Pleated skirts get dismissed as uniform because one specific version is a uniform, and it is the knife pleat in a stiff mid weight fabric at knee length. Change any of those three things and the association disappears. A sunray or accordion pleat in a fine fabric hangs in narrow folds that move as you walk and reads as fluid rather than schoolish. A box pleat is architectural and sits flat until it moves. An unpressed or soft pleat gathers volume without a defined line at all. The other lever is length: a pleated skirt at mid calf or ankle sits in an entirely different register to one at the knee, and it is usually the more flattering choice because the fabric has room to fall.

A pleat is only as good as the cloth holding it. A fine polyester or silk blend takes a permanent pleat and swings, which is why so many accordion skirts are made from it, and it is also why they can look cheap in strong light. A wool or wool blend pleat is heavier, holds its line and looks the most expensive. A cotton pleat is the stiffest and the most likely to add width. The second detail is where the pleating begins. Pleats starting at the waistband add volume across the hip and stomach, while a skirt with a flat yoke and pleats releasing from the hip keeps the top half clean and puts the movement lower down, which is far more forgiving on most bodies.

Our test in a fitting room is to walk in the skirt rather than stand in it, because a pleat that looks correct standing still can swing badly or stick to tights in motion. We also avoid pleats in anything with a visible sheen for daytime, since the shine and the fold together are what pushes the whole thing towards costume. Worn with a heavy knit or a plain shirt tucked in, and a shoe with some weight, a pleated skirt is one of the more elegant things in a wardrobe. If you take one thing away, choose a yoke with pleats releasing below the hip rather than gathered at the waist, and the skirt will flatter rather than add.