Resurfacing of the Fringe Trend
To no surprise, the fashion world is bringing back fringe for the millionth time— and I’m not complaining!
My magnetic pull towards fringed mid-knee skirts is pretty revealing of my enduring obsession with the Roaring Twenties—think Daisy Buchanan elegance in the flapper age. With a hint of glam and a dose of swank, the 1920s was the premiere of numerous fantastic —and fringe-tastic —styles. While sequins and feathers were undoubtedly traffic stoppers, their glitziness was the reason for their abrupt fades in-and-out of fashion. Fringe, on the other hand, is way more subtle, and still reminds the fashion sphere of the excess and excitement of the era. Since the 1920s, flapper-like dresses have resurfaced intermittently to remind the fashion world of the true Golden Age while appealing to those vintage-style pilgrimers. Dressed in a fringe mini dress, it‘s as if I’ve jumped into a time machine and physically transformed into flapper fashion icon Clara Bow attending some Gatsby-like soirée. Check these beauties out for yourself:
On and off the runway since the 1920s, fringe has always managed to stick around. Let’s #TBT to the 1960s with its rocker suede fringe jackets and knee-length fringe hippie vests. With its edgy feel and fierce appearance, the fringe undercurrent had made big strides since its flapper days. The fringe ripped look became symbolic of the counterculture’s torn feelings about American society, which attracted the time’s ideal consumer group to this fashionable emblem of sixties’ rebellion. I can literally picture Janis Joplin, the Queen of Rock and Roll, in fringed garb on stage before a crowd of Baby Boomers or a horde of free lovers protesting the Vietnam War.
In the past, my shopping tendencies have rarely involved indulging too much on seemingly-fleeting trends. I’m usually willing to spend more on enduring essentials, such as a lasting leather jacket or a flattering formal dress rather than investing in the polka-dot-craze or the periodic high-low obsession. In time, all fads fade and leave fashion followers empty pocketed. From time to time, succumbing to fashion’s current trends is understandable, but I’ll usually stop by Zara, Topshop, or H&M when surrendering to a fashion fad.
Yet — the fringe look is not just a moment in time. Last spring, I got to experience the teenage right of passage in my endless search for the perfect prom dress. At the time, fringe was not on the cover of Vogue — or anywhere for that matter — but I found a steal: a Jonathan Simkhai black fringe gown. Heavily reduced from its original price, I knew I could not pass it up. Despite my slight reluctance to splurge on a previous season’s trend, I ordered the dress for my senior prom, and it fit like a glove! My somewhat-outdated prom dress would eventually prove its worth as I was certain that the fringe trend would be revived soon enough that my dress would ultimately come back in style. And less than a year later, fringe is back! What is even more surprising, my prom dress has been resurrected on the market. Now, I can gleefully pride myself on finding this catch first. I’m currently counting down the days until my next black-tie event so I can slip on my beloved — and in style— senior prom dress.
You may wonder, why can’t the fashion industry let go of the fringe fad? Whether it’s the freedom from the restricting female couture of the 1920s or its status as a symbol for political independence in the ripped rock n’ roll look from the 1960s, fringe lets us all let loose in one way or another. The movement of the material— the swoosh of every step— liberates its wearers and frees the body. Fringe truly is fashion’s material of freedom. Suffice it to say, fringe has never truly been on-the-fringe of going out of style.
