What better way to add texture and movement to clothes than pleating? So many styles as well: inverted, kick, accordian, top stitched, knife, broomstick, the list goes on and on! Designers these days are playing so very much with pleats that we thought it best to shed some light on how in the world to care for them.
Let’s start at the beginning. The majority of pleats are pleated by machine with pressurized steam and large presses that fold them perfectly into place. As much as we’d like to keep our pleated items as perfectly pleated as the day we bought them it seems impossible to actually do that short of never wearing the item, right? Why is that? Well, pleats naturally relax with time and wear. They may even relax just hanging in your closet, perhaps not as much as they would being worn though. Furthermore, since pleats first got into place with steam, any drop of moisture will cause the pleat to relax further.
For example, let’s say you accidentally drop a bit of your cocktail unto your pleated chiffon dress. You do everything right by lightly blotting the area first to remove excess moisture and leave the stain alone and bring it into Rey’s. The great part is that by not exacerbating the area with any brash rubbing or adding club soda or the like to try and “take out” the stain you’ve localized the stained area and have made it easier to take the stain out whilst still keeping the possibility of salvaging your pleats since we’d only have to try and repleat that small area. Woohoo! Go YOU!
Let’s say you went rogue and tried to clean that pesky drop right then and there. I’d say not only have you made the stain worse by rubbing it, drenching it in soda or whatever other home remedy the internet told you to use, but you’ve now introduced a water ring stain and even more moisture that has removed all the pleating in the area. Oh no! You now have a partially pleated, dimply dress. Our chances of achieving the same perfect uniform pleating is very slim because the first order of business is to try and remove the original stain, then go further and try and remove the water mark that you my dear friend accidentally made by trying to remove the stain yourself. By doing these two steps we’ve been forced to introduce more moisture into the picture which relaxes the pleats even further. It’s not impossible to fix this with a little time, patience and tender loving care however there’s always that slight chance that some portion of the dress never attain that original tight pleated look as it did before.
Pleats don’t only relax due to stains and moisture though. Normal wear also makes them slack and open up a bit especially if the pleats are in a gown that sweeps the floor as you walk.
Now don’t let all this info discourage you! Pleated garments are not to be strayed from. Just know going in that this isn’t the little black dress sort of garment that you have forever. You know that saying that people are in your life for a reason, season or a lifetime? Well, think of pleats as the friends you have around for the season. Between you and me, I’d say try to give them a long season by purchasing in the off rain season and if possible during less humid times. Yea I know that’s a laugh in Miami, but hey, it’s worth noting in case there’s a dry spell. : )
