Pleated linen

The earliest form of pleated linen dates from ancient Egypt and can be seen in a garment known as the Tarkhan dress, which is over 5000 years old and is believed to be one of the oldest dresses in existence.

[2] The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has in its collection[3] four excellently preserved pleated linen dresses, all found in 1902-1903 by George A. Reisner at the cemetery of Naga ed-Deir in Egypt.

[4] It is not known exactly how the Egyptians pleated linen, but the material may have been "folded, accordion style, then tied, and wetted.

[8][9] First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selected a pleated linen creation by Sybil Connolly when she sat for an official Aaron Shikler White House portrait in 1970.

[10] Sybil was reportedly very protective of her pleating method, saying it was a secret she would “carry to the grave.”[11]