The Smooth Ways to Wear Ruffles

You can wear frills and ruffles in a variety of ways, from ultra-feminine to goth. They were a big trend in the spring and summer, but there's no reason you can't continue to wear them when the weather is colder. They can give your outfit plenty of oomph, but you're also in danger of overdoing it if you're not careful. That's why frills and ruffles are something of a love/hate feature - some people think that they're always over the top. But if you think you can get away with them if you wear them in the right way, a few tips on how to build a frilly outfit can help you out.

Have the Courage of Your Convictions

There's no denying it: if you want to wear ruffles, you have to be prepared to go big. It's hard to make them understated, so you can't be shy about wearing them. While it's not exactly an outfit tip or fashion pairing in itself, wearing frills and ruffles confidently is the first thing you should remember. Don't make it look like you're doubting your choices or you're wearing your ruffles reluctantly. Try to be bold and recognise that there's really no way to downplay a frilly outfit.

Combine Your Ruffles with Shape

Ruffles can have the tendency to look a bit shapeless or else to make you a bit of an odd shape. But you can wear them and still keep your figure if you choose the right pieces. A fitted bustier top with a ruffle down the front or a wrap skirt with a ruffled hem gives you the flounce you're looking for, without making you all flop. Look for clothes that still allow you to give your figure definition, like a dress with a belt. Remember that your whole outfit doesn't have to be full of frills, so you can keep them in one area and make sure you still have plenty of structure elsewhere.

Layer Lace Frills

Lace is a great material to use if you're feeling frilly. It gives you the ruffles you want, but they're loose and flowing, and they're also not a solid block of fabric. You can layer lace tops over other items, which allows the colours and material from your other clothes to peek through. Try a peplum top with a darker colour worn underneath it (shirt or trousers) or maybe a top with lace, ruffled sleeves and a camisole/vest top underneath. Or consider an off-the-shoulder top with a frilled collar for extra flounce.

Vary Your Ruffle Sizes

Ruffles come in all kinds of sizes, and with different numbers of layers too. You don't have to have huge frills down your sleeves, drowning your hands and making it impossible to eat. You can look at different ruffle sizes and try out a few to find what works for you. Just because you feel like being a bit frilly, it doesn't mean you always have to go all-out. Smaller frills can look cute too, and they're easier to wear to work or other places when larger ruffles might not be the most practical thing to wear.

Balance the Ruffles with a Bit of Rough

Frills and ruffles can look a bit too cutesy if you're not careful. If you want to avoid looking like you've had an accident with a net curtain, you need to balance out the cuteness with a harder look. You might pair your frilly outfit with a pair of solid boots to make sure you don't drown in ruffles. Or you could wear a leather jacket over your frilly top or skirt, or perhaps a belt to give your outfit some more definition and detail. Even though you have to be bold with frills and ruffles, you can still do some things to make sure they aren't too over the top.

Ruffle Your Accessories

For a slightly more subdued way to wear ruffles, you can look at accessories with frills instead. There are shoes, bags, necklaces, and more that feature the frilly fun you're looking for. It's much easier to pair an accessory with a ruffle on it with an outfit than it is to work out how you can style some other ruffled clothes. It's super easy to wear a ruffled necklace or buy a pair of shoes with ruffles on the toes. Plus, they're more appropriate for wearing to the office or maybe going on a smart night out.

Ruffles can be a little hard to get away with, but you can find ways to make them work. Just wear them with confidence if you don't want it to be a fashion disaster.