Red Carpet Trend: Pleats, Please

At first when we saw all of the pleated gowns and skirts turning up on the red carpet lately, we assumed such a precise detail must all be coming from the same collection. It’s become clear, though, that more than one designer has a flair for origami and they’ve got a fan in style-setting celebrities, who are saying “Pleats, please” across the board. The trend couldn’t be any further from the school girl image the name conjures up since the technique imparts a finely crafted touch to a wide variety of gorgeous garments. Whether it’s a sheer chiffon maxi skirt constructed of soft accordion pleats, tightly pinched rows of ruffles or knife-sharp pleats so tiny they just appear as a wash of texture, pleating is a technique that stars-in-the-know are selecting both for its high-minded design and feminine effect. Take a look at how stars like Kate Hudson, Lupita Nyong’o, Olivia Munn and others are wearing pretty pleats.