About Pleats No Please

Pleats No Please is a weekly fashion dispatch for the emotionally specific and financially semi-realistic.

Expect tightly edited shopping, unsolicited opinions, and the occasional soft spiral — delivered Sundays at 8AM, best read in bed.

It’s named after the pleats I don’t like: stiff ones, smug ones. (No shade to Miyake — his are sacred.) Also: I love when small children say “no please” instead of “no thank you.” That too.

This is for people who dress with intention and maybe a touch of delusion. Who like their references obscure, their clothes a little off, and their fashion thinking both earnest and unserious.

Who is Nicole Elsasser?

I’m a Toronto-based writer and fashion professional with a high-functioning inferiority complex and a midsize body (US 10–12). I believe in clothes that make you feel slightly fictional. I grew up in an unchic place and now live in the big city and work behind the scenes at Absolutely Fabrics.

I would describe my socioeconomic status as “bohemian with a student loan.” I think a lot about class, taste, value, and why the weird stuff always ends up being the most worn. I take shopping seriously because I have to. You can too!

How much is a subscription and what do you get?

Free or paid — both are welcome and appreciated.
Paid ($5/month or $50/year) supports the time, care, and caffeine that goes into making this a genuinely good inbox moment.

✦ Coming Soon...

Pleats No Please is growing into something softer and stranger.
An interview series is in the works — a space for creative conversations about self-image, softness, and style. More on that so soon.