I really like Brisby pleats...or sometimes called french pleat or top pleat. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to use them in my house as I am big into valances. But I think they look really sharp and are very popular now in the decorating magazines.

Of course, I'm a bad one to ask as I love drapery and curtain design and have had loads of fun designing mine. I like them all...goblet, pencil, inverted, etc. About the only one I don't like as it looks very dated to me is the traditional pinch pleat.

Thanks for your input, Annie. The drapes in the picture you posted are beautiful.

I definitely don't want mine to look dated.

Any other looks that anyone here sees as dated? I truly have no idea what's in and what's out when it comes to this.

I personally don't like really formal style drapes with pleats. I prefer lined cotton or cotton/linen blend with ring clips that allow you to push to the side with a loose manual "fold". I have this look in my living room. I also like these types of fabrics "shirred" tightly on the rod through the rod pocket, especially in a bedroom. Another casual look I like is wide tab tops - I can make them hang in a loose fold similar to the clip on rings. That is the look I have in my DR.

One more look I have (in my office) is tabbed backs on my valences (tabs are sew on the back and a continental rod slides through the tabs). That also gives a loose fold.

So basically, my favorite style is more casual - it suits my house :).

I like the look that Annie posted - a little more "dressy" than my look, but not stuffy or dated.

Tuesday

I think pencil pleats are very feminine so probably not for a family room. I think inverted box pleats can be very formal so you may not want to use them.

I think the standard pinch pleat has the most staying power of pleated drapery because it is so commonly used. I don't think this has a particular date associated with it because that's all you saw except in the most formal of rooms for almost a century. So they may be kind of "out" right now, because of the availability of other pleats without going to a full-custom draper, but that is also what makes them pretty classic. I can look back in my reference books and see this kind of pleat from when they first started hanging movable drapes instead of nailing them up (19th c.) all the way into current Architectural Digest.

Goblet pleats are very structured and super formal I think. Tailored pleats, french pleats and inverted pleats are all nice, and I think the relative formality depends upon the fabric.

Thanks, pal, for weighing in. "Staying power" would definitely be a good thing, because I don't want to have to do this again for a long time. :)

I'm partial to goblet, but it depends on your style.

I am not a fan of pleated drapery with rings or clip rings. I think they look odd, and take away from the pretty effect of the pleating. Plus, if you are looking for clean lines, things like goblet pleats or triple pleating don't convey that.

Since the panels are stationary, I would just clip the rings to simple panels, and let the rings make them softly fold.

Otherwise, inverted or box pleating would be a relatively clean alternative.

Marilyn,
I agree with pal on the pleats, except I'm still partial to the pleats that are pinched at the top (we call them french pleats, europleats, pinched at top, etc). You can see a lot of those in Traditional Home and many current decorating books.

If you don't like the look of actual pleats, the stationary panels with the folds really look best if they have a small tuck to the back to put the hook through, otherwise they can sag and look very casual. I think you are looking for something in between formal and casual.
I'm giving a link to some pleat examples we have on our shop's blog. Some of the photos leave a little to be desired (I usually snap a quick pic), but scroll on down to see several styles.

Here is a link that might be useful: drapery pleat examples

When you are trying to decide, don't just look at the pleats themselves. Different pleats shape the curtains in different ways, and you need to figure out the overall effect you want. For example, I have the Brisby pleats in my living room because my curtain fabric has a very large scale pattern on it (Schumacher Chiang-mai), and the Brisby lets it fall in softer more open waves at the bottom so you can see the pattern. Other pleats will make the folds much tighter.