Next up in my DIY Hacks: 2015 Fall Fashion Trends series is the Long Carwash Pleat Skirt seen in a handful of designer collections and mentioned in every single fall fashion roundup. But before this was an actual trend, and before I even saw the look, I made a similar version with a short jersey skirt last year that turned out really cute… so this was a no-brainer! Seeing it now in a more formal, longer silhouette on the recent runways, I rummaged through my old work skirts and found this wool/poly blend that was perfect to get my DIY on and I went to town.
Inspo: Carwash Pleat Skirt
If a pleated schoolgirl skirt and sexy slit-up-to-there skirt had a lovechild, surely it would look like these dangly panel pieces. We love the way this look let’s us show off some leg, but in a refined, work-friendly way.
Carwash pleats made their case early in New York for being the skirt shape of the season and then by the time Paris rolled around and Raf Simons showed them on the Christian Dior runway, their fate was certain. The new way to show off those gams next season will be through these pleats.
Sources: Carwash Pleats at ELLE and Car Wash Skirts at Lucky Shops.
Full Fashion Trend Reports: The Fall 2015 Fashion Report at Style.com and The Top 12 Trends of Fall 2015: The Ultimate Fashion Week Cheat Sheet at Vogue.com
Here’s What You’ll Need…
- Skirt: can be a-line, fitted and flared, or even pencil {though you’ll get the least amount of movement with pencil unless it’s jersey} Fabrics: wool blends, polyester blends, jersey
- Scissors and/or rotary cutter, ruler, and board {if you don’t trust yourself with scissors}
Steps…
* Decide how high up you want your carwash pleats or panel slits to go.
* My skirt hits mid-calf and after trying it on, decided I wanted mine to hit about 2-3 inches up from my knee.
NOTE: If you plan on wearing a slip beneath yours, you can choose to make your slits much higher. This is a fun look for work or for play because you can wear the slip in the day and remove it for an evening out.
* Next decide how wide you want your pleats. I made mine about 2-1/2″ each.
* IF you trust your eye and your hand… simply use scissors and slice open your skirt to create your panels.
* IF you’d rather have a little more precision, flip your skirt inside out, use a fabric pencil to mark/dot your measurements, and use a rotary cutter with a ruler for perfectly straight lines.
* For any poly-blend or jersey fabrics, you can leave the hems raw and unfinished without too much trouble. For other fabrics, you’ll need a bit of seam glue or a serger to keep your hems from fraying. Check your materials ahead of time.
And… Voila!
Have Fun!
* Find all my DIYs here
Stay tuned for more DIY Hacks for the 2015 Fall Fashion Trends!
Check out my first hack also seen here: DIY Turtleneck Choker
DIY Shorty Carwash Pleat Skirt…
