The thing about ruffles
Oh, ruffles… Romantic, powerful and girly – like wearing flowers in your hair. Honestly, I like them and find them attractive. But, but, but. Why on earth would someone who gravitates towards the minimal and is not that girly even contemplate wearing ruffles? It’s simple: to add extra zing to a minimal look (ie. maxi-minimalism) and enjoy the power of ruffles at the same time.
Choosing your target
First of all, choose carefully. To give a subtle boost to minimal outfits, I tone down anything that’s conspicuous. I also steer clear of colour and rich print. Therefore, I suggest you go for a black and white palette. If you want some print, select an easy and plain one – for example, stripes, checks or pinspots. In addition, if this is just a first experiment, why not pick an item that’s as good as it gets in terms of the price tag.
Another crucial point is the fit. Oversized is still a key trend out there, but it does matter where exactly a thin blouse comes up big. This top from H&M works perfectly compared to other oversized-cut tops. It’s a slim fit on the shoulders and relaxed slim on the upper arms. I didn’t even try it on in the store, just grabbed the smallest size I could find and was good to go.
Building the look
Anything with ruffles will steal the show so I like to make sure to keep the rest of the outfit clean. I recommend wearing this blouse with your favourite skinny or slim jeans. For a more formal look, choose black tailored trousers. For work, add sleek black leather ankle boots or add a bit of a fashion pro pop with white ankle boots. You can also dress it down with white trainers (or black Converse hi-tops), or maybe some other black flats with white soles. Luckily, this look can carry just about any style of black coat or jacket from the boyfriend coat through the leather biker to the bomber.
Have you had other issues or made a great discovery about ruffles or about how to wear them out of pink Barbie-land? Let me know via the comments, email or my social accounts!
Love,
Gabriella
ruffle check blouse: H&M
jeans: Mango
sunglasses: Ray-Ban
