Pleats: Few and Far Between?

[Bugbear]

How do you all feel about large pleat reveals and fewer pleats on a contemporary, non-traditional, non-tartan,knife pleated kilt?
Mine has about an inch-and-a-half showing on each pleat, and about fifteen pleats, not counting the apron edges.

Same question for the box pleat?

So, how few and wide would you be willing to go with your pleats?
Thank you.

[TheBrus]

For a knife-pleated kilt, my ideal pleat size would be between 3/4" at the waist and 1" at the hip. Since there's no tartan, you could make these as deep as you like. Out of curiosity, how deep are those pleats you're talking about?

[Tobus]

Honestly, the wide (but shallow) pleats on modern kilts is the major thing I don't like about them. Shallow pleats curl out of shape too easily, in my experience. I actually think modern kilts would benefit from narrower, deeper pleats.

[Bugbear]

I think they're about three to four inches deep, but I didn't measure them. The 1.5 inch measurement is at the bottom of the fell.

The depth isn't really the question, but I would prefer the deep pleats.

I'm also asking about box pleats.

[Bugbear]

Ok, I measured the pleats again.

The total width of the pleat is 4 inches. On the outside of the kilt, the amount of pleat that is showing is somewhere between 1.25, and 1.5 inches. It actually looks a little closer to an inch and a quarter than a half. It's a cotton canvas or duck material.

So... there is about three inches of pleat that does not show.

[TheBrus]

I think you get the impression of larger pleats with the box-pleated kilt; however, to some degree, the pleat size would be a function of how much fabric you're working with on a box-pleated kilt. That is to say, I think it'd be a little more formulaic, less open to adjustments like on a knife-pleated kilt. Also, with the box-pleated kilt you'd expect less movement. Without the tartan pattern, I would say that the movement of the knife-pleats would bring the visual interest that is required.

[Bugbear]

I'm not sure what you mean about the box pleat.
I'm talking only about the width of the part of the pleat you can see on the outside of the kilt, not the inside parts.

[TheBrus]

The outside of the boxpleat is the same size as the inside. The larger the pleats, the fewer you can have (on any kilt), but with a box-pleat you would have less movement, so I think (IMO) that you need more pleats for it to work right. Not that they have to be ridiculously small, just not as proportionately large as you're describing in the knife-pleat.

[Bugbear]

The outside of the boxpleat is the same size as the inside. The larger the pleats, the fewer you can have (on any kilt),

* Yes, I understand that.

but with a box-pleat you would have less movement, so I think (IMO) that you need more pleats for it to work right. Not that they have to be ridiculously small, just not as proportionately large as you're describing in the knife-pleat.

* Oh sorry, I think you're talking about pleat swish. I don't think my kilt swishes, so I wasn't thinking about that.

[Whidbey78]

On solid kilts, in my mind, you can get away with a little more pleat reveal. To me, the narrower the apron the wider the pleats can be without looking odd, and the stranger narrow pleats appear. Imagine a UK type kilt with 3/4 inch pleats and an 8 inch apron. It just wouldn't look right at all IMO.

When it comes to pleats on modern kilts, acceptable reveal depends on whet kind of kilt it's trying to be. If it's a very traditional-ish style with wide apron a narrow-ish pleat is fine. If it's a much more modern style wider reveals fit the style. I'm making another kilt soon(I hope) and plan on solid khaki with 1 1/2 reveal and 4 inch depth in a somewhat traditional style--basically I'm copying my USAK Casual, but with deep Rev-K pleating and deeper first pleats. Apron size will be about the same and Rocky's kilt. I think it will look good, but wouldn't feel right about going any narrower, as then I'm trying to mirror traditional kilts too much, and not much wider because then I'm getting too much in the Sportkilt type of look. If I were doing a UK type modern kilt I'd probably run around 2-2 1/4 inches. But that's just what fits my tastes.

Of course, I'm talking about knife pleats and Kingussie. Box pleats are a whole other ball o' wax.