In the world of fashion, clothing speaks. Depending on your dress, you can radiate an aura of fun, casual, funky, stuffy, dressy, and of course, romantic. Various fabrics that illustrate romance are lace, sheer material and ruffles, to name a few.
Ruffles, also referred to as frill or furbelow, are a strip of fabric, lace or ribbon tightly gathered or pleated on one edge and applied to a garment as a form of trim. Ruffles appear elegant, soft, feminine and dainty.
Ruffles make for darling clothing no matter the garment that carries the ruffles. The most popular garments that contain ruffles are blouses, tops, shirts, skirts and dresses.
Ruffle Fun Fact: Ruffles appeared at the draw-string necklines of full chemises in the 15th century, and evolved into the separately constructed ruffle of the 16th century. Ruffles remain a fashionable form of trim in modern times. Whether you prefer dresses or skirts, when wearing ruffles you’ll fabulously flirt.
Ruffle Fun Fact: The term flounce is a particular type of fabric manipulation that creates a similar look as ruffles, but with less bulk. The term derives from earlier terms of frounce and fronce. A wavy effect without gathers or pleats is created by cutting a curved strip of fabric and applying the inner or shorter edge to the garment. The depth of the curve, as well as the width, determines the depth of the flounce.
Ruffles exude flouncy, bouncy, beautiful, feminine fun. Fashion at its finest.
If you love ruffles, you may be familiar with a godet. A godet is a circle wedge that can be inserted into a flounce to further deepen the outer floating wave, without adding additional bulk at the point of attachment to the body of the garment, such as at the hemline, collar or sleeve. Ruffles radiate the flowing fabulousness of floating waves!
Ruffled blouses have been popular with women and men for decades. A blouse is a loose fitting upper garment, often times gathered at the waist or hips so that it hangs loosely over the wearer’s body. Ruffles add class and dressiness to any garment. Blouse is a loan word to English from French: blouse means ‘dust coat’, possibly brought back from their travels as French crusaders.
Ruffled dresses and skirts always emit vibes of elegance, class and style. Ruffles work well on evening gowns, wedding dresses, pencil skirts and mini-skirts. Well, perhaps all dresses and skirts.
Dress Fun Fact: A dress, also known as a frock or a gown, is a garment consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice, or a matching bodice that gives the effect of a one-piece garment. In Western culture, dresses are most often worn by women and girls. The hemlines of dresses vary depending on the whims of fashion and the personal taste of the wearer.
The wearing of dresses increased dramatically to the hoopskirt styles in the 1860s; then fullness was draped and drawn to the back. Dresses had a ‘day’ bodice with a high neckline and long sleeves, and an ‘evening’ bodice with a low neckline and short sleeves or sleeveless.
Ruffles speak romance!
Ruffles Fashion Tip: Because of the sheer elegance and dainty femininity that ruffles bring to clothing, ruffled garments work well when worn to wedding or baby showers, fancy brunches or evening events. If you adore ruffles but feel that too many are too girly, why not wear a ruffled blouse with jeans, or a ruffled skirt with a tucked in T-shirt?
Of course, as every fashion diva knows, the shoes that you step into can make or break your outfit, as well as make casual attire more dressy, and dressy attire more casual. With ruffles, as with all clothing, I prefer high heels. For those of you who prefer flats or a low heel, go for it! Your style, your glamour, your unique you!
Ruffled patterns are so gorgeous and so popular that they work for many other items in addition to clothing. Think ruffled bedspreads, pillows and drapes! Ah, why not try a ruffled cape?
Ruffles have sway and ruffles have swagger. Flowing elegantly and beautifully, and in a style that truly matters.
Ruffles – when you want to dress chic, fancy and cool! That’s the ruffle fashion rule!
Nancy Mangano is an American fashion journalist, screenwriter and author of the Natalie North murder mystery book series. Visit Nancy on her global online fashion/style/beauty magazine Nancy Marie Mangano Style at https://nancymariemangano.com, her Facebook page Nancy Mangano at https://www.facebook.com/nancymmangano/ Twitter @https://twitter.com/nancymangano and her author website http://nancymangano.com
