Doing It Big / Total: $1,745

Marc Jacobs, the New York designer considered the king of pure and simple clothes, has brought back the demure and sophisticated pleated skirt. Among the most wearable are the stitched-down, knife-pleated skirts that stop just above the knee. For spring, Jacobs pairs a blue wool-and-mohair skirt, $975, with one of his signature cashmere sweaters. This cardigan, in the same shade of slate blue as the perfectly constructed skirt, retails for $770. The Marc Jacobs collection can be found at Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue, both in Beverly Hills.

Doing It for Less / Total: $215

If you are looking for a pleated skirt in stores now, forget it! There’s not a pleat to be found without the Marc Jacobs label unless you go to a thrift store. Pleated skirts are in the works and due to arrive at stores sometime in April or May. If you can stand the wait, it will be worth it because the skirts promise to be affordable. This sheer, knife-pleated, mauve skirt in silk organza is by Los Angeles designer Gosha Pinno for State of the Heart. It sells for $130 and is available at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills and Ron Herman / Fred Segal in L.A. It also comes in melon green. The cotton cardigan, designed by New York team Liz Dimonda-Paul and Jim Dean for Easel, is $85 and will be available at the end of March at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s. This sweater also will come in a variety of muted pastels.