Pleated skirts - do you find them unflattering? - YouLookFab Forum

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Pleated skirts - do you find them unflattering?

Bijou

Veteran

I loved Carla's pleated skirt and in fact, I have been eyeing off pleated skirts for a number of years. However, I can never get away from the fact that when I try them on, I just feel as though they are doing me no favours.

Does a pleated skirt require a slim athletic build? Both Angie and Carla are tall, slender and athletic and look amazing in their pleated skirts. I am a healthy weight, but definitely have an hourglass / pear shaped figure and those pleats flaring out at my hips and pleats at the waist line make me look even more curvy and in the places I don't want to highlight. It is frustrating, because they are a nice feminine style with the swoosh factor. Yet, for me, there is no point in buying something and feeling frumpy in it. It would just languish in my closet unworn.

One of my favourite designers has made a gorgeous rainbow pleated skirt, but I know it just won't work for me, the website is below (because strangely I could not download a picture).
https://www.mossandspy.com.au/.....4894258243

Does anyone else have this frustration with these beautiful skirts?

Shopping

42 replies

Latest reply was from nemosmom

delurked

Veteran

My body type is not slim, and I have a pleated skirt that I find flattering. I think the top is an important part of the equation, as is the length of the skirt, and also the width of the pleat.

If you don’t want to wear because it’s not your thing, great. Otherwise, I think with a little trial and error you can find one to work. It’s a different silhouette, so perhaps also takes a moment to adjust the eye when you have it on.

Liesbeth

Veteran

Yes, I feel the same as you. I have a pear shape that I usually balance out pretty well. Whenever I've tried these style of skirts they looked unflattering on me. So no advice from me, just commisseration - I do really like that rzinbow skirt!

AndiB

Veteran

I'm with you on this, I am a curvy size 8-10 and find pleated skirts just not flattering on me, I feel like they add a lot of bulk where I don't want it. I'm not all in on the JFE for the look so I pass on the skirts. I've seen them where they are flat and fitted from waist to top of hip bone, which might work, but I guess I haven't seen that cut of late. No for me.

Anonymous

100% with you on this one .

Kathie

Veteran

I could have written exactly what you wrote- I work out, and am quite happy with how my body looks, but find that many pleated skirts hide my body in an unflattering way. I have had success with skirts in which the pleats are sewn down at the top, so that there is a skimming fit from the waist through the high hip. I've also contemplated adding a welted sweater, with the welt controlling the volume, which Angie suggested in a blog post at one point, but I haven't made it a priority to buy/try pieces for that look. I'd love to wear one like the one that Carla just bought, but, it's clearly not something that's easy for me to figure out how to style.

Bijou

Veteran

Delurked - so glad that you have found a pleated skirt that works for you. That is a good point about the size and shape of the pleats and length of the skirt.

Liesbeth - glad to know I am in good company on this!

AndiB - having the section from waist to hip bone sewn down would be much better on me and something that I could look out for. Adding bulk to my lower half is never a good look on me.

LisaP - it is frustrating, there is JFE and these skirts take it into a whole other level on me.

Kathie - Carla's post was so instructive - she could put the skirt with all different tops and it looked wonderful. That just would not happen for me. I think I just have to accept that these skirts don't work on my figure.

Bonnie

Veteran

I agree with you about pleated skirts looking great on slim hipped bodies. I've even lost a few pounds and the ones I've tried still look frumpy. Love the rainbow colors in the skirt you like.

Bijou

Veteran

Bonnie - no point in buying something that makes us feel frumpy, glad to know I am not the only one!

Diana

Veteran

I wear them and I am definitely not tall, slim or athletic. I think the trick is finding one that doesn’t poof out in weird places. Here’s a recent outfit with mine - look, I even tucked into it! I like this skirt because it has a flat, wide waistband so there isn’t a lot of extra volume there.

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

It really depends on the skirt construction. I had one from Aritzia (in Finds) that I loved (in theory), but after wearing it 4 or 5 times, I donated it to my extremely slim, professional dancer stepdaughter. It fit fine but it definitely emphasized my tummy in a way I didn't enjoy. And no styling strategy really helped enough.

Having said that, I've also tried on versions of pleated skirts that worked beautifully Some, like Diana's example, have a kind of yoke. Some, like my box pleated skirt, have pleats that are stitched down over the tummy and hip and only flare out later. But some, on the surface, don't look a whole lot different from the version I tried and tossed from Aritzia. These two from J. Crew, for instance -- I didn't end up keeping them, but in neither case did they do that unflattering "poof" thing.

I actually think the terminology might be important. There's a difference between "accordian" pleats (these spread like an accordian, and can be bad on me) and "knife pleats" (or, of course, box pleats). Someone who is a true sewist could say more on this -- I've forgotten a lot of the vocabulary. And of course retailers are not always reliable in their descriptions. But on the J. Crew site they mentioned that the pastel shimmering pleated skirt would lie in a flattering way -- and it was true. So it might be a question of hunting for just the right one.

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notsaf

Veteran

I agree with Suz and others that a lot depends on the design details and fabrication. The "look" right now is allover accordion/knife/sunray pleats (I think!). Length and pattern matter, too. It's the kind of thing where you might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince!

The kicker for me with these kinds of skirts is that they're impossible to travel with! I'm on the search for a flat-front bias cut midi myself...

Anonymous

*carries off red skirt*
I think it depends on the type of pleat, where it starts, and where you carry weight. Many are difficult for me cause my shape is 8 not X, and I think they work better if weight is carried lower. I have owned some that have worked on me though, and wear them with fitted tops to rein in the volume (or hip scarves).

Runcarla

Veteran

Well, Bijou, thank you for the compliment! However I am not slim, but rather average - 5ft 7in, 138 lbs (size 8-10) and do have a rounded belly. I think what works in MY case, is that there is not a big difference between my waist and hips (36-30-38) so if the skirt fits my waist comfortably, it will fall fairly straight. The skirt I have has a wide ELASTIC band and the knife pleats are 1 1/2 inches with a 1/2 inch overlap. I tried A LOT of skirts ( I wanted a patterned one like Anchie's or Angie's) and found that a RIGID band around the waist accented the tummy, but the STRETCHY ones - not so much. Accordion pleats didn't work for me either.

I think there is a pleated skirt for every body, but it takes some searching and trying on, to find one that works for your body type. And, YES! As part of 'Team Wear' I'm wearing my red skirt today!

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Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I don’t have any pleated skirts right now, and think of them as a cool weather thing for the most part. (Although I did once have a cotton floral skirt with a yoke that dropped the pleats so they started around the widest part of my butt, which I consider a plus). But I have heard this complaint before and never understood it. As someone who’s glad for cheats that make it look like I’ve got a little more back there, I’ve never understood it. I really like the swinginess of a good pleated skirt.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Bijou, you are not alone. Pleated skirts are hard to feel fab in. They DO have to drape properly and for me - LENGTH is critical.

(Thanks for the kind words. I'm average height at 5ft 6, and by no means athletic! Just slight in stature).

FWIW, pleated skirt outfit contentment is not a body-type-prerequisite-thing, judging from my experience with clients, friends and street-style. I just came back from South Africa and many, MANY plus sized women wear them flawlessly in that neck of the woods. VERY curvy bottom halves, and busloads of panache. And with flats and sneakers! I LOVE IT. It's the skirt of choice because it glides over curves.

I have apple shaped clients who love pleated skirts because of the comfy elastic waist. US Size 14/18 pear shaped clients who love them too. And a 4ft 9 client who rocks them a little shorter. They style them very differently on top. Tall lanky and hour glassy clients like them - and create avant-garde outfits. All great.

But the pleated skirt is generally not a poplar style. But FLARED boxed pleated skirts with structured and stitched down pleats are.

Astrid

Veteran

I have a silver metallic pleated skirt which I’ve worn for Christmas last year, but it’s definitely not flattering on me. It’s fun, but it doesn’t do anything for my figure. It’s a bit big now and sits lower on my hips, which helps - at least I think so. I’m keeping it for now.

Marilyn

Veteran

I think I've officially given up on trying them. I'm slim but petite. All the skirts I have tried were petite sizing. I look like one of those things people crochet to hide a toilet paper roll. A hard NO from me.

I do think they can be lovely on those who can pull them off.

SarahD8

Veteran

Is it possible that there's a difference between skirts where the "peak" of the pleat is perpendicular to the tummy (Suz's failed red skirt looks like it is constructed this way), and skirts where the "peak" of the pleat is parallel to the tummy (Suz's plaid skirt from J Crew)? I can see how the former type would be inclined to pouf out and the latter more likely to lie flat over the body's curves at the top of the skirt.

I have a knife-pleat skirt that I find really fun to wear although yes, it is voluminous. It has that yoke construction so the pleats don't start right at the waist, and I also tend to rein in the volume with a gently welted hem.

Joy

Veteran

My plus sized short curvy MIL looked wonderful in knife pleated skirts and they were her favorite skirt style. s I remember she wore banded bottom tops with them. The vertical lines and the fact that the fabric did not cling but falls back against the body adds to a taller, more slender look. The rainbow skirt is gorgeous and worth a try.

Anonymous

That skirt is gorgeous! I am
5’4” and very curvy. Sometimes I feel
El frumptastico in pleats and sometimes I feel great. For me it’s all about how confident I feel that day & what type top I try. I definitely prefer welted tops on me with pleats, or occasionally a long straight pullover sweater. I don’t tuck!

Anonymous

A chunky knit can look kinda cool with pleated skirts and booties too. It’s a JFE thing, though.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I could have written AndiB’s response.

Not only are they unflattering on my significant hips/thighs and short torso, but they just don’t seem to suit my style. Too dressy or fussy for me.

rachylou

Veteran

Length and fabric and waist make a big difference. That said, all in all, I wear them and don’t think they’re flattering. Sometimes they make my stomach look like a shelf, like I could rest a drink on it. I wear them really because I think they’re interesting.

K. Period.

Veteran

I struggle with them too, but I'm a completely different body type. I have slim hips and no pronounced waist. I find they make me look very boxy, especially if they don't have stitched down pleats on the hip bone-to-waist section. So, nope, not just curvy girls struggling with pleats.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Well l am 5,8 and a uk size 10 and feel really frumpy in this type of skirt,l agree with others who feel that it highlights their tummy in an unflattering manner.There may well be a skirt out there of this type that I could wear but honestly if it’s so difficult I m not sure that I want to spend the time or the money looking for one.,l have plenty of other more flattering skirt options to try.

Brooklyn

Veteran

I’m with you. I avoid them because they emphasise my belly and hips, especially if the pleats start at the waist. Yoke styles can be problematic too. I can wear a more structured version like the striped pleated skirt that Suz shows - where the pleats are sewn down at the hips.

Sal

Veteran

I have tried as well, I think my short waistedness does not help.

I really like them and would be open to one but doubt I will go there.

I do wear the gathered skirt below and find it flattering.....

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Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Agree that they are very difficult. I am 5'3" and thick in the waist. I have tried a few pleated skirts but unless they happen to be just right for me, they are not even close to JFE.

Anonymous

In Manitoba , one might assume you belonged to the very religious Mennonite Hutterite sect if one wore one out in public . Just saying .

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