a pleated skirt. The hoodie can be either fitted or loose, with a V-neck or a round neckline... And each model will look good with a pleated skirt in its own way. If it is cold outside, you can also wear a denim or leather jacket over the hoodie. You don't need to bother thinking about what shoes you need to wear with this outfit at all, your sneakers for everyday wear will do just fine.

If you prefer the hot girl style, you can also choose a crop top or a top with some special designs such as puff sleeves, asymmetrical hems, or openwork patterns. Though these outfits and a pair of long boots, you can fully show your uniqueness.

After reading the above sections, you may already have a certain understanding of pleated skirts. However, as a busy career lady, you may rarely find time to consider carefully about how to wear a pleated skirt. Don't worry, we have already prepared several ready-made outfits for your reference!

A white pleated skirt + a ruffle collared shirt + a gradient cardigan
This is an outfit suitable for autumn or early winter with several highlights. The overall style of this outfit is very gentle and simple, but the details such as the ruffle collar show your taste and can leave a deep impression on others. In addition, the gradient cardigan is also worth noticing, providing a creative sense to this outfit.

A pleated skirt + a solid color knit top + a blazer
This outfit is more suitable for office ladies or women who need to attend business occasions in autumn. Unlike the pants commonly seen on formal occasions, the pleated skirt provides a sense of elegance. On the other hand, this outfit will also not detract from your professional and capable temperament.

A pleated skirt in a high saturation color + a mock neck sweater in a high saturation color too
This outfit not only keeps you warm, but also fits the current popular "dopamine dressing" trend. You can choose a sweater in the same color scheme as the pleated skirt for the entire harmony. For example, if you are wearing a yellow pleated skirt, you can pair it with an orange sweater. On the other hand, you can also choose a sweater in a contrast color. Let’s still take the yellow pleated skirt as an example. If you prefer the contrasting sense, you can wear a purple sweater with it.

A pleated skirt + an embroidered cheongsam buttoned jacket
This outfit is specially prepared for new Chinese style lovers. We have mentioned that now many young people would wear Hanfu on certain grand occasions. So if you love this style, you can also wear an embroidered cheongsam buttoned jacket with your pleated skirt. You do not have to wear a mamianqun. Even an ordinary long pleated skirt will be amazing in its combination with a jacket in Chinese style.