The pleats catch the light before anyone works out what colour it is

Knife pleats, all the way round, falling from a matching belt at the waist to an ankle length hem. The cloth has a high shine, so every fold reads as a separate line of light and the skirt keeps moving after you stop. Above the belt the bodice blouses out instead of fitting close, gathered at the shoulder and again at the cuff, so the whole shape sits soft on top and structured underneath.

The neckline is a small keyhole V, closed with a self tie cord finished with a tiny flower ornament. That cord is a tie, not a laced fastening. There is not one eyelet on the garment, and nothing about it opens or adjusts the fit. The maker gives the pleated part at 96 cm at 1XL rising to 100 cm at 5XL, with sleeves of 63 cm to 67 cm.

Key Benefits

• The belt is in the box The maker packing list reads one dress and one belt, and the belt appears on every colour photographed. It is part of what ships, not styling.
• Knife pleats set with heat The maker states the pleats are set at high temperature. Every fold runs unbroken from the belt to the hem.
• Blouson bodice over a fitted waist Gathered at the shoulder and the cuff so the top half stays loose, then drawn in sharply at the belt.
• A run that is plus size throughout Five sizes from 1XL to 5XL, chart bust running 118, 124, 130, 136 and 142 cm.
• Four saturated colours Olive green, purple, burnt orange and black, each with a belt cut from the same cloth.

Best for: Weddings, church, milestone birthdays and anywhere a photograph is going to be taken, plus anyone who has run out of occasion dresses that go past a 3XL.

Why It Works

Pleats this fine only work on a cloth with enough body to hold them and enough shine to show them, which is why the whole dress is cut from the same high sheen weave rather than mixing a matte top with a shiny skirt. Setting the pleats with heat is what stops them from dropping out, and the maker says so directly. The belt is doing structural work too: it is what separates the loose bodice from the pleated skirt and gives the eye the line it needs.

Quick Product Facts: Woven polyester and spandex with a high sheen; keyhole V neck with a self tie cord and a flower ornament; long blouson sleeves 63 cm at 1XL to 67 cm at 5XL; knife pleated skirt 96 cm to 100 cm; matching belt included; chart bust 118 cm to 142 cm, waist 88 cm to 112 cm; sizes 1XL to 5XL; ships as one dress and one belt.

How It Fits Your Routine

The one thing worth doing before the first wear is deciding how much of the bodice you want blousing over the belt, because that is the adjustment this dress gives you. Pull more through for a softer line, less for a sharper one.

It is an occasion dress rather than a desk dress, and the shine is the reason. Under artificial light in the evening the pleats do most of the work, which is why it photographs better than it looks on a hanger.

Hang it, do not fold it. Pleats set with heat will hold, but a crease pressed across them by a suitcase is the one thing that fights them. The maker publishes no washing instruction on the sheet, so follow the sewn in care label.

FAQ

Does the belt come with it? Yes. The maker packing list reads one dress and one belt, and the belt is on every photograph in every colour. The clutch bag and the shoes in those photographs are styling and are not included.

Is the neckline a real lace up? No. There is a self tie cord through a keyhole at the V and it does knot, but there is not a single eyelet anywhere on the garment and it opens and closes nothing. The supplier calls it a lace up detail. We are calling it a tie, because that is what it is.

Is this one dress or a top and a skirt? It ships as one dress. The maker packing list lists a single dress with its belt, and the pleats fall in one continuous line from the belted waist to the ankle length hem.

How long is it? The pleated section alone runs 96 cm at 1XL to 100 cm at 5XL from the waist down. On the model it finishes at the ankle. This is a maxi length.