kick pleat

noun

1. an inverted pleat extending upward 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) from the hemline at the back of a narrow skirt, to allow freedom in walking.

kick pleat

noun

1. a back pleat at the hem of a straight skirt to allow the wearer greater ease in walking

Word History and Origins

Origin of kick pleat¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

The dress’s skirt has a kick pleat, and if you glance beneath it, you’ll find five layers of underskirt, three of them meticulously embroidered, just in case the performer lifts her dancing shoe.

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She comes with four changes of clothes: a Kelly green ball gown, a teal suit with a calotte hat, a sweater and matching kick pleat skirt and a nightgown with a peignoir.

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I have a charcoal-gray pencil skirt that’s hard to walk in despite the kick pleat, and a bat wing sweater, a red one with modulated gray horizontal stripes across it.

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