OVERVIEW:
Rolls & Pleats magazine featured traditional rods and customs with a '40s and '50s style. It was printed in a
digest-style format ("little pages") like many of hot rod magazines of the 1950s, and it was one of the first titles to feature the renewed interest in
traditional cars that started in the mid-1990s. It featured excellent photography and minimal advertising. Although published in Europe,
it was distributed widely in the United Kingdom and United States. It
was a subscription-driven business model, but many speed shops and online websites carried the magazine for purchase.
The publisher and editor was Jerome (Jerry) Desvaux, and he produced the magazine from both Saint Pierre les Nemours, France and, after 15 issues, from Antwerpen-Borgerhout, Belgium. His wife, Angela Bradbury, contributed to the magazine and website.
Mssr. Desvaux had previously published Continental Restyling (CR), a rockabilly lifestyle magazine that started in 1993 and ended in 2000 after 45 issues. He noted in the first issue of Rolls & Pleats that CR was more of a music and lifestyle magazines with occasional hot rod content because that is what readers wanted. But coming into the late 1990s, there was even greater interest in traditional rods and customs ("they are everywhere!"). Even after Petersen Publishing's Hot Rod Deluxe was cancelled after two issues in 2000, Jerry still felt the timing was right for his new hot rod and custom publication. After Rolls & Pleats magazine was launched, it was quickly followed by other titles with similar content including Car Kulture Deluxe and Ol' Skool Rodz to name a few.
In the last issue (#39), the publisher noted the changing nature of print publications in his Words From The Editor section. Sales of print magazines had dropped considerably with the rise of the internet, so he launched other business ventures but intended to continue publishing less frequently for fun. He had also stopped accepting subscriptions a few months prior. After issue #39, the magazine ceased publication.
The table of contents, if available, can be seen by clicking on the 
icon.
PUBLICATION DATA:
No publisher-provided circulation data are available.
CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
A total of 39 issues was printed from late 2000 through 2012. All cover images and most table of content pages are complete for this title.
INTERNET:
The website was used to sell merchandise, preview the contents of printed issues, and allow users to subscribe to the magazine. The
website is now defunct: www.rollsandpleats.com. However, the Facebook page is still online.
Last issue
