Issey Miyake Pleats Please Smooth Coat

Calling something Smooth inside a line named Pleats Please is a deliberate joke and also a practical decision. A coat is the layer everything else goes under, and a heavily textured outer layer would compete with the pleated garments it covers. So this one is kept calm: a clean face, a mock neck, a straightforward front buttoning, long sleeves, and no collar to speak of. What it retains from the line is lightness. Coats are usually heavy because weight is how they hold a shape, and this one holds its shape without it, which means it can be worn indoors, packed, and layered over pleated pieces without crushing them. Black and unornamented, it is the quiet frame around everything else.

Why we selected it

It is the outer layer the rest of the line needed, and it is light enough to wear in situations a coat usually cannot.

Building a wardrobe rather than a set of individual pieces is how the Issey Miyake studio works, and this is the piece that closes the Pleats Please system.

Materials and construction

100% polyester, made in Japan, in black. Lightweight, with a front button closure, a mock neck, and long sleeves.

Fit notes

Lightweight and unstructured, so it follows rather than holds. The mock neck sits close. It layers over the rest of the line without adding bulk, which is the reason to have it.

Styling

Its whole job is to go over things, and it is at its best over something textured. Black and plain, it does not ask for anything from the rest of the outfit.

Care

Wash cool and keep heat away from it, as with any heat-set pleated cloth. Our fabric care guide covers polyester and technical cloth.

Related pieces

The Basics Cardigan is the lighter open layer and the Ole Jacket is the shorter one. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.