It's trendy: ruffles<

Because the good weather will arrive soon, La Presse dissects the spring-summer fashion trends: which styles, fabrics and prints to adopt? Where do these currents come from and how to appropriate them? We tell you everything.

The trend

Ruffles (commonly called frills) are definitely at the forefront of spring and summer trends. "It's something quite present, year after year, but there is a real boom this season," says Isabelle Conan-Cormier, stylist at Lili & Co.

Reminiscent of the bohemian style, the ruffles are a pleated and gathered fabric trim. Airy, they bring a touch of femininity, elegance and lightness to clothes. “When we think of ruffles, we can think of stage costumes, like those oversized opera dresses,” explains Caroline Bécotte, fashion design teacher at the École de mode at Cégep Marie-Victorin. And we can also make a link with the image of the princesses. »

Ruffles also appeared at the time of royalty and castles: it was ⁱⁿ the 16th century that they were in vogue with aristocrats (think strawberries and jabots), after having been worn by German mercenaries.

Where do we see them?

On the catwalks of fashion shows, from Paris to New York, via London and Milan, ruffles steal the show. Designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Miu Miu, Miyake, Chanel, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, Alexander McQueen, among others, have adorned their key pieces with ruffles. Ruffles are found on dresses, bustiers, skirts, tops, swimsuits… “Ruffles are everywhere on the catwalks, confirms M ^me Bécotte. The stars have also propelled the trend a lot. »

Thus, during the recent Grammy Awards ceremony, several stars chose ruffles to pimp their outfits: Ariana Grande, Chrissy Teigen, Camila Cabello, Ella Mai, Sofia Carson, FKA Twigs, to name a few.

Ruffles are also everywhere in the collections of the big chains: H&M, Tristan, Zara, Aritzia and Maison Simons put them forward.

Why now ?

“We cannot say that the planet is doing very well, drops Caroline Bécotte. However, ruffles have a little something frivolous, light and refreshing. I see it as a counterweight to everything that's going on. »

Stylist Isabelle Conan-Cormier believes that frills are back in fashion trends because they are intimately linked to femininity. “In recent years, the androgynous look, with wider and boxier cuts, has been popular,” she mentions. Ruffles are attributed to femininity, softness, movement and sensuality. So it's a fair return. »

We try them

The two fashion experts agree: ruffles are pretty easy to wear. "Since they add volume, we can choose to wear them on the narrowest part of our body," suggests ^Ms. Conan-Cormier. For example, if you are rather small in the upper body, you can wear a top with ruffles with a skirt or narrower pants. »

The piece to adopt? The dress. “My favorite version would be a strapless dress, which allows for bare shoulders, with a few ruffles, in tone on tone,” says ^Ms. Bécotte. Isabelle Conan-Cormier believes that the dress has a great advantage: you don't have to wonder what to match it with. "You can choose it with the ruffles at the top of the body or at the bottom," she says. It can be worn in spring with a jacket and high boots. And we wear it all summer long with sandals! Another idea: choose a skirt with one or more flounces at the hem; we pair it with a fitted top.

Among the colors to favor for our ruffled pieces: bright or pastel colors. Do we hesitate? We choose colors from the earth palette, which are easier to match.