Okay, so kick pleats. Sounds fancy, right? Been seeing them pop up everywhere lately. Decided I needed to actually figure them out myself, not just stare at pictures. My usual go-to is pencil skirts, but damn, walking is like being trapped sometimes. Heard kick pleats could fix that. Figured, why not?
The First Try (Spoiler: Messy)
Grabbed this old skirt I don’t wear much anymore. Dark grey, kinda stiff fabric. Perfect guinea pig. Found some tutorials online, mostly for adding pleats to the bottom hem. Seemed simple enough. Measured where I wanted the slit to start, maybe like 4 inches up from the bottom? Marked a spot near the center back seam.
Cut a little snip, just an inch or so straight up. Heart was pounding cutting into actual fabric! Then you’re supposed to spread the cut open to make a ‘V’. This is where things got ugly. My cut wasn’t perfectly straight, and the fabric started fraying like crazy the moment I opened it. Tried folding the raw edges under to make a little triangle ‘facing’ to cover the mess. Pinned it, wrestled it under the sewing machine.
The stitching? Well, let’s just say it looked wobbly and puckered. And the ‘kick’? More like a sad little gap that just looked unfinished. Worse than before! Lesson learned: Fabrics that fray easily are NOT your friend for this DIY job. Messy. Just messy. Threw it back in the mending pile (probably forever).
Buying Something With Pleats (The Smart Move)
After that disaster, figured I should try something designed to have a kick pleat. Hunted around at a few stores. Finally found this simple A-line dress. Boom. There it was. A neat little kick pleat right in the back, maybe 8 inches long, starting just below my knee.
Felt it as I walked. That little triangle of space! No more feeling pinched or doing that weird restricted shuffle. Sat down on a bench outside the store – the pleat just opened up naturally, no pulling or strain on the seam. Game changer! Unlike my DIY hack job, this was clean. They’d used a facing on the inside, hidden stitching, nice crisp folds. Obvious difference from my wobbly stitch mess. Should’ve bought something first!
Beyond Skirts (The Eureka Moment)
Seeing that clean dress pleat got me looking elsewhere. Checked my own closet. Found this wool coat I bought ages ago. Needed something heavy and warm. Always felt stiff, like a board, especially when I tried fast-walking or bending to get into the car.
- Back Vent: Yeah, sure, it helped a little bit.
- The Hidden Gem: Turned it inside out messing with the lining one day. Underneath the main back vent? Boom. Two smaller kick pleats, one on each side seam, higher up! The tailor had sewn them neatly into the side seams themselves, hidden under the lining. No wonder it moved better than my other clunky coats! It wasn’t just the main vent; those sneaky pleats were doing the heavy lifting for actual mobility.
Also realized why those straight cut trousers I have, the kind that feel professional but never quite move right? They often have a subtle kick pleat right at the center back seam near the hem. Not super obvious, but gives you just enough room to take a real stride.
What Stuck
This little adventure taught me a few things:
- Where Pleats Win: Anything that needs to move but still look neat. Back of dresses and skirts are obvious. But don’t forget coats! Side seams are sneaky spots. Hem of tailored pants – subtle but useful.
- DIY Danger: Unless you’ve got very non-fraying fabric (like leather maybe?) and super sharp skills, just… maybe buy it with the pleat already there. It looks 1000% better. My skirt experiment sits as a monument to “nope”.
- Cleanliness is Key: Whether it’s a simple facing or sewn into the seam, a well-made pleat is sharp and neat on the inside and out. No loose threads, no wiggly stitches.
- Beyond Pretty: It’s not just a little detail for looks. When done right in the right spot? It lets you actually function. Sit, walk fast, bend a bit – without feeling stuffed in or like the seams are screaming.
So yeah, kick pleats? More like lifesaver pleats when you put them where they belong. Found my appreciation for the dress and that wool coat way deeper now. Simple things matter!
