Exaggerated fringe benefits

From ruffles and frills, this season is going to take us to Planet Fringe. No, we are not talking of the hairstyles. The inspiration and styling takeaways from the runway are what we are talking about. The look can be sleek, feminine and glamorous. It’s all about the piece itself, and how you wear it.

Fringes remind you of the 70s when one found musicians often adorning a fringed jacket or pants and even boots for that matter.

The power of fringes is in their ability of creating movement. A fringed hemline will score you massive fashion points! It can break the monotony of an outfit, and add an instant fun element as well.

Prachi Mungali Belwal of Image Tarasha, a styling company, says, “The trend sure is dominating many runways, we’re seeing it on dresses, bags, shoes and even outerwear. This style can be very versatile and can compliment women across body shapes. The strategic layers on a tassel dress can work as a great cover up, especially for women that are conscious about their postpartum bellies.”

Whether it’s on a dress, skirt, jacket, bags or shoes, it’s made a resurgence on every garment and packs a powerful punch to your super strong style game.

Wear that fringe well
Have you tried the shredded skirts? Team it with a ganji top and a crop jacket. Finish this look with one of those over-the-knee boots to get an instant rock and roll vibe. Or, a favourite look for this trending piece of garment which is super stylish yet super fun doesn’t go beyond a really short necklace dress with tassels. For something more stylish, keeping the tassels much longer, throws in a dramatic effect to the already beautiful dress!

Another appealing look is a fitted top with a plunging neckline, with the tassels running as sleeves. This can be paired with a high-waist pencil skirt or even a pair of formal trousers, with a pair of high heels — The Christian Louboutin kinda pair! You can also throw those tassels onto your jackets and trousers too. If you are looking for some fringe benefits, make sure you get yourself one of those gorgeous dresses.

A look back at the history of fringes
Native American tribes had created garments with fringes to help the wearer repel rain water. It was a border of hanging threads or cords often made with suede or leather. In 1920s, it became a popular dress style for women. Skirts suddenly rose above the knee and the fringe was used to add length to these daring styles. The fringe became immensely popular among young Americans who were keenly interested in civil rights, showing sympathy to the Native American cause. In 1969, the Hollywood film Easy Rider helped popularise the fringe as a fashion statement more than a political one.

The fringe has made a number of comebacks over the past few decades, and has now made its way to the runways of New York fashion week. Designers such as Givenchy, Rebecca Minkoff and Alexander Wang have all featured variations of tassels in their collections.

Designer Jyoti Sachdev Iyer (JSI) says, “We’ve been experimenting with tassels and fringes for a while, whether it was our capsule couture collection or the more recent ready-to-wear whites embellished with tassels. They add movement to an otherwise still outfit and movement is always fun and soft.”

We also asked Sounak Pushpita Sen Barat of House of Three to tell us what he thought about this trending style and he elaborated, “The tassel and fringe trims are back in trend in both versions of their original avatars of the swinging flapper girls of the 20s as well as in its gypsy bohemian flower power flair of the 60s and 70s. You can wear them in dark tones and some celestial bling for your evenings to bring in the whole Art Deco flapper girl charm of the 20s and 30s. Think Great Gatsby. For day wear, use tassels in a more bohemian gypsy inspired way with eclectic country embroideries, beaded jewellery.”

While we like to bring to you the latest in fashion, we also endorse what Alexander McQueen has to say; “Fashion should be a form of escapism. Not a form of imprisonment!”

— The writer helms a fashion brand with international elements, and walks the talk when it comes to runway rousing!