Pierre Cardin Coat - 1958

Pierre Cardin designed this gorgeous coat for his Fall 1958 couture line.  The coat is made from a heavy wool that is cartridge pleated at the yoke and collar.  The cartridge pleats open out into lovely fullness for the body of the coat.

Here's a closer view.  Cartridge pleats are not easy to do, as they have to be sewn by hand every few inches and then attached to a backing fabric to hold their shape.  I've sewn cartridge pleats on cotton and it was not fun.  I cannot imagine attempting this treatment on heavy wool coating!

This line drawing will give you an idea of the work that goes into making cartridge pleats with the rows of hand stitching.  I've never seen this method used for a collar, but it's quite effective, isn't it?