Plisse Blinds are used in the same way as ordinary curtains for sun protection and to prevent people from seeing in.

The curtain itself can be pulled out and pushed together vertically, and can resemble the bellows of an accordion . There are cordless models, but often the curtain is attached with cords in the upper and lower window frame , where the cords act as sliding rails along the outer edge of the curtain. The curtain can be fixed at the top, and can then be pulled down and pushed up. Another variant is that the curtain is not top-mounted, but instead the entire curtain can be pushed up and down along the cords, and placed where desired throughout the height of the window. The fabric in the curtains can be opaque, or filter out some light.