If you can only afford one new item of clothing this fall, make it a pleated midi skirt. A quick flip through the Fall 2019 collections and you’ll instantly see why. Shin-grazing skirts featuring pleats of all kinds — accordion, box, inverted, kick, knife, etc. — popped up on countless runways across New York, London, Milan and Paris. More often than not, the skirts came paired with formal blouses and menswear-inspired blazers plus some of-the-moment accessory (a bucket hat here, shiny red knee-high boots there) for a sort of “modern Working Girl” vibe.
Needless to say, pleated midi skirts are much more than prim-and-proper office attire. The textured, aerodynamic bottoms add a ton of interest to any look, especially when rendered in colorful tartans, rocker-chic leather, glossy metallics or shiny sequins or finished with an asymmetric hemline.
Remember, in a pleated midi, you’ve got a lot going on below your waistline so you’ll want to keep your silhouette clean up top. Many of our favorite style stars — most notably Victoria Beckham — toy with tonal dressing, offsetting their billowy bottoms with a slouchy turtleneck of the same hue. Of course, pattern clashing can be just as fun. A pleated plaid midi worn with a slightly oversized argyle sweater makes for an edgy yet playful back-to-school look.
Last but not least, a slightly abridged hemline begs for below-the-knee experimentation. So bring on the logo tights, statement heels and patterned over-the-knee boots. (Or combat boots, whatever fits your #aesthetic.)
Click through the slideshow below to shop our favorite pleated midi skirts for fall before they sell out.