There’s No Such Thing As Too Many Ruffles, for Celebrities and Shoppers Alike

Ruffles are one of fashion’s greatest onomatopoeias. The word itself sounds like the frilly, flouncy, and flirty fabric manipulation that it is. And the shape of ruffles themselves couldn’t be more feminine, if you catch my drift. And if you don’t, look no further than the nude pink dress that was sent down the Spring 2016 Gucci runway.

Naturally, Alessandro Michele gravitates towards ruffles. Not only are they reminiscent of the sixteenth century blouses and collars worn by queens and kings alike—and later Farrah Fawcett’s 1970’s hair flip—but they also have an inherent sexuality to them. They can be romantic like Rodarte, girly like Chanel, or fanciful like Gucci. Regardless, they always invite you to play.

On the runways, ruffles came with the resurgence and reclaiming of pink, and celebrities were early adopters. Dakota Johnson wore a ruffled pink Gucci gown to the premiere of Fifty Shades Darker, for example, as Elle Fanning also wore a pink tulle Gucci number of her own to the premiere of Neon Demon.

On the red carpet, large, billowing ruffles are a great way to make a statement, and quite literally wave to photographers with your dress. But for the rest of us, they’re a fun and flirty summer wardrobe update. And it goes without saying that they’re also fantastic Instagram bait.

Influencers like Kaia Gerber, Laura Harrier, Jeanne Damas, and Alexa Chung have all taken to the ruffled dresses and tops of the new French brand, Réalisation Par, making your entire feed look like they’re living it up on the Riviera. Meanwhile the urbanites of New York and London are more interested in the frayed denim ruffles of Marques Almeida.

No matter how you take your ruffles this summer, whether they’re on your body or in your body as a salty snack, the trend isn’t going anywhere—so there’s no such thing as too many.

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