Discover Our “Pleated Perfection” Capsule At BAACAL
In fashion, certain silhouettes transcend trend cycles and instead become part of a designer’s permanent vocabulary. For BAACAL founder Cynthia Vincent, the pleated dress is one of those rare, enduring forms—rooted in history, shaped by craftsmanship, and beloved for how it moves with the body.
Architecturally focused, sculptural- it’s perhaps one of our most versatile pieces we offer in that it is both literally “wearable art” and perfect for everyday styling.
Gloria Vanderbilt in her FORTUNY Dress. Gloria Vanderbilt was known for her expansive collection of FORTUNY dresses throughout her life.
Cynthia’s method to pleated pieces fuse modernity to classic silhouettes in fashion, like the pleated dresses and skirts of the early 19th century. Brilliantly bridging the references to the past whilst making these pieces feel both contemporary, elevated and yet, incredibly wearable for both everyday and evening.
While pleats have come back to the forefront of the zeitgeist in recent seasons, fabric pleating is not simply a decorative technique. It is an art form with centuries-old lineage, famously refined in Venice through the work often associated with Fortuny gowns- the Delphos, which many reference as part of the canon of fashion—ethereal garments inspired by the drape of ancient Greek sculpture.
Inspired by ancient greek sculpture- pleated dresses (also known as FORTUNY style dresses) became a signature of the chic women of the early 1920’s. While Fortuny is credited with the popularity of the style even today, it was in fact his wife, Henriette Negrin who designed the “Delphos” gown that we know and love over a century later.
The romance of that history, combined with the revelation that intricate hand processes were central to their creation, left a lasting impression on Cynthia early in her creative life. As a student at Otis College of Art & Design’s Parsons Summer Program for aspiring fashion designers, Cynthia would frequent museums and recall how pleating became a motif that resonated with her in her formative design studies.
For Cynthia, pleats became a symbol of timeless elegance and representative of innovation, and how one might wear architecturally focused design in everyday life.
What continues to draw Vincent back to pleats is not only their visual beauty, but the hands-on craftsmanship behind them. True pleating is tactile and collaborative—fabric carefully layered between patterned papers, pressed into shape, and transformed through heat and steam.
Today, BAACAL works directly with master pleaters in Los Angeles, women-owned, minority-owned ateliers whose techniques reflect decades of expertise and preservation of an artform that has slowly disappeared with the mass engagement of fast fashion.
This Season, BAACAL has introduced 2 new styles to the Pleated Perfection Capsule: The ESME Pleated Funnel Neck Top and The Rue Reversible Pleated Midi Skirt.
Creating a single pleated garment can require multiple artisans working in unison, carefully folding fabric between boards before it is steamed into permanence. The result is texture, movement, and dimensionality that flat fabric alone can never achieve.
This devotion to process is also where innovation happens. Vincent’s signature double-pleat technique—featuring subtle horizontal interruptions within vertical pleats—evolved from unexpected inspiration- the pleated paper once used to insulate wine bottles.
Our best selling JAYA Dress has proudly been fit tested on sizes US 2- US 30. BAACAL continues to fit test and engineer silhouettes to compliment as many shapes and sizes as possible.
Beyond artistry, pleats endure because they are profoundly wearable. A pleated dress flows rather than constricts, skims the curvature of your body rather than clings, and creates softness and motion with every step. The diaphanous quality of pleated fabric offers:
Natural movement and breathability
Forgiving structure that adapts to the body
Visual elongation and elegance
Comfort without sacrificing sophistication
For BAACAL—designed exclusively for sizes 10–28—this matters deeply. True craftsmanship in plus-size fashion means garments that are not only beautiful, but thoughtfully engineered to honor the body. Elevated hand-pleating remains rare in extended sizing, making it a defining element of BAACAL’s design perspective.
The LYNDA features a diaphanous silhouette in a long sleeve column silhouette rendered in a dense sheen satin, perfect for special occasions.
Few garments balance practicality and poetry the way pleated dresses do. They travel beautifully (just twist the garment into itself forming a small round, like one would a scarf!), maintain their structure over time, and resist the feeling of being tied to any single trend. Whether fashion leans minimalist or maximalist, pleats always remain visually compelling—never dated, always a touch of visual interest.
This sense of permanence is why pleated silhouettes continue to appear across BAACAL collections. They embody the brand’s core belief: that clothing should feel modern today, meaningful tomorrow, and collectible for years to come.
ANA of GLITTERANDLAZERS is a fan of the JAYA as both a stand alone dress for events and as a foundation layer to pair with trench coats. (Pssst! She’s wearing the ARIA Trench in Python).
For Cynthia Vincent, pleats are more than a recurring motif—they are a lifelong dialogue between history, craft, and the contemporary body. Each BAACAL pleated dress carries that lineage forward, translating centuries of technique into garments designed for the women who wear them now.
