A Downtown-Cool Take on the Schoolgirl Look for Fall

This stylish street style inspiration is a welcome throwback to our collegiate days, only much, much cooler. Call it nostalgia, but we are still all about schoolgirl pleats, especially when worn alongside sleek, elevated pieces. Thanks to this shot, we now have a great way to wear a pleated skirt or dress that's appropriate for the crisp air on the horizon. That said, we're taking major style cues on how to style pleats this season.

A coat is always essential, but rather than stick with your usual black or navy coat, why not switch things up with a fresh windowpane print for a more graphic feel? This piece can be layered over the pleated dress or skirt of your choosing, and then you can complete the ensemble with chic sunglasses, a mini quilted bag, warm tights, and pointed-toe ankle boots for the ultimate downtown-cool feel.

Scroll on to see the street style shot and how to get the look.

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(Image credit: Collage Vintage)

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Do you share our love for pleats? Tell us in the comments below!

Jennifer Camp Forbes
Contributing Editor

Jennifer Camp Forbes is currently the shopping updates editor at Who What Wear, where she has worked in a variety of capacities for over a decade, including creative director and various editor roles. She’s well-known as a shopping expert that’s sought out for advice and insight on the latest trends, outfit ideas, and fashion picks thanks to her thoughtful shopping roundups, digital moodboards, and extensive knowledge of up-and-coming brands, plus the new arrivals sections of the chicest retailers. Jennifer has had a lifelong interest in fashion which led her to intern at Harper’s Bazaar as an undergraduate. Later, while working towards her masters degree in psychological counseling at Columbia University, she founded two digital fashion publications: Le Fashion and Olsens Anonymous. The popularity of both sites grew and after graduation she decided put her plans to become a therapist aside to pursue a career in fashion. While she has called Los Angeles and New York City home in the past, she currently works remotely from Massachusetts. When she’s not obsessing over and writing about her latest fashion finds, she is delighting in raising two little ones with her highschool sweetheart, perusing TikTok religiously, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, creating abstract photographs, and eating the best Mexican food she can get her hands on.