Spring's Pleasing Pleated Skirts

When we think of "pleated skirts" we conjure up images of unflattering school-girlish uniforms which add bulk.

Fast forward to 2012 and we now see a slew of slimming and chic iterations of old-school pleats. Pleated skirts are a huge trend which is only gaining momentum and there are so many flattering styles available to suit any budget and any age.

A quick glance through any current fashion magazine will yield evidence of the strength of the pleated skirt trend; for example, the fashion story below is from the January issue of InStyle:

And of course we can always look to celebrities as our trusty fashion bellwethers and plenty of celebs have modeled the look, showing how on-trend pleated skirts are, and how modern and flattering they can be.

For example, this photo from US Weekly shows the youthful celebrities Taylor Swift and Blake Lively looking lovely in pleated skirts:

But lest you think this style is just for the younger generation, check out our own First Lady, the elegant Michelle Obama, modeling the look:

The First Lady has actually rocked a pleated skirt on more than one occasion; check out her absolutely gorgeous skirt designed by Suno in this photo:

For a high-end example of a classic, on-trend, grown-up version of the look, check out this midi-length style from Ralph Lauren, which retails at Saks for $798:

No need to have sticker shock, however- they are plenty of pleated skirts at every price point!

Nordstrom has this sweet style from Collective Concepts in two bold colors,  Kelly Green (pictured above) and Watermelon. It retails for $68.

The skirt above is aptly named the Bold Flame and it's for sale for $42.99 on a shopping site called  ModCloth.com, which specializes in fashion from independent designers. The company was founded by a husband and wife team and offers free returns and exchanges and free shipping on orders over $50. 

The Gap also has lots of super styles and on they are sale! Check out their wide selection here, including this adorable metallic pleated skirt (above) which is on sale and is a steal at $24.99.

Finally, if you needed more suggestions for affordable styles, never fear: designer pleated skirts will soon be arriving at a Target store near you, thanks to the upcoming debut of Jason Wu for Target.  The collection is a pleated skirt bonanza. There is this black version (below) which will sell for $29.99:

...and there are also florals, stripes and dress versions galore! You can see the entire lookbook here.  

We've already blogged about the phenomenon that was Missoni for Target and we generally can't resist the temptation of buying low-priced designer clothes while also grabbing groceries at our local Super Target; the whole concept is very hard to resist, and this forthcoming collection looks super cute, so we are totally excited to make a dash for Target on February 5 when Jason Wu for Target arrives in stores!