Frills, ruffles, call them what you will, are back. The Romantic personalities will be ‘frilled’ (sorry, we couldn’t resist).
Frills don’t usually appeal to the Natural, Classic or City Chic personalities as they find them too fussy for their tastes. However, the new frill is not the familiar busy ruffle we know but instead a more elegant detail. It might be a demure neckline, a stylish ripple on a cuff, a soft drape on a top or a sculpted wave on a skirt. It might be just one ripple or two or three, but they won’t be fluttering all over the place making the eye dizzy.
On the catwalk, designer frills looked reminiscent of the trademark hems on a flamenco skirt or a ladylike trim from the 1940’s. The frill for spring 2013 is definitely a more feminine and stylish look that says “I’m on trend AND I’m elegant.”
Can you pull it off? Here are three things to consider for chic, not cheap, frills:
1. Does it suit your style? Even though the new frill is less fussy, if you’re a Natural personality you may still shy away from it. However, you might find a simple, soft t-shirt with a gentle frill works for you. If you are a Classic you might stretch to a smart top with a subtle neck frill to add a bit of interest to your look. A City Chic will enjoy an elegant ruffle and you might use it almost as an accessory to your look. The Romantics, who love feminine detail, will prefer a softer drape and the Dramatics who like to be on trend will probably choose a statement piece. If you are a Creative personality you will want to be, well, creative, so you might play with colours, combine two frilled garments or add your own self-styled frill.
2. How do I wear it? Aside from preference, it’s about the fabric and where you wear it. Softer fabrics will fall softly against curves and stiffer fabrics won’t, so think about what works for your figure. As with any embellishment or detail, you don’t want to wear it on a fuller part of your body as it will make that part look bigger. No ruffles across a full bust or sitting on full hips, please.
3. How many ruffles and what size? If in doubt, go for one ruffle on one garment. The size of the frill is important too: small figures should choose small to medium frills whilst larger frames can carry larger frills. This will also depend on your personality, of course, a Dramatic or Creative might use the frill as a statement piece and ignore what suits their frame and go for something big and bold.
It is always interesting to see how trends translate from the catwalk to the high street. Sometimes they don’t and are relegated to the sale rails rather quickly. So far, we have spotted some nice pieces so for those of you who like feminine detail, you will enjoy dressing to ‘frill’!