In 1822 King George IV came to Edinburgh. A letter written the day after his entry describes the Royal Tartan Highland Dress worn with buff-colored trousers "like flesh to imitate His Royal Knees." The National Records of Scotland says that visit, along with Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels, made tartan highly desirable and fashionable attire. Fall skirts are where I start every October.

I am a little bossy about this season: the skirt leads and the rest stays quiet. Vince is a good example of how I think about it. The label began in 2002 as a T-shirt line and quickly grew to include cashmere sweaters, trousers, knit dresses and outerwear, and that history shows in the pieces: simple shapes, good material, nothing shouting. The Vince high-waist suede skirt in brown is exactly that, a knee-length straight cut that looks best with black boots and a thin knit.

Suede and leather are the warmest place to begin. The Cartolina Presley in chestnut is a genuine suede A-line midi with a tailored waist, best with tall boots and a tucked cream sweater. The Treasure & Bond tan suede mini and the PAIGE Janelle in dark brown are the short versions, which want knee boots and opaque tights once it gets properly cold. For black, the AllSaints Renai is a sheepskin-leather mini with a clean hem, and it works with a chunky cardigan and flat boots.

If you want the suede look with more give, the Karen Kane maxi and the Joe's Tavi midi are both faux suede, and I am saying so plainly. The Donna Karan New York pleated midi in espresso is faux leather with a swingy flare, and it is the one I would wear to a dinner. The test: sit down in it, then walk up a flight of stairs. Suede should move with you, not ride up.

In North America plaid and tartan are often used as the same word. The National Records of Scotland points out that the two have separate meanings: a tartan belongs to a particular social group or place, a plaid is just the checked cloth. The oldest checked cloth found in Scotland is the Falkirk sett, from around the 3rd century AD, so nobody is early to this one.

In 1995 Clueless made the plaid skirt a school-day uniform with attitude; costume designer Mona May put Cher's looks together for writer-director Amy Heckerling. I think about that every time I put on the Barbour Carville, a navy and black tartan, kilt-inspired mini with crisp pleats. It is the most traditional skirt here, and it looks good with a chunky sweater and loafers with thick socks.

For brown, the Halogen tobacco diagonal plaid A-line midi and the Weekend Max Mara plaid wool-blend midi, with its bias-cut asymmetric hem, are my two. The Madewell glen plaid mini in brown and black is the one for the office, with a back zip and a recycled wool blend. The Free People Ives in chocolate has a floor-skimming sweep and subtle pleats, so wear it with a fitted top and boots.

Tweed is the dressier cousin. The Cartolina Hera is a gray and blue tweed midi with a fluted hem, and the CeCe mini has gold flecks and a fringed hem for a night out. The test: check that the pattern lines up at the seams. What I would skip: a busy plaid skirt with a busy plaid coat, since one pattern per outfit keeps it readable.

STAUD is a good place to see where a skirt can go with knit. The Los Angeles label was founded in 2015 by Sarah Staudinger, who came up with the idea in college at the New School and began with a made-to-order model that let women customize their own clothes. The Lena in cigar is a pleated knit maxi with a textured waist, and it makes a sweater and boots look planned.

For wool, I would go to the Eileen Fisher virgin wool midi in charcoal, a lantern shape with a high waist that works with a white shirt and flats. The Theory felted wool and cashmere rib midi in ivory has pointelle detailing and an elastic waist, and it is the one I want for long train rides. The COS merino mini wrap in gray melange comes with a matching knit top in the photo, and I would copy that, but add tights.

The Donna Karan New York sweater skirt in olive is a straight, fine-gauge pull-on, so it reads like a knit dress cut in half. The Lands' End cable fluted midi in oatmeal is plush and lofty, which is cozier than almost anything else on this page. The Vince Camuto flared midi in a wine color and the Halogen black sweater-knit A-line are quieter, and they go with everything in a fall closet.

The test for any knit skirt is to hold the waistband and the hem up to a window: if you can see through the fabric when it is stretched, it will cling to tights. What I would skip: a clingy rib with a clingy top, because the shape of the skirt disappears.

Corduroy has an odd and very sturdy history. Atlas Obscura traces its roots to the ancient Egyptian city of Al-Fustat and a cloth called fustian, and it quotes Friedrich Engels saying that fustian had become the proverbial costume of the working-men. That is a good fact to carry around when you put on a rust cord skirt, because it is workwear at heart.

The Veronica Beard Alexie in rust is a high-waisted corduroy midi with a front slit and patch pockets. The brand was co-founded in 2010 by the sisters-in-law Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, and it began with a dickey jacket, so it makes sense that its skirts are practical. The Isabel Marant Étoile Odalie in caramel is a straight cord with a touch of linen and a bold front slit, and the Boden Val in navy has a fine wale and button front for a more classic school-teacher look.

For minis, the PAIGE Camden in hickory has velvety stretch and a button-up waist, and the brown corduroy mini with side buckles and a wide waistband sits low for a more 2000s mood. Wear either with tights and a tall boot. On the denim side, the Free People Suzy has a western yoke and a raw hem, the Finery London Dana is a fit-and-flare in mid blue with princess seams, and the Reformation Hazel is a dark-wash mini that suits a cream knit.

The test: sit in corduroy and look at the lap. Wide wale bags at the knee, fine wale stays smooth. What I would skip: pale denim with brown suede boots, since the two blues-and-tans fight each other.

Pleats have a great origin story. Mariano Fortuny, in Venice, patented a pleating process in 1909 for the Delphos dress, and the History Reader reports that his process has never been successfully duplicated. Issey Miyake picked it up much later: his Pleats Please line launched in 1993, and he pleated the finished garment instead of the cloth. Miyake used polyester, which keeps its shape through washing, and that is why a modern pleated skirt in a fall color makes sense.

The Whistles satin pleated midi in burgundy has sculpted pleats, and I would wear it with a red tee, which sounds loud and works. The Hobbs London Amoura in burgundy goes with a pink blouse. The Reiss Seren in forest green has knife pleats and a fitted waist, and it is the one that looks sharp with a black turtleneck. The Cinq à Sept Doran in a mustard-green tone drapes softly and wants a plain cream knit.

Then the bias cuts: the navy night bias satin midi, the Petal & Pup Bayley in chocolate brown with a beaded self-tie belt, and the Whistles panel-waist midi in brown. All of them skim the body instead of clinging to it. The Brave+True Identity in black has swirling soft pleats and is the easiest for evenings.

Hang them up as soon as you get home, because pleats keep best when they are not folded into a drawer. What I would skip: a shiny satin skirt with a shiny top, since you want one shine at a time.

Pick the material first, then the length. If you already own boots, a suede or corduroy midi is the fastest way to a new outfit. If you mostly wear sneakers and loafers, go for a tartan mini or a plaid midi, and add thick socks.

I would buy the one I can wear on a Tuesday and on a Saturday, which for me is the brown Vince suede skirt, then add a pleated satin one in burgundy for dinner. The rest can wait until you know how you actually dress.

George IV knew it in 1822: if you are going to wear a pattern, wear it all the way, and keep the legs warm. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Pleated Skirts Without the Uniform Problem and Argyle sweater.