Rock ruffles for elegance

 

There are trends whose role is to simply add a specific detail to a piece of clothing, making it more feminine, flirty and special. Ruffles are one such trend.

 

Debuting on the international runways at the end of 2007, this is a trend reminiscent of yesteryears, of a by-gone romantic era when both men and women dressed to impress. Yes, even men once wore ruffles, pleats and frills on the cuffs and chest. Today, if a man turned up to work in a frilly shirt, the homophobic police would be out to get him!

 

Anyway, this column addresses women and luckily, we can wear anything without our sexuality being questioned. Back to ruffles; they are a great way to inject some elegance and style into your closet.

 

The workplace calls for a more restrained take on fashion particularly in a formal environment. Luckily, ruffles come in varying degrees of volume and style, making them okay for work. Consider a two-tone ruffled top teamed with a straight skirt or neutral trousers.

 

For a desk to dinner look, go for a simple dress with flat pleats around the neckline. Similarly, a jacket with face-framing ruffles can catapult your look from ordinary to glamorous.

 

A casual work environment calls for a more relaxed look such as a blouse with ruffles on floaty sleeves or nice black trousers with ruffled ballet pumps. However laidback the workplace culture, it is important to still keep your manner of dress professional. Think simple ruffles with formal skirt or trousers. By the way, a ruffled blouse does add allure to an ordinary pair of jeans. 

 

Inclusion of ruffles in your corporate wardrobe is quite acceptable as this is a trend that never grows old. Ruffles come in different cuts and symmetries to accommodate every occasion, shape and size.  

As with all trends, proportion and balance come into play here. Ruffles can help add volume to different parts of the body, but be careful not to look too bulky or unbalanced.

 

Small bust: Wear ruffles along the neckline or bust to balance out your silhouette. Avoid ruffles around the hips as you can look heavy and disproportionate. 

 

Pear shape: Because you have narrow shoulders and wide hips, it is advisable to go for ruffles on boat necklines and sleeves. 

 

Curvaceous: To create curves, wear tops with ruffled hemlines as they give the illusion of hips or around the shoulder line.

 

Slim silhouette: Try flat layered ruffles because they are more slimming than flounces and tiered ones.

 

Flat tummy: Ruffles along the bottom line flatter big busts, as well as camouflaging a large tummy.

 

Plus size: If worn along the stomach and hips, ruffles can add inches to your frame, while visually reducing your height. In the end, you may look rounder and shorter. Flat pleat ruffles that run vertically like a waterfall would be more flattering in this case.