FASHION

WHY YOU SHOULD BE WEARING RUFFLES THIS SEASON

By Ayis Stephen-Diver, 23 September 2024

Coming from the German term “ruffelen” which means “to wrinkle,” ruffles have been a beloved fashion detail for centuries. These delicate manipulations of fabric provided a level of decadence and extravagance coveted by everyone from Marie Antoinette to Simone Rocha. After seasons of clean structure and minimalism, the ruffle re-infuses softness, romance and drama into the current fashion landscape. You may associate ruffles with spring and summer, but we predict they’ll be a mainstay in AW24 – read on for our reasons why.

Collage of models at the Chloé AW24 runway show, wearing ruffle clothing

Pictures: Getty Images

#1: THEY'RE TOTALLY BOHO

Chemena Kamali's AW24 Chloé show made it clear: boho is back. This kind-of-cowboycore, kind-of-coquette aesthetic became synonymous with 70s hippie culture and is usually identified by neutrals, naturals and, of course, ruffles. The free-flowing vibe of ruffle dresses, skirts or sleeves are a big part of nailing boho – pair a ruffled blouse with a slouchy bag, brown boots and maximalist jewellery to fully embrace the trend.

Model wearing miscellaneous ruffled clothing outfits

Mango ruffle hem blouse in plum, £80

#2: YOU CAN STYLE THEM UP OR DOWN

Old aristocracy had a monopoly on ruffles that thankfully doesn’t exist now, you can channel their elegance by wearing ruffles on date nights or to dinners. On the flip side, grunge fashion gave ruffles an edge – team darker pieces with leather trousers and pointed-toe boots for a casual take.

Daisy Edgar-Jones wearing Chloé AW24 ruffle dresses. Left: cream minidress with brown clogs. Right: Blue maxi dress with suede boots.

Pictures: Getty Images

#3: THEY'RE DAISY EDGAR-JONES-APPROVED

Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones has been establishing herself as a fashion heavyweight lately, and when she stepped out in these ruffle looks we knew she was serious. Strolling in NYC, she styled a semi-sheer mini dress with brown clogs and a slouchy tote for some Emily Ratajkowski cool. On another occasion, she was spotted in a blue cutout maxi. If you aren't big on neutrals, pastel ruffles achieve a similarly sylph-like aura.