Since last Fall when the ruffle trend first became popular, I’ve heard many women tell me why the trend is just not for them. Most cite body types or certain ‘problem’ areas they feel ruffles draw attention to. But, most cite age. They feel ruffle make them look too young or, sometimes, too old. I understand these concerns and I agree that ruffles, when done incorrectly, can be unflattering for any body type. And, ruffles, when done incorrectly, can make a woman of any age look much younger (or older) than she is. I do, however, think that when worn well, ruffles can accentuate the beauty of every body type and make women of any age look sophisticated and classy. Here’s a lowdown of how to get ruffles to work for you. I think once you find the best way to wear them, you’ll want to wear them all the time!

Ruffles on the Runway

According to style.com, there were 542 looks that featured ruffles in the Spring 2009 runway shows. That should give you an idea of how prolific ruffles were with designers. And, while there were some Little Bo Peep styles, most of them were tasteful and classy.

Shown: Elie Saab, Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera, Lela Rose

How To Wear Ruffles

1. Maintain Balance

For those who worry that their body type or ‘problem area’ is not suited to wearing ruffles, the answer is balance. Ruffles add volume. So, if you have large breasts, don’t wear tiered ruffles over them. Instead, choose a ruffled skirt or a one shoulder top that has ruffles at the top of the shoulder. If you have wide hips, don’t wear a skirt that has a huge ruffle at the waist. Instead, wear a ruffled top or a skirt with a ruffle at the hem or down the center. If you have a full body type, wear dresses that have ruffles down the center, not all over.
The opposite is true as well. If you are small breasted, wear ruffled shirts to add volume. If you have a straight body type and want the illusion of curves, wear a dress or skirt that has ruffles at the hips.
Remember, it’s all about balance!

2. Moderation

Ruffles are an accent. Like an accessory, they add a little pizazz to your outfit. But, like accessories, you don’t want to overdo it. If you wear a ruffled top, that’s enough ruffles! Don’t pair with a ruffled skirt and ruffled shoes–you’ll run the risk of looking like a can-can girl. If you wear one piece and still feel like you need to tone down the ruffle-ness of it, top with a blazer or cardigan.

3. Muted Accessories

As I said above, ruffles act like accessories. So, there’s no need to wear a ton of accessories to dress up your look. Wear a cuff bracelet or bangles, a pair of dangling earrings and that’s it. Don’t wear statement necklaces that draw attention away from your ruffles.

4. Pair With Straight Lines

In working to maintain balance in your look, pair ruffled pieces with tailored, tight-fitting pieces. The Elie Saab photo shown above is a great example of what I mean by this. Notice how the full, ruffled top is paired with tailored, tight shorts. If the top was paired with a full skirt or pleated shorts, that model would look twice as big. Too many ruffles and too much fullness can look a little muu muu.

Ruffled Pieces

Ruffled Tops

Shown: Ruffle Ruched Top $18.99, Ruffle Top $17.99, Ruffled Blouse $99

Ruffled Dresses

Shown: Gotha Short Dress $69, Lauren Silk Dress $98.90, Tahari One Shoulder Dress $98.90

Ruffled Skirts

Shown: Gianni Skirt $88, Chiffon Skirt $14.99, Ruffle Pencil Skirt $29.50

Ruffled Shoes

Shown: Nina $89, Steve Madden $49.99, Steve Madden $80.85

I hope these tips give you new-found courage to try ruffles. Remember: BALANCE!
What do you think? Are ruffles for you?

Though we’re in the heat of Summer, many stores are beginning to release their Fall Collections and we’re starting to look forward to what’s in store for us fashion-wise. After watching quite a few fashion shows and writing weekly ‘Fashion Distraction’ articles, here’s my list of the Top 10 Trends for Fall 2009.

Shown: Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Herve Leger, BCBG Max Azria

Yep, believe it…built-out shoulders were present in many shows. Some designs were cut or draped in a way that brought attention to the shoulders. Others actually featured padding and stiff, strong shoulders reminiscent of the 80’s.

Shown: Alexander Wang, Donna Karan, Emilio Pucci, Gucci

Designs with interestingly placed cut-outs were a big hit with many designers. Donna Karan’s ‘cold-shoulder’ dress features cutouts that appear to just be draping. But, most made the cutouts more distinctive. Alexander Wang even designed cutout leggings for the season.

Shown: Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Zac Posen, Yigal Azrouel

If the built-out shoulders weren’t indication enough that the 80’s are back, check out these dresses. I like to call this Cyndi Lauper style. Láme in bright colors, tiered ruffles and pouffy sleeves paired with black lace were all on the runway ‘time after time’.

Shown: Carolina Herrera, Diane Von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, Cynthia Steffe

Sequins, sparkles and shine shimmered on many runways in full dresses, tops, skirts, pants and accents. Silver and gold were obviously used quite a bit, but the most surprising and striking were the copper tones.

Shown: Balmain, Matthew Williamson, Philip Lim, Alexander Wang

You may have noticed by now that most of the designs featured edgy designs with the strong, independent woman in mind. Leather worked towards this end and not just as an accent. All over leather was prominent in dresses, short and blazer combos and pants with leather corsets. Leather was also featured as the key piece in many outfits.

Shown: Narciso Rodriguez, Marc Jacobs, Matthew Williamson, Michael Kors

In keeping with the 80’s redux, neon and bright colors were prevalent in most shows. In fact, most shows consisted of black or grey designs mixed in with neon designs–there were no other colors that stood out above the rest. Yellow and pink are definitely the top picks for bright, colorful pieces this Fall. These will be great pieces to brighten things up in the middle of the cold months!

Shown: Balenciaga, Nicole Miller, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera

Emphasis on the natural waist was created with both design and accessories. In fact, very few designs cut below the natural waist. Waists were belted, buttoned and cinched to create an hourglass shape (and, I can imagine that’s hard to do on most models!). Most of the designs were also form-fitting with tapering pants and hugging skirts.

Shown: Lanvin, Carlos Miele, Alexander Wang, Michael Kors

Origami dresses were a style that started appearing in the Spring of 2009. For Fall and Winter, we’ll see origami pleating become more of a trend for dresses, jackets, tops and skirts.

Shown: Marc Jacobs, Chloe, Ralph Lauren, Rebecca Taylor

I mentioned before that slim-fitting pants and skirts that accentuated (or created) an hourglass figure were prominent on the runways. Carrot pants were a major player in this recurring theme. Higher-waisted, full-hipped and tapered to the ankles, carrot pants do, indeed, look like their namesake. Definitely an option for slacks at the office, I don’t see this trend being done in denim AT ALL.

Shown: Brian Reyes, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Rebecca Taylor

Though these collections are for Fall and Winter, there were an awful lot of short skirts, shorts and a plethora of cocktail dresses. Perhaps it’s the economy and the need to purchase something that can be worn independent of season.

Other Notables

In addition to these Top 10 Trends, other notables were gloves, over the knee boots, socks with heels, tights, hats and fair-isle knits.

Final Thoughts

As we near Fall, I’ll post on each of these trends as well as many others. To get ssasychic updates in your inbox, make sure to subscribe (if you haven’t already).


What do you think of these trends? Do you have a favorite? Let’s discuss in the comments.