Spring skirts & pleats

So pleats are evil. No pleats, pleats are bad bad bad. The biggest
fashion faux pas ever. At least if you listen to those who appear to
know what they are talking about.
So I go shopping for spring skirts the last few weeks, and all I find
are skirts...with...
PLEATS.
Pleated either at the waist, or with long pleats, cheerleader–skirt–style.
I am frustrated.
That is all.

Melissa Wagner wrote:
Wait, who says pleats on skirts are evil? Pleats on pants I know about,
but pleats on skirts seems sort of classic to me. At any rate, I bought
a box–pleated knee length white skirt for spring and I can't wait to
wear it!
–KMS

"KMS" <badgerda...@puttyhead.combustible> wrote in message
news:rByLd.83290$_56.58...@fe2.texas.rr.com...
I'm guessing that the people who are saying pleats are evil are the same
ones who are going to say pink is evil, brooches are evil, faux Chanel
jackets are evil––in other words, the same people who, just last year, told
us that our skirts *must* be pleated, our lapels brooched––and everything
PINK! If the pleated skirts we acquired last year are still considered
stylish, we wouldn't have to fuel the industry by buying the unpleated ones.
I think pleated skirts are adorable––and I think they flatter me––but they
are a bitch to maintain. I have a bunch of them, however, so I plan to
wear––and iron––them for awhile.
cofarb

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:88adnRpre8URJ2PcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
told
ones.
I saw some skirts with accordion pleats –– now THAT spells nightmare to me.
I have a skirt from last year with two pleats in the front. Love them.
J. Crew has some sporty non–pleated cargo skirts in navy and dark khaki and
some unpleated floral ones. I thought they were cute yet overpriced.
But, yes, I have noticed a lot of pleated skirts in general and I'm not
partial to them mainly because of maintenance. And if I were more of a stick
figure they'd be cuter on me.
Claire

cofarb wrote:
The magazines are saying Pleated: in, Pencil:out, but I think they're
a little off the mark. Penicl is a classic shape and pleated skirts
are higher maintenance.
Don't get me atarted on the Wedges: in, pointy kitten heels: out, thing.
Veronica
––
Makeup, it takes believing in. Like a magic carpet, it's belief that
makes it fly. Otherwise, it's just a rug.
If you believe in it, makeup has a magic all it's own.
Of course, makeup is only dime–store magic. But it works well enough,
when it's used properly.",
the makeup artist, from the book Sooner or Later, based on the 1978 TV
movie of the same name.

Wait, ***who*** says pleats are out? Because everyone seemed to be
showing pleats for Spring.
I myself love pleats, because I am underendowed in the hip department
and they balance out my broad shoulders.
(Pleated skirts, of course: pleated pants are horrible on almost all
women.)
T.

Melissa Wagner <meli...@melissa–wagner.com> wrote:
maybe they somehow envisaged the current Threads magazine cover.
Grey pin(pinstripe? chalkstripe?) skirt with chartreuse and
violet inner pleats.
It's happened before. I recall in one of the Agatha Christie books,
a milliner, speaking to AC's Watson character. The Watson character
asks how the current hat, which he calls a "soup plate" is selling.
She says "quite well" and when everyone is stocked up with "soup
plates" that there will be "dirty work" done. Something like a
"blister" will be the new trends, worn in a different manner.

wg, you do not want that skirt. It would bulge and poof out over
*anybody's* stomach. And the denim makes it even more problematic.
I don't know what else to suggest––I'm skirt challenged myself––but that
really doesn't look as if it will be figure–friendly.
Lily

michele317 wrote:
Are you using the "reply" link at the bottom of a post? That seems to
work correctly once per each new session.
If you click "Options" at the top of each article, and then "reply" you
get the "old" google.groups reply block.

"cofarb" <do...@cofarb.com> wrote in message
news:88adnRpre8URJ2PcRVn–...@adelphia.com...
Don't take them to the dry cleaners. They charge per pleat and it gets
rather expensive.

"ahmward" <nospam.ahmw...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:kpGdnWp–evP5nmLcRVn–...@giganews.com...
Fortunately, I have only two wool–and–must–be–drycleaned pleated skirts.
The others are cotton––mostly denim. Some require only a light touchup with
the iron. Others are a full–scale ironing nightmare.
cofarb

Speaking of which..
OK, so I found this skirt at Spiegel: http://tinyurl.com/4oa5a and I
think I might like it but I'm not sure how that front pleat's gonna look
in real life. I'm 5'0" with an hourglass–y build, and I'd like to
de–emphasize my hips and stomach area. Would this skirt be flattering,
or would that pleat be like a big ol' arrow pointing right at my
"problem" zone?
wg
––
"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."
–Benjamin Franklin

"whirlygirly" <whirlygirlygirlSPAMF...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:9f7Md.862$w75....@twister.rdc–kc.rr.com...
I'm also vertically challenged––and I would definitely NOT try that skirt.
It's very long, for one thing, and it looks like it will cling to the very
areas you want to de–emphasize. May I suggest you look for much shorter
skirts? And try A–lines that sit just below the waist. I've had great luck
with Hilfiger junior sized skirts. At or above the knee skirts seem to make
me look a little taller––say, 15" long or thereabouts. Anything below the
knee, unless it's very dressy, drags me down.
hth,
cofarb

cofarb wrote:
<<May I suggest you look for –much shorter
skirts? =A0And try A–lines that sit just below the waist. =A0I'v–e had
great luck
with Hilfiger junior sized skirts. =A0At or above the knee ski–rts seem
to make
me look a little taller––say, 15" long or thereabouts. =A0Anyt–hing
below the
knee, unless it's very dressy, drags me down.>>
I have several problems with this advice, one of which is I seldom see A
line skirts in non–gauzy, filmy material. I do know that would be the
best style for me, but I can't wear skirts above the knee––or even
across the kneecap––for reasons of figure and propriety.
And I'm short. Not cofarb–short, but 5'2". The style cofarb describes
is the one that was always most flattering for me, but don't know either
w here to find them, or what length would work.
I am SO sick of pants. But my third problem is thick thighs and thin
calves.
Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.
Lily

cofarb wrote:
OK, so I found this skirt at Spiegel: http://tinyurl.com/4oa5a
<snip>
Thanks!
I pretty much talked myself out of it while I was typing the previous
note, anyway. I already have a similar skirt, actually.. mine is about
22" long and more fitted overall, just flares out a little at the
bottom. It hits me just below the knee, and looks great with knee–high
boots with a heel. But the one in the link.. I'm thinking that pleat
would make it flare out too much and make me look shorter. And, horrors,
I just realized it would probably look like culottes. Ugh.
I've lost some weight recently and I'm actually pretty happy with the
*size* of my hips (for the first time in a few years!) but the toning
part still needs work, so I'm trying to figure out what will look best
on me both now and when I finally reach my goal. I really appreciate the
tips, I will definitely start looking at some shorter skirts!
wg
––
"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."
–Benjamin Franklin

cofarb =A0 Feb 2, 8:44=A0am =A0 =A0 show options
Newsgroups: alt.fashion
From: "cofarb" <d...@cofarb.com> – Find messages by this author
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:44:20 –0500
Local: Wed,Feb 2 20058:44=A0am
Subject: Re: Spring skirts & pleats
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"whirlygirly" <whirlygirlygirlSPAMF...@gmail.com> wrote in m–essage
news:9f7Md.862$w75....@twister.rdc–kc.rr.com...
think
in real
–de–emphasize my
pleat
I'm also vertically challenged––and I would definitely NOT t–ry that
skirt.
It's very long, for one thing, and it looks like it will cli–ng to the
very
areas you want to de–emphasize. =A0May I suggest you look for –much
shorter
skirts? =A0And try A–lines that sit just below the waist. =A0I'v–e had
great luck
with Hilfiger junior sized skirts. =A0At or above the knee ski–rts seem
to make
me look a little taller––say, 15" long or thereabouts. =A0Anyt–hing below
the
knee, unless it's very dressy, drags me down.
hth,
cofarb
(why won't google quote properly for me???)
anyway, i'm with cofarb on this, and with both of you on the height
issue :). that skirt length is not good for us shorties; nor is that
center pleat, which, in denim, will flare out in a most unattractive
fashion.

"Lily" <Lil...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:28418–4205B949–...@storefull–3334.bay.webtv.net...
cofarb wrote:
<<May I suggest you look for –much shorter
skirts? And try A–lines that sit just below the waist. I'v–e had
great luck
with Hilfiger junior sized skirts. At or above the knee ski–rts seem
to make
me look a little taller––say, 15" long or thereabouts. Anyt–hing
below the
knee, unless it's very dressy, drags me down.>>
I have several problems with this advice, one of which is I seldom see A
line skirts in non–gauzy, filmy material. I do know that would be the
best style for me, but I can't wear skirts above the knee––or even
across the kneecap––for reasons of figure and propriety.
And I'm short. Not cofarb–short, but 5'2". The style cofarb describes
is the one that was always most flattering for me, but don't know either
w here to find them, or what length would work.
I am SO sick of pants. But my third problem is thick thighs and thin
calves.
Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.
Lily
It may not be the most practical suggestion, but the solution to your skirt
issue is to have a skirt pattern made for you. On the bright side, the
style you want would be a relatively simple pattern to follow. Eons ago,
when I worked fulltime in an office and had Scarlett O'Hara's waistline, my
mother made skirts for me. They were very simple A–line skirts with a
narrow waistband and side zipper. Once the pattern was finetuned, she was
able to make skirts without me to try them on. The advantages went beyond
perfect fit; I had skirts made of fabulous fabrics––fine wools, etc.––and my
"real" clothing budget went to buying blouses and blazers to complement the
skirts.
As for length, I do almost anything to avoid skirts that end mid–calf
because my calves are fairly muscular. And anything longer looks like a
costume on me. But if your calves are thin, you might look best with a
skirt that ends just above the calf––just below your knees.
Regardless, you might want to spend an hour or so looking at pattern books
in a sewing store (or online––I'm not sure how easy it is to navigate the
Butterick, McCalls and other sites, but I think it's possible). It's a
great way to get ideas.
cofarb

<<It may not be the most practical suggestion, but the solution to your
skirt issue is to have a skirt pattern made for you. On the bright side,
the style you want would be a relatively simple pattern to follow. Eons
ago, when I worked fulltime in an office and had Scarlett O'Hara's
waistline, my mother made skirts for me. They were very simple A–line
skirts with a narrow waistband and side zipper. Once the pattern was
finetuned, she was able to make skirts without me to try them on.>>
Donna, that's a great idea. It's not impractical, it seems very
efficient, if expensive. Now that you've suggested it, I can't imagine
why I never thought of it.
I have a tailor, but no dressmaker. I'll look around. Thanks!
Lily

"Lily" <Lil...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:9256–42065E72–...@storefull–3333.bay.webtv.net...
You are very welcome! Happy to enable!
cofarb

Lil...@webtv.net (Lily) wrote:
How about this skirt from BR:
http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product/272/product_272566.htm?cs_c
atalog=BR%5FJP%5FSpring1%5F2004%5F05&cs_category=6010

michele317 wrote:
Yep, I think you're both right. After reading your note, I went back to
the site to see what it is I *do* like about the skirt–– I think the
zippered pockets are kinda nifty, and I like that it has some vertical
seaming on the front. So I'll just look for those features in a shorter
skirt, with no weird front pleat!
wg
––
"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."
–Benjamin Franklin

I love pleats. I have pleated skirts from agnes b. and Max Mara. They
all look very good on me. I refuse to part with my pleats!
Bring on the pleats.
Evie
Melissa Wagner wrote:

I'm not saying that anyone is saying pleats are OUT. They are saying
pleats are BAD, as in "unflattering".
Trianna wrote:

jjjjjuliep wrote:
to
you
NOW i'm getting it, after hitting 'reply' in both locations. hmm. lol.