How to style a pleated skirt: a summer piece since the 1919 Wimbledon final

Start with why the pleated skirt comes back every summer. At the 1919 Wimbledon women's final, Suzanne Lenglen walked out in a short-sleeved blouse and a calf-length pleated skirt, in a stadium full of ankle-length dresses and corsets. From 1920 Jean Patou designed her outfits, and the hem rose to the knee. Movement and room to move: the skirt's two selling points were first seen on a tennis court.

Still, it reads crisp. In motion, it flies. The pleats give the body space and the fold lines shape the silhouette.

Office: fine pressed pleats, quiet top

A midi skirt in fine pressed pleats, a plain knit tank, loafers. Sharp folds below, calm above. Businesslike without stiffness.

Weekend: accordion pleats and a white T-shirt

An accordion-pleated skirt, a white tee, flat shoes. Let the skirt do the moving; the simpler the top, the better. Vogue's March 2025 trend list called this category "buoyant cotton skirts."

Evening: sheen and a thin strap

A pleated skirt in a fabric with some shine, a camisole, heeled sandals. Pleats under lights move by themselves and bring a bit of occasion with them.

Pleated skirt summer outfit: accordion pleats with a white T-shirt

Simple on top

The skirt already carries a lot of information, so keep the top plain: a fitted knit, a basic shirt, a solid tank. For depth, stay in one colour family and vary the shade. Tucking the top in lengthens the lower half.

Three lengths

  • Knee. The most flexible, office or occasion. Also Lenglen's length after 1920.
  • Midi. The summer default.
  • Ankle. The most movement; best for holidays and evenings.

A detail borrowed from the kilt

A kilt uses knife or box pleats, and the maker pleats "to the stripe" or "to the sett" so the tartan runs continuously across the folds. Use that as a quality check on any checked pleated skirt: if the pattern lines up on the back of each pleat, someone took care.

Care

Keep pressed pleats away from high heat and heavy pressure. Hang them or roll them loosely. Read the label; synthetics usually survive washing and keep their fold better than natural fibres. The folds themselves are covered in pleats explained; the season's bigger picture is in pleats for spring 2025.

"The point of Lenglen's 1919 skirt was that she could run in it. A century later that is still why we buy them." — Guushu Design Team