There’s fringe in my future!

It had to happen. The newer generations have discovered a fashion look which they’re calling “Boho” (Bohemian), inspired by what people my age knew as hippie. The look was, in years past, sartorially represented in flared leg pants (bell bottoms), peasant tops, beads, headbands and …. fringe. The newer “boho” look seems a little more sedate with only one past element included in an otherwise tailored look. The attitude is not quite so anti-establishment as in the last round of the hippie style, circa 1969. So each “boho” element, as I see it, has one’s complete attention. In my humble non-fashion-editor opinion, the breakout star this round is fringe! Here are some images from New York Fashion Week Spring 2016. Credit for photos goes to Vogue Runway. Go ahead and explore this site for inspiration.

Christian Siriano, Spring 2016

 

Left: Fancy fringed cowboy chaps look  from Paco Rabanne, Spring 2016. Er, sometimes you gotta have fun with fashion.

Right: Valentino

The fringe trend re-emerged last year, and has gained momentum in 2015. And, it’s looking really good; so much that I want to include it in my next fashion make. Sorry, but I do not remember wearing fringe in 1969, so I should be allowed to go wild this time. Conventional wisdom prohibits me from sporting fringe at my age, but I’m obsessed with it.

And you know what? While trying to clean out the higher regions of my closet, I discovered this.

An evening bag I made in the early aughts, used it a bit for evenings out, put it away and forgot about it. It has major fringe applied to it! I just fell in love with my bag all over again. When lying flat on a surface, it’s just a square piece of material; when it’s filled with evening-out sundries, and picked up to begin the evening, it comes alive. It becomes a swingy lantern shape, with fringe that has a personality of it’s own!

The pattern, above, called for beaded fringe which was narrow enough that I designated it wimpy. I went for the really wide, swinging fringe. This is my POV (point of view) about fringe: go big or go home. What’s the point of fringe when it doesn’t move with you?

Another way I moved away from the pattern construction instructions. The purchased beaded fringe recommended by the pattern, has a tape on one side – obviously. The tape is needed so that it can be sewn into the seams during the construction process. But my fringe came with a pretty woven edge, so I hand stitched the fringe on the outside after the bag was complete; then went a step further and hand applied little beads to the top of the fringe.

The fabric is black bengaline and the bag is lined with dark green polyester, with a zipper running diagonally on top of the bag square.

This is enough fringe inspiration for me to obsess about more fringe-y attire and/or accessories. Here’s one. Vogue 8713, unfortunately out of print, is a vest with that panel below the hem which elevates the vest a little. Can you guess where the fringe will show up?

Hope you’ll join me in indulging in some fringe fantasies!

Samina