Beauty: The return of ruffled clothes

During the Emmy awards this year, there were so many fashion come backs-but what caught my eye was the ruffled look that most actresses adorned on the red carpet.

Friday, March 23, 2012
Khanyi Dhlomo

During the Emmy awards this year, there were so many fashion come backs-but what caught my eye was the ruffled look that most actresses adorned on the red carpet.There were a lot of colours ranging from red to nude to even bold blue. Kelly Osbourne stepped out in a mermaid style J Mendel gown with a ruffled waist and Glee girls Heather Morris and Jayma Mays also opted for statement-making ruffled dresses.A romantic current is sweeping in this season with ruffles making waves. Designers are showing ingenious designs by playing with fabric and the result is a modern update — longer, looser, twisted and turned with many more relaxed styles than we were not used to seeing. While the red carpet moment at the Emmy Awards reflected the concept of romantic dresses, designers have also made it possible to have decent ruffled dresses that can be office appropriate. In fact, ruffles can add a feminine twist in conservative clothing for women whose careers require them to be always in suits. A ruffled blouse can really complement trousers or a skirt suit. They help to soften the woman’s look, while carving out curves in just the right places.In some cases, there are other working environments which allow women to experiment with colours and outfit combinations, but you still need to keep it professional; that is the time to think of solid-coloured tops with simple ruffles paired with trousers and a decent pair of shoes just appropriate for the office. If the dress code at your work place is strict, opting for ruffle tops in neutral colours such as black, white, blues, light pinks and browns, can be ideal and pair it off with a tailored suit.For those whose work place does not have strict dress code, go for the chic style, where you can pair your ruffle blouse with a simple piece such as a blazer jacket, a pair of jeans, gladiator shoes and a sleek tote bag. The shoes and the bag help balance out the frilly details of the top. A weekend out, a ruffle blouse can be well paired with jeans, and add some colour to it by carrying a red or blue tote bag and not forgetting to wear high heeled shoes that will give you a relaxed but classy look.For the lovers of skirts, there is no need to be shy; a ruffle blouse looks very chic and stylish if worn with a skirt as well. A possible combination of brown skirt with red ruffled blouse or a black pencil skirt with a multi coloured ruffle blouse will simply look sensational.Ruffles have been there for ages, both men and women wore them in the 1900’s. The good thing with ruffles is that they are timeless and come in various styles whether in tops or blouses; such as the ruffled neckline and also the one-shoulder sleeves. Designers have also come up with very classy dress shirt blouse with ruffles along the button line, which are flattering for both small and large busts.Now, the secret to ruffle clothes is that they add fullness to an area. Ladies with smaller busts look very sexy with ruffled blouses because the ruffles add the much needed fullness. Ladies it is time to put your best foot forward and add some girlie outfits in your wardrobe, the ruffle dress and blouses are just the way to go.