The Fringe Fever

*Fringe (noun) – an ornamental border of threads left loose or formed into tassels or twists which is used to edge clothing or any kind of material

This Busy Queen has  been seeing  a lot of  products with fringes in almost all of the display windows of  stores and boutiques  she’s gone to around the metro.   Fringes in bags, shoes, accessories and in clothes are abound and aplenty.  It looks like  this seventies trend which started several seasons back is not slowing down any time soon.

From Function to Fashion
Just exactly when and how did the use of fringes originate? The American Indians cut the edges of their outerwear to help shed moisture.  As the fringes moved back and forth, their clothes dried faster as water fell to the tips more quickly.   So back then, the focus was more on function and not fashion. The Apache tribe, however, mimicked nature in their clothing and might have used fringes to simulate feathers and wings.  Many years later, in the 1920’s, the skirts got shorter, fringed hemlines went swinging and the flapper look was born. But it was the free-spirited 60’s and 70’s,  that immortalized the hippie-happy fringe look.  Everyone from rockstars to your average Joes and Janes embraced the fringe like they did free love. Four decades later, we now have elite fashion houses such as Miu Miu, Chanel and Gucci breathing new life to the fringe look in their runways and making it a global trend.

Into the Swing of Things

This column is all about sharing my fabulous finds.   Here, I’ve rounded up products from the affordable to the expensive.  I’m quite sure the fashionista in you is more than willing to give this look a try.  Just how much you want to embrace the craze is totally up to you.

As I mentioned earlier, the fringe mania is likely to be with us for several seasons more.  Be sure to choose pieces that you can mix and match with whatever is in your closet.   With that said, go ahead and get caught up in the fringe fever!
With a pocketful of glitter,