Last year, Chemena Kamali made her Chloé debut with the Fall/Winter 2024 collection, and it was immediately evident: she leaned heavily into the brand’s bohemian past. What could have been a nostalgic nod turned into something larger: a reawakening of a certain 1970s spirit that had been dormant in fashion’s mainstream. Over the past year, as the pendulum swung away from ultra-minimal tailoring and sharp corporate chic, as boho found fresh relevance. It carried not only an aesthetic but also a mood—romantic, free-spirited, deliberately less polished—that resonated with a generation reconsidering what it means to dress with ease and personality.
Within this resurgence, all things ruffled and fringed cemented themselves on the trend charts. Along with ruffled, sheer dresses, came the long ruffled top, that is gradually emerging as a defining silhouette this fall. Its appeal lies in both its drama and its functionality: open-front shapes layered over trousers, gauzy blouses that billow with every movement, cascading ruffles that extend the line of the body without the rigidity of structure. The effect recalls the seventies icons who once wore similar shapes and yet the modern incarnation is sharper, styled with leather boots or lean denim rather than flowing skirts. The contrast keeps it relevant, an interplay between softness and edge. Further, it makes a great layering piece, worn over pants, and under jackets as the weather turns cooler.
What makes this trend noteworthy is how it reshapes proportion. The length elongates the torso while the ruffles create movement, a departure from the cropped tops and skin-baring silhouettes that dominated in recent seasons. The success of this revival rests in how designers temper the romanticism with modern grounding: paired with tailored trousers, accented with minimal jewelry, worn over sturdy boots rather than delicate sandals. The styling makes the difference.
The long ruffled top, then, is more than a passing fad. It embodies the cyclical nature of style, but also the subtle ways in which each era reclaims and redefines its past. Today’s ruffles are about movement, proportion, and the freedom to let clothes shape-shift with the body and the moment.
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