Can't decide. HELP!

[Tobus]

as you can see, it will hold a wrinkle quite well. I have a survivor (black) as well, and it doesn't seem to wrinkle as bad.

Yes, they do hold a wrinkle pretty well! That's one of the things I don't care for about Utilikilts. But you raise a good point. The black one probably does wrinkle just as bad, but just doesn't show it as much because there's not as much contrast when the light catches a wrinkle as a shadow. So in that respect, it's probably better to go with a darker color (brown or black) if one is concerned with wrinkles.

I always have to iron mine when it comes out of the wash. I hang it outside to dry and then press the pleats back to crispness before wearing it. The wrinkled look just doesn't do it for me, and I find that the wrinkles actually change the way it sits and moves with my body (probably due to the fact that the pleats are so shallow and the wrinkles pull them out of alignment with each other). So pressing the pleats makes it perform better for me.

[zirrow]

The darker colors may hide the wrinkles better, but the lighter-weight twill definitely wrinkles less that than the heavy duck. Also, as for the sweat marks, both wet & dry show up quite well on my workman (I don't typically do yard work in the survivor, so I'm not sure on that one), though I'm sure the dry is less noticeable than it would be on the darker colors. As for ironing, I have ironed the apron and the pleats on either side a few times as they seem to curl quite a bit, but other than that, I just hang it over the shower curtain rod and make sure to straighten the pleats after washing; though from that shot, you might think I just tightly ball it up and jump up & down on it (I promise it is usually not anywhere near that bad, and I know, I know, pics or it didn't happen).

Now if only I could fit a giant ironing board into the back room, I might take a bit more interest in doing the whole thing...

[Tobus]

As for ironing, I have ironed the apron and the pleats on either side a few times as they seem to curl quite a bit, but other than that, I just hang it over the shower curtain rod and make sure to straighten the pleats after washing

Yeah, I take it straight from the washing machine and lay it on the kitchen table, press the pleats and aprons out with my hand while it's still wet, then hang it outside. When it is dry, then I iron it (no steam, though I'm sure it wouldn't hurt it).

It always looks great until I've worn it a time or two. Then, as you mentioned, the pleats start to curl. That really annoys me, as they will never quite lay right again until I wash and iron it again. I do try to sweep my pleats when sitting and generally keep the pleats from getting bunched up or wrinkled while wearing, but inevitably they will get that 'crinkly' look.

Pleat curl seems to be a function of the shallow pleats, the stitching at the pleat folds, and the fact that the pockets are sewn down over part of the pleating, limiting their ability to open up. I understand the purpose of the stitched folds, but it really does make the pleats perform weirdly, especially considering the stiffness of the material.