Pleated Maxi Dresses: Pleat Types, How to Choose and 9 to Buy

A pleated maxi dress is a floor-length dress whose skirt is folded into pleats, pressed creases that let the cloth sit close at the waist and open out as you walk. Our designer maxi dresses edit holds the new pleated styles from the Mary Katrantzou brand page, and our guide to pleated midi skirts covers the same idea in separates.

Key facts

• A pleated maxi dress has a floor-length skirt folded into pressed pleats.
• The Mary Katrantzou Alexis dress is 100% polyester with a fitted waist, long sleeves and an ankle-length pleated skirt.
• For Resort 2027 the Alexis comes in Mizutama Marble Claret, Mizutama Marble Claret Block and Kintsugi Jasper.
• The Hollie Dress Ame Marble is sleeveless with a fitted waist, a pleated skirt and fringe at the collar.

This guide explains the main pleat types, what to check before you buy and how to wear a long pleated dress. The picks lead with the Mary Katrantzou Alexis in all three of its Resort 2027 versions and the Hollie, then add pleated dresses from other houses.

What is a pleated maxi dress?

A pleat is a fold of fabric pressed and stitched in place at the top. In a pleated maxi, those folds usually start at the waist and run to the hem, so the skirt stays narrow when you stand still and fans open when you move. Synthetic fibres such as polyester can be heat-set, which means the creases are pressed in with heat and hold their shape well through wear.

Which pleat type should you choose?

• Knife pleats. Sharp folds that all face the same way. They give a clean, flat line over the hip.
• Box pleats. Two folds turned away from each other, which give more body and a squarer shape.
• Accordion pleats. Narrow zigzag folds, usually heat-set, that expand and close like the bellows of the instrument.
• Sunburst pleats. Pressed pleats radiating from the waist, narrow at the top and wider at the hem, so the skirt flares.

Then look at the bodice. A fitted waist above a pleated skirt gives a clear line, while a pleated dress with no waist seam falls straight from the shoulder. Also check the print: on a pleated skirt, a pattern opens and closes as the folds move.

The pleated maxi dresses to buy

1. Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret

The Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret is fitted at the waist with long sleeves above an ankle-length pleated skirt. Its claret ground is lit with gold in a nod to kintsugi, and the print takes its name from the Japanese word for a water droplet. It is 100% polyester.

2. Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block

The Alexis Dress Mizutama Marble Claret Block is the same shape in a block claret, with no print, so the pleats themselves become the detail. It is also 100% polyester.

3. Alexis Dress Kintsugi Jasper

The Alexis Dress Kintsugi Jasper takes the shape into the Jasper colourway of the Kintsugi Myth artwork, where a tree winds its branches around the body and rose pink and caramel mist drifts across the horizon. On a pleated skirt the scene opens as you walk.

4. Hollie Dress Ame Marble

The Hollie Dress Ame Marble is sleeveless with a fitted waist, a pleated skirt and fringe at the collar. Ame is the Japanese word for rain, and the deep navy is spotted with raindrops that pool into flowering marble at the hem, the part of the pleats that moves most.

5. Kurt Knit Pleated Maxi Dress in Black Merino Wool

The Gabriela Hearst Kurt Knit Pleated Maxi Dress in Black Merino Wool is the knitted alternative, a pleated maxi in black merino wool for colder days.

6. Gold Tie-Neck Pleated Maxi Dress

The Sergio Hudson Gold Tie-Neck Pleated Maxi Dress adds a tie neck to a pleated maxi in gold.

7. Maxi Pleated Dress

The Alaia Maxi Pleated Dress is a pleated maxi in yellow at Coveti.

8. Printed pleated dress

The Dries Van Noten Printed pleated dress is another printed pleat, for a second take on pattern in motion.

9. Sculpted Plunge Pleated Maxi Dress

The Avaro Figlio Sculpted Plunge Pleated Maxi Dress pairs a plunge neckline with a pleated maxi in black.

The Alexis and Hollie compared

Source: Mary Katrantzou product pages and size chart, and the Coveti catalogue, read by Coveti Editorial on 8 November 2026.

Why print and pleats work together

Mary Katrantzou is known as a print designer who engineers each artwork to the pattern piece, placing the motif to meet the seam, waist and hem. On a pleated skirt the print is folded into the creases, so part of it hides when you stand still and the rest appears as the pleats open. The Ame Marble print is built for this, with its marbling gathered at the hem. Our guide to Mary Katrantzou prints explains each story, and the Resort 2027 guide shows the season. For the same print as a separate, see the Uni Skirt Ame Marble, filed with our pleated skirts.

How to wear a pleated maxi dress

• Keep the waist clear. The Alexis and Hollie are fitted at the waist already, so a belt adds bulk over the pleats.
• Choose a shoe with some height; an ankle-length pleated skirt looks best when it clears the floor.
• With the sleeveless Hollie, the fringe at the collar is the jewellery, so keep earrings small.
• For winter, a long coat open at the front lets the pleats show; a cropped jacket works too, and our peplum jackets guide has options.
• For an evening wedding, see our black tie wedding guest dresses edit.

To keep pleats crisp, hang the dress by the shoulders with space around the skirt, and do not iron across the folds. Coveti advises dry cleaning for these pieces.

Pleated maxi dresses around the world

In the US, a long-sleeved pleated maxi suits autumn weddings and holiday galas, while a sleeveless one carries into spring events. In the UK, the Alexis with its long sleeves suits a winter ceremony, and the Hollie suits a summer garden party with a wrap. Across Europe, pleated maxis move well on warm Mediterranean evenings, where the skirt catches the breeze.

In the Gulf, the long-sleeved Alexis suits formal evening events and covered dress codes. In Asia, a pleated maxi suits humid summers in Singapore and Hong Kong, since the folds keep the skirt away from the legs, and winter weddings in Seoul and Tokyo in the long-sleeved versions. For more, see our winter wedding guest dresses and halter maxi dresses guides.

Sizing a pleated maxi dress

Mary Katrantzou sizes in UK, so a UK 8 is a US 4, an IT 40 and a FR 36. Letter-sized styles run XS to XL, and on the house chart XS sits at a UK 6. The house gives no advice on sizing up and down for most pieces, so take your usual size; the one exception this season is the Kira kaftan, which the house says runs big by one to two sizes. The models are 178 cm tall and wear a UK 8. Full charts are in our Mary Katrantzou size guide. A fitted waist is the part to measure, since the pleated skirt gives room below it.

For more on the designer, read who Mary Katrantzou is.

Frequently asked questions

What is a pleated maxi dress?

It is a floor-length dress with a skirt folded into pressed pleats, so it sits close at the waist and opens out as you walk.

What are the main types of pleats?

Knife pleats face one way, box pleats turn away from each other, accordion pleats are narrow zigzags and sunburst pleats radiate from the waist.

What is the Mary Katrantzou Alexis dress made of?

The Alexis is 100% polyester, fitted at the waist with long sleeves above an ankle-length pleated skirt.

Which colours does the Alexis come in?

For Resort 2027 the Alexis comes in Mizutama Marble Claret, Mizutama Marble Claret Block and Kintsugi Jasper.

Is there a sleeveless pleated Mary Katrantzou dress?

Yes. The Hollie Dress Ame Marble is sleeveless with a fitted waist, a pleated skirt and fringe at the collar.

How do you keep pleats crisp?

Hang the dress by the shoulders with room around the skirt and avoid ironing across the folds. Coveti advises dry cleaning for these pieces.

Read next: Pleated midi skirts, Mary Katrantzou Resort 2027, Velvet maxi dresses.

By Coveti Editorial. Updated 8 November 2026.