Good morning, Taffeta Help please,

Morning everyone, How's your projects going this week?

For me exciting and unsure, Is there anyone out there who could help I am taking a bit of a leap in my abilities I know. But I figure if I dont stretch myself I am not going to learn new techniques. So this is where I am stuck.

I am making Simplicity 2172 just the skirt and coat. I have not made a skirt before so all is new and never worked with taffeta ether. I didn't realise when I bought the fabric it is exactly like the picture on the front.

So to my problem the pleated bottom section, they reaaly stand out and will not hang flat.

I basted and basted.
will they hang flat if the skirt is left to 'hang'?
Should I keep ironing them? Will heat from the iron spoil the fabric?
Should I sew small tucks to keep them in place? or will that just make them billow out in the middle?

I also could not iron the creases out of the fabric. I can iron them in when I first did the pleated section they were fine.

But after much handling around the sewing table they seem to gone gone wild.

Any and all help will be much appreachated , I now have 7 days left to make the coat and also a steam punk cape caot for Mr S as well as the final touched to the Nepeta outfit. So that we can attend expo in style, on Sat 29 Oct. Ok off to the cutting table am I.