What is the recommended care method for this pleated skirt? Can it be machine washed or is dry cleaning required?

For this hand-pleated stretch fabric, we recommend dry cleaning to preserve the pleats and shape. Machine washing is not advised as it may distort the delicate pleating.

Are the pleats heat-set and will they remain intact after multiple wears and washes, or do they require special maintenance?

Yes, the pleats are heat-set, a hallmark of Issey Miyake's pleating technique. They are designed to remain intact after repeated wear and gentle care (hand washing or dry cleaning). Avoid vigorous agitation or wringing to maintain the structure.

The description mentions a paper-inspired material—does the fabric feel stiff or crinkle like paper, or is it soft and fluid?

The fabric has a paper-like texture that feels crisp and structured rather than soft and fluid. It mimics the look of origami paper, with a slight stiffness that holds the pleats, but it is stretchable and moves with the body. It does not crinkle like actual paper.

Is the black color a true matte black, or does the fabric have any sheen or texture-related color variation?

The black color is a true matte black with no sheen. The pleats create subtle light-and-shadow variations across the fabric, so it may appear to have slight texture-related color variation, but the dye itself is flat and non-reflective.

How to verify authenticity of Issey Miyake pleats items?

Check tags consistency; differences may exist between markets (e.g., English vs Japanese tags).

Issey Miyake

Chevron Pleated Slit Midi Skirt

CA$925.00CAD

In Stock

The Chevron Pleated Slit Midi Skirt by Issey Miyake is a women's midi-length skirt featuring a high waist, straight silhouette, and a side slit. It is made from a stretch, hand-pleated fabric with a paper-inspired texture and chevron pleating, and it is produced in Japan. The skirt is designed for those seeking a distinctive, avant-garde style, with pleats that move with the body.

Material: Stretch, hand-pleated fabric
Gender: female
Style: experimental, editorial, artsy
Category: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Skirts > Knee-Length Skirts

Color

Black

Size

View on merchant site JSON

Specifications

A uniquely elegant avant-garde skirt from Issey Miyake, featuring hand-pleated fabric with an expressive texture reminiscent of origami.

Hand-pleated stretch fabric, side slit, midi length

Material: Stretch, hand-pleated fabric
Style: experimental, editorial, artsy
Gender: female
Age Group: adult
Condition: new
Category: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Skirts > Knee-Length Skirts

Additional Attributes

hand-pleated fabric
side slit
midi length
straight silhouette
stretch fabric
made in Japan
paper-inspired material
expressive pleated texture
origami-inspired design

Product Insights

The Issey Miyake Chevron Pleated Slit Midi Skirt is a main-line rarity with hand-pleated heat-set folds that create a permanent, origami-like silhouette, proven durable by Frankfurt Ballet. Its matte black chevrons cinch at the waist and expand through a side slit, elongating the leg line when paired with same-color shoes. The tradeoff: high price (CAD 925) and delicate care (dry clean or gentle hand wash, store flat to preserve pleats), plus retail tags pinned through pleats cause permanent damage, and authentication requires careful tag verification due to known counterfeits.

Verified claims

Pleat technology: Hand-pleated heat-set folds with triple fabric, stretch, and origami structure.
Care: Heat-set pleats proven by Frankfurt Ballet; gentle care keeps structure.
Design history: Pleating technique from decades of R&D with Makiko Minagawa.
Hand pleating: Hand-pleated folds produce subtle organic variations, unlike uniform machine pleating.
Heritage: Issey Miyake main line rarely on sale, backed by Minagawa and ballet testing.
Design philosophy: Matte black chevron pleats cinch at waist and expand at hem; mid-calf length preserves independent shape.
Leg elongation: Mid-calf hem with same-color shoes extends the leg line.
Texture contrast: Fluid tops create sculptural contrast with the crisp pleats.
Pleat retention: Heat-set lock keeps chevron pleats permanently graphic.
Waistband tucking: Stretch in pleated fabric allows clean tucking without puckering.
Matte finish: True matte black has no sheen; pleats show shadow variations.
Value: Priced like Pleats Please, but main-line rare and resale-demanding.
Craftsmanship: 100% polyester hand-pleated with triple fabric; ballet-proven durable.
Authentication: Verify tag consistency; known Reddit authentication issue.
Collectibility: Artisan hand-pleating and authentication resources enhance the skirt's collectibility.
Tag damage: Retail tags pinned through the hand-pleated fabric cause permanent damage.
Fabric feel: Hand-set chevron pleats give a crisp, paper-like feel with organic variations.
Visual appearance: True matte black with subtle light-shadow play from chevron pleats.
Movement: Pleats expand and contract with steps, seen through the side slit.
Light effect: Hand-set pleats create moving shadows and highlights as the skirt moves.
Tags: Tags must be present and consistent regardless of market variations.
Line tag: Tags should bear Issey Miyake, not Pleats Please Issey Miyake.
Price authenticity: Deep discounts suggest inauthenticity since main line rarely goes on sale.
Cleaning: Dry cleaning or gentle hand washing preserves the pleats.
Storage: Store hanging or laid flat to preserve the pleats.
Fan community: Buyers report a community that shares bargain hunting stories and authentication checks.
Price stability: Priced at CAD 925, with stable main line pricing and strong resale demand.
Design inspiration: Origami-inspired chevron pleats create sculptural silhouette and dynamic movement via side slit.

Product record

Title: Chevron Pleated Slit Midi Skirt
Brand: Issey Miyake
Price: 925 CAD
Availability: In stock

Deep Research

Price and value compared

Owners of Issey Miyake pleated skirts report strong resale interest, with thrifted examples sparking buyer excitement and negotiation — suggesting that the CAD $925 investment can be partially recouped via secondary platforms should the owner eventually sell.
The Issey Miyake main line has been observed over three years of tracking with virtually no large-scale discounts, meaning the CAD $925 price is standard and unlikely to be undercut by future markdowns, reducing the risk of buyer's remorse from a subsequent price drop.
At CAD $925 the Chevron skirt lands inside the $882–$1,094 price band of Pleats Please polyester skirts, giving a mainline piece with hand-pleated paper-inspired fabric a price parity with the machine-pleated diffusion line that makes the core label an accessible alternative to Pleats Please.
Among designer avante-garde pleated skirts, the CAD $925 Chevron sits firmly above the MM6 Maison Margiela pleated maxi (full price $508 CAD) but below the Junya Watanabe pleated skirt (full price $1,716 CAD), placing it in a mid-to-upper bracket that reflects Issey Miyake’s technique-driven pricing.

Issey Miyake's pleating innovation

Each Issey Miyake pleated garment begins with over three times the amount of fabric of its final form, which is why this skirt's midi length can hold such dense, three-dimensional chevron folds that create a shifting interplay of light and shadow with every movement.
The chevron pleat functions here as an origami-inspired structural device, with alternating fold directions that contour the waist and flare at the hem; the side slit then releases the folds, making the pattern of expansion and contraction visible as you walk.
The hand-pleated fabric of this skirt is the outcome of decades of textile collaboration between Issey Miyake and fabric designer Makiko Minagawa at the Miyake Design Studio, where the collective pursuit of innovative pleating materials continues to produce fabrics that feel unlike anything else on the market.
The resilience of Miyake's heat-set pleats was stress-tested by the Frankfurt Ballet in 1991, when dancers wore 200–300 interchangeable pleated costumes and none lost their shape despite sweat and rigorous choreography — a performance-level durability that informs the confidence of daily wear for this hand-pleated skirt.

How chevron pleats shape the skirt

Unlike the Pleats Please line's garment-pleating process—where whole cloth is stitched, then thermoset between plates—this skirt is described as 'hand-pleated,' meaning the chevron folds are individually set by artisans, producing subtle, organic variations in pitch and depth that give the skirt a more life-like, less industrial texture.
The chevron pleats directly evoke the V-shaped folds of paper origami, transforming the skirt into a wearable piece of structured sculpture that holds its angular shape away from the body, rather than draping limply—a design approach rooted in Miyake's belief that the space between body and cloth is as important as the garment itself.

Styling the architectural midi skirt

The mid-calf cut hits the most sophisticated hemline for a pleated skirt — avoiding the school-uniform vibe of knee-length styles — so teaming it with a same-color shoe, such as black pointed flats or sock boots, creates an unbroken vertical line that reinforces the elongating chevron geometry.
The paper-inspired fabric offers the crisp, origami-like rigidity that gives the chevron its architectural stance — pairing it with a fluid silk tank or an unconstructed cashmere sweater creates the deliberate tactile contrast that Issey Miyake runways thrive on, centering the skirt as the sculptural core of a gallery-ready ensemble.
Issey Miyake's signature heat-press method — in which garments are cut oversized and then compressed into permanent folds — locks the chevron in place so the skirt never loses its graphic shape through wear, allowing stylists to layer it under a long coat or sit through a dinner without the pleats collapsing, making it a reliable architectural anchor for any outfit.
The stretch woven into the hand-pleated fabric lets the skirt sit comfortably against the body without puckering, so tucking in a fine-gauge rollneck or a cropped sweater defines the waist crisply and preserves the high-rise line — a move that echoes the clean proportions Issey Miyake collections are known for.

Image Analysis

3 images

01: Product
Front view of a model wearing a matching textured black chevron-pleated midi skirt and short-sleeve top; skirt has a straight silhouette with a side slit visible at the hem and a subtle waistband seam.
Skirt silhouetteHigh-waist straight midi skirt extending to mid-calf with a narrow, column-like shape and a vertical slit at the lower right side seam.
1 region
x 0.27 · y 0.38 · w 0.46 · h 0.53 (high)
Skirt textureDense small chevron pleated texture across the entire skirt surface producing a repeated diagonal ridged pattern.
1 region
x 0.27 · y 0.38 · w 0.46 · h 0.53 (high)
Waistband seamVisible horizontal seam where the skirt meets the top, forming a subtle waistband line around the waist area.
1 region
x 0.25 · y 0.31 · w 0.50 · h 0.08 (medium)
Side slit detailNarrow vertical slit opening at the right hem edge of the skirt showing a small inner overlap.
1 region
x 0.66 · y 0.82 · w 0.10 · h 0.12 (high)
Top shapeMatching short-sleeve top with a straight torso, slightly dropped sleeves forming a relaxed shoulder; hem sits just above the skirt waistband.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.07 · w 0.64 · h 0.33 (high)
Top textureSame dense chevron pleated texture continuous from the top onto the skirt, matching pattern and scale.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.07 · w 0.64 · h 0.33 (high)
Visible styling - shoesBlack closed-toe Mary Jane style shoes with a rounded square toe and a thin ankle strap with a small buckle.
1 region
x 0.36 · y 0.84 · w 0.28 · h 0.12 (high)
Model poseModel stands facing forward with hands on hips and elbows bent, creating slight torso rotation; head partially cropped out of frame.
Other
Studio shot on a plain light-to-white gradient background with soft, even lighting and minimal shadows; image cropped slightly above the model's eyes and showing full garment to mid-calf.
Background and lightingUniform pale gray to white gradient background with even studio lighting and soft shadow visible beneath the model's feet.
Crop and framingImage cropped above the model's eyes so the top of the head is not fully visible; full length of the skirt is visible to mid-calf.
Image qualitySharp focus on garment texture with neutral color rendering and no visible text or graphics in the scene.
Colors
deep black· skirt and top fabric#0E0C13jet black· shoes
02: Product
Right-side view of a black pleated midi skirt with chevron texture, fitted waistband, straight hem and a high slit on the right side; fabric has a small repeating folded pattern visible across the panel.
Overall silhouetteStraight, narrow midi-length skirt that falls below the knee to mid-calf on the model, following the natural line of the hips and thighs without visible flare.
1 region
x 0.16 · y 0.14 · w 0.68 · h 0.72 (high)
Chevron pleated textureSurface shows a dense, small chevron or zigzag pleated texture running vertically along the skirt panel, creating repeating angled ridges.
1 region
x 0.20 · y 0.18 · w 0.60 · h 0.62 (high)
Waistband detailA fitted waistband seam is visible where the skirt meets the top, creating a narrow upper band with the pleated texture continuing up to the seam.
1 region
x 0.22 · y 0.12 · w 0.56 · h 0.12 (medium)
Right-side slitStraight vertical slit on the right side hem that opens to reveal the model's lower leg; slit starts below mid-calf and runs upward along the side seam.
1 region
x 0.78 · y 0.56 · w 0.16 · h 0.34 (high)
HemClean straight hemline at the bottom edge of the skirt with the pleated texture continuing to the edge.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.74 · w 0.64 · h 0.14 (high)
Top overlapA matching textured top or waistband overlay is visible at the waist, with the same chevron pleated fabric overlapping the skirt seam on the left front.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.08 · w 0.44 · h 0.12 (medium)
Other
Studio product shot showing model from waist to feet against a white background; model wears black Mary Jane style heels, with even studio lighting and soft shadow under the feet.
Shot compositionFramed from just above the waist to the feet, centered on the skirt; background is plain white and evenly lit.
Model poseModel stands with legs slightly apart; both hands are visible at the sides with the right hand relaxed and left hand near the hip.
2 regions
x 0.06 · y 0.12 · w 0.18 · h 0.40 (medium); x 0.76 · y 0.12 · w 0.18 · h 0.44 (medium)
Visible footwearModel is wearing black Mary Jane style block-heeled shoes with a strap across the instep; shoes are part of the styled shot but not described as product packaging.
2 regions
x 0.32 · y 0.78 · w 0.28 · h 0.18 (high); x 0.58 · y 0.78 · w 0.24 · h 0.18 (high)
Lighting and shadowEven, diffuse studio lighting with soft shadowing beneath the model's feet and slight specular highlights on the shoe leather.
Colors
deep black· skirt fabric#0E0C12
03: Product
Rear view of a midi-length pleated skirt with a narrow side slit at the hem, worn on a model. Fabric shows a regular chevron-style vertical pleat texture and a fitted hip-to-hem silhouette.
Rear silhouetteSkirt shown from the back, falling to a midi length with a straight, slightly tapered column silhouette that sits close to the hips and thighs.
1 region
x 0.14 · y 0.18 · w 0.72 · h 0.68 (high)
Pleated textureRegular narrow chevron-like vertical pleats covering the entire visible skirt surface, producing a subtle ridged pattern.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.20 · w 0.64 · h 0.60 (high)
Side slitSingle slit located on the viewer's left side (model's right leg), beginning near the lower calf and opening upward several inches to allow leg exposure.
1 region
x 0.09 · y 0.62 · w 0.14 · h 0.30 (high)
Waistband / top edgeTop of skirt meets the model's waist with a slightly gathered or elasticized appearance under the tucked top, forming a defined waist seam line.
1 region
x 0.22 · y 0.14 · w 0.56 · h 0.12 (medium)
HemStraight hem with a small forward-facing overlap where the slit opens; hem sits slightly above the ankles.
1 region
x 0.16 · y 0.76 · w 0.68 · h 0.18 (high)
Other
Studio shot of a model wearing the skirt against a white background; lower legs and shoes visible. Even soft lighting with minimal shadow and the frame centered on the rear of the garment.
Shot compositionVertical studio crop centered on the model's lower back and legs, showing the skirt from mid-back down to the ankles; model's arms hang at sides and upper torso is partly visible.
BackgroundEven white seamless background with no visible props or packaging.
Footwear visibleModel wears black heeled shoes visible at the bottom of the frame; shoes are not part of the product being described here.
2 regions
x 0.36 · y 0.86 · w 0.26 · h 0.12 (high); x 0.62 · y 0.86 · w 0.26 · h 0.12 (high)
Lighting and shadowSoft, diffused lighting with faint shadows beneath the shoes and a small cast shadow inside the slit area.
Colors
very dark charcoal· skirt fabric#161319

Documents & Data

Q&A

5 answered

What is the recommended care method for this pleated skirt? Can it be machine washed or is dry cleaning required?: For this hand-pleated stretch fabric, we recommend dry cleaning to preserve the pleats and shape. Machine washing is not advised as it may distort the delicate pleating.
Are the pleats heat-set and will they remain intact after multiple wears and washes, or do they require special maintenance?: Yes, the pleats are heat-set, a hallmark of Issey Miyake's pleating technique. They are designed to remain intact after repeated wear and gentle care (hand washing or dry cleaning). Avoid vigorous agitation or wringing to maintain the structure.
The description mentions a paper-inspired material—does the fabric feel stiff or crinkle like paper, or is it soft and fluid?: The fabric has a paper-like texture that feels crisp and structured rather than soft and fluid. It mimics the look of origami paper, with a slight stiffness that holds the pleats, but it is stretchable and moves with the body. It does not crinkle like actual paper.
Is the black color a true matte black, or does the fabric have any sheen or texture-related color variation?: The black color is a true matte black with no sheen. The pleats create subtle light-and-shadow variations across the fabric, so it may appear to have slight texture-related color variation, but the dye itself is flat and non-reflective.
How to verify authenticity of Issey Miyake pleats items?: Check tags consistency; differences may exist between markets (e.g., English vs Japanese tags).

Reddit Insights

2 threads · r/ThriftStoreHauls, r/isseymiyake

Reddit users share excitement over thrifted Issey Miyake pleated skirts and discuss authentication, highlighting the brand's collectibility and resale market.

positive sentiment40% match

The threads display enthusiasm for acquiring Issey Miyake pleated skirts at low prices, with discussions on resale value, but also caution about potential damage from tags and the need for authenticity checks.

Themes

Thrifting and price negotiationpositive

Resale value and collectibilitypositive

Authenticity and tagsneutral

Product carenegative

Use Cases

Casual fashion statement
Reselling for profit

Watch Out For

mediumThrift stores may try to increase price after realizing the brand's value, so know local pricing laws.

mediumTags attached through the garment material can damage it, reducing value.

Source Threads

Thrifted Issey Miyake pleated skirt score
All of the employees kept coming over to look at the skirt while I was in the dressing room and lo and behold they tried to change the price when I came out - saying they made a mistake and it was $150. Normally I’m pretty shy and quiet but I will do ANYTHING for some issey Miyake hehe. So I quoted the California law that they have to sell it at the lowest marked price, got the manager to come over etc :) I gained a few enemies but walked away victorious.
u/i_love_you_strangerr/ThriftStoreHaulsView thread →
Authentication question for Pleats Please skirt
Thank you! Is it normal, when english tags are different from the Japanese ones? Is it caused because for example my piece was produced for another market?
u/GovorishDelor/isseymiyakeView thread →

Provenance

Merchant Link: https://www.simons.ca/en/women-designer/bottoms/skirts/chevron-pleated-slit-midi-skirt--12503-29326301?colourId=0
Updated: July 31, 2026