The top trend of spring/summer 2015 may well be a 1970s throwback: Fringe.
Retailers everywhere are carrying oodles of the strippy stuff in a wide range of prices, from embellishments on shoes and bags to all-out fringy jackets (think “Easy Rider”) along with skirts, dresses and tops. The new fringe frontier has hippie roots, but also harks back to American Indian tribes where fringe was utilitarian, repelling water away from the wearer. (Notes: Do not get your suede jackets wet unless you treat them with a protective spray, and even then, avoid the rain.)
And in the 1920s, fringed flapper dresses offered ladies a faux longer hemline (modesty and all) but still allowed freedom of movement for all those crazy dances such as the Charleston.
But today, fashion-forward stores such as Intermix have gotten behind the fringe factor big time, offering customers everything from mod mini dresses to bright sandals and jewelry.
“Fringe can be incorporated into most women’s wardrobes . . . for daytime or evening looks,” says Intermix fashion director Gia Ghezzi. Describing the look as “feminine flare and bohemian glamour,” she adds, “after coming out of a clean minimal season, it feels like a modern statement.”
Virtually anyone can fringe it up, says style expert Jacqui Stafford. “Today’s fringe is ageless. You can wear it if you’re 6 or 60, but you just have to use just a touch of it to be modern and fresh rather than a fashion victim.”
So should you invest in a pricey fringed piece this season? It comes down to how much joy you’ll get out of it, says TV personality Stacy London, who coaches women on their fashion choices on her new TLC show, “Love, Lust or Run” (its second season starts in June). If you love an orange fringey jacket and look great in it, “then it’s a joy and you cannot put a price on joy.” She does issue a warning, however. “You have to be careful that fringe doesn’t overwhelm an outfit. It can be a little distracting . . . to me the first choice is always an accessory, a fringe bootie or a bag.”
As for the trend’s longevity, designers showed fringe going forward for fall. And what goes around does seem to come around. As London points out, “a lot of things recycle.” And that’s certainly a fringe benefit.
