Pleating was a top detail for Fall 2019, seen in a variety of ways on every garment imaginable. From schoolgirl silhouettes to Parisian styles, pleating can give an ensemble a whole new vibe. Pleating in a garment may seem simple, but the act of pleating fabric is quite arduous. Thankfully, Mood has a wide variety of pre-pleated fabrics, so you can design with ease! Let’s take a look at the best pleats that graced the runway this season.

Forties Pleats

The pleat really came into its own during the forties, blossoming just as Christian Dior’s “New Silhouette” made its mark. Alena Akhmadullina’s lovely beige skirt and matching sweater are paired beautifully with fur vest and belt, while Alessandra Rich allows the lovely dress with a pleated skirt to speak for itself. Burberry’s bar suit features a stunning pop of metallic trim woven throughout the skirt, and Chocheng’s soybean dress is sweet and stylish.

Get your pleat on with these fabrics:

Partial Pleats

Designers were splicing pleats with straight fabrics, layering them together to create a beautiful depth and texture. Alena Akhmadullina’s sweetheart dress features a skirt of metallic pleating, and Alice + Olivia utilizes layers of pleated fabric for a thick silhouette. Christian Cowan’s phenomenal jumpsuit exchanged leg slits for leg pleats, while Christian Dior’s denim dress is pleated in the front and smooth on the sides.

Get partial for pleating with these fabrics:

Peek-a-Boo Pleats

Designers were playing peek-a-boo, allowing colors to pop from behind well-placed pleats. Altuzarra showed gold and black pleats that gave a royal, art-deco vibe, while Balmain featured a pleated houndstooth cape that showed a pop of black in between the houndstooth. Celine’s chainlink print ended excellently, giving the appearance of stripes as the skirt billows out to reveal the black contrast accordion pleat and Cividini featured two-toned pleating on a casual skirt.

Peek on these pleats:

Skirt Pleats

Pleated skirts are a staple, and should be in every style guru’s wardrobe. Alexandre Vauthier shows that you can wear white whenever with a lovely all white skirt and blouse set, sans the black pussy bow, and Alice + Olivia utilize the loud prints we know and love for a pleated maxi skirt. Beaufille featured a drop waist mini skirt, the pleats starting around the upper thigh, while Christopher John Rodgers showed a print mixed pleated skirt with a classic leg slit.

Don’t skirt around these pleats:

Unusual Pleats

There are certain places we expect pleats. Skirts and dresses, along bodices, sometimes as a trim. But fashion is about innovation, and some designers are taking style where ever they damn well pleat. Alberta Ferretti creates an entire button-up blouse, sleeves and all, out of some expertly placed lame pleats, while Altuzarra showed a tiered dress with ruffle detailing made of pleats. Christian Siriano managed to make some stunning pants from pleated fabric, slightly slimmer than Mood’s own pleated pant! Valentino showed a stunning dress where the bodice was made of gathered pleats that are splayed out like a sunrise, made even more stunning by the marvelous Adut Akech.

Get unusual with these pleats:

Will you be wearing pleats this season? I love Celine’s style, but Adut Akech has me convinced I need a pleated chiffon evening gown for… honestly, for wearing around the house and pretending I’m going to a fancy gala with Alessandro Michelle. Let me know what you think in the comments!