Check out our previous blog posts here

Pleated garments are associated with luxury and opulence as creating them is extremely labor intensive. Pleated garments were made as far back as ancient Egypt and worn by royalty. No one could rock a “ruff” (a pleated neck piece) like Queen Elizabeth. 

Even “back then” pleated garments were difficult to care for, after washing pleats “washed away” and the whole process had to start all over again. Exhausting and labor intensive to say the least.

At the turn of the century Mariano Fortuny invented a micro pleating technique that was used to create the iconic “Delphos” gown. Form fitting, and slightly elastic due to the pleating, the Delphos conformed to a woman’s body becoming a second skin. Henriette Negin, Fortuny’s wife has been credited with being the designer of the “Delphos”, which was all the rage in the 1920’s and worn by Isadore Duncan and other bold faced names. The Delphos is still made in Venice, Italy by Fortuny in slightly updated styles.

In the late 1980’s Issey Miyake was credited with reinventing the Fortuny pleating technique. After his garments were cut and sewn they were fed into a heat press which pleated the fabric. Miyake worked with synthetic fabrics which made the pleats permanent and could be washed without fear of loss; he called this line Pleats Please!

Pleated garments to this day are difficult to maintain both in wearing and during cleaning. Natural fabrics such as silk, cotton and linen will lose pleats during wear and subsequent cleaning.

We at Jeeves have seen pleats disappear after a client sat down on a warm muggy night. Depending on how the pleated garment was manufactured, these pleats may not be able to be restored. Pleated garments in natural fabrics can never be washed, as the pleats will “wash away”.

On the other hand, pleated garments made with synthetic fabrics are durable and can be washed or dry cleaned without fear of the pleats disappearing. 

When you fall in love with a pleated garment, check the garment care label and see what the maintenance requirements are; we at Jeeves have seen some pleated garments that could not be washed or dry cleaned, Keep in mind that any natural fabric with pleats, they will soften with wearing and dry cleaning. 

Pleats are beautiful, but not the easiest wardrobe item to maintain. Jeeves New York has decades of experience cleaning and caring for pleated garments. If you have a question about anything pleated, just ask. We are always at your service.