"Flash of color" in pleating to the stripe

[Barb T]

The back of a kilt pleated to the stripe commonly looks very different from the front of the kilt, because every pleat emphasizes the same color or set of colors, which may be very different from the overall color of a tartan. This also means that the part of the tartan hidden in the pleats will be different from the part of the tartan chosen for the pleat reveal. If the contrast is strong, the pleats can "flash" a dramatically different color when the wearer walks.

I just finished a kilt in Modern Young, and I thought I'd share a couple of pictures to show a spectacular example of this flash of colors.





If you want this to work with a kilt that you're making, you need a big contrast in color between the reveal and the hidden part of the pleat, or else it won't be noticeable. And you need to choose the location of the pleats so that the contrasting color is directly below the pleat reveal, rather than hidden deeper in the fold.