Trendy Ruffled Outfits Ideas. Ruffles, frills, and flounces! Whether it is an Elie Saab, Chanel, Vintage, or Gucci fashion show, everyone has fallen in love with dresses that have a lot of bounce. Ruffled and frilled outfits are a timeless and classic fashion idea that you can opt for any day and every day.
Frills can be used as embellishments on a variety of clothing items, including pants, shirts, collars, headbands, dresses, and frocks. Ruffles have an interestingly dramatic history, but today they’re associated with femininity. These decorative trimmings are famous for being a Disney princess trademark while being favored by all major fashion designers in all cultures.
How to Wear Frilled and Ruffled Outfits
Frills look great on toddlers, kids, teenagers, and grown-up women alike. Let us amaze you with some stunning ideas about styling yourself for a ruffled and frilled outfit that will awaken the hidden princess inside you. But first, let us take you through a quick but fun walk-through!
Ruffles, frills, or flounces – what’s the difference?
The terminologies are often interchangeably used, but there’s a subtle difference between them. They are all essentially the same thing. These are decorative trimmings that are added to garments, and bedding, etc., to give them more volume or bounce, but the difference between them lies in the way they’re added.
Ruffles, frills, or furbelows are pleated strips of fabric, ribbon, or lace that are sewn on the edge of the textile. These frills or ruffles have the volume all the way from their top, where they are gathered to the bottom, where the fullness shows.
Flounces, on the other hand, produce the same effect but with less bulk at the top. These are cut in a curved fashion so that they are smaller in length at the top with a lot of volume at the bottom. When you sew a flounce, you don’t have to gather the fabric or make pleats, but it bounces the same as ruffles!
Ruffles come in many types, so there’s a lot to choose from and experiment with.
In dressmaking, you’ll see six types of ruffles:
- Single-edge ruffles (the most straight-forward type)
- Double-edge ruffles (single strip of fabric that is gathered at the middle)
- Double-width ruffles (similar to the above type but made with two strips of fabric or one folded in half)
- Circular ruffles (similar to flounces)
- Cascading ruffles (made to cascade along the hem of a neck-line, a modification of circular ruffles)
- Waterfall ruffles (sewn on off-shoulder dresses with elastic thread)
The trend that’s associated with femininity and girlish charm today was historically unisex. They were first worn by soldiers in 16th century Spain!
In later centuries, both men and women wore ruffles in various styles. There even came a period when ‘dandy’ menswear was all the rage. The men of those times wore ruffles cravats. By the 20th century, ruffles were considered inappropriate for male attire.
Where to Buy Ruffle Dresses
- Ruffle Girl: It’s a fun clothing line that offers bright, colorful, and frilly clothing for girls, babies, and women. They also offer daily deals and sales.
- Amazon: Your go-to place for affordable and stylish pieces from various sellers and brands.
- Bloomingdales: Their ruffle dress collection has classy formal and casual outfits.
- Neiman Marcus: Be sure to check out their swoon-worthy dresses.
- Forever21: Feel forever young and bubbly in this brand’s ruffle outfits.
Don’t miss out on our earlier posts about 20 Ideas on What to Wear for Hanukkah.
↓ 25 – Ruffled Indian Sarees
No one does ruffles like Indian fashion designers, and we mean it! You won’t see a single traditional Indian garb that doesn’t have yards upon yards of fabric used on it. These dresses are always extravagantly flouncy and flared, which is why they’re so beloved. Take these sarees, for instance. Instead of a simple flared hem, the designer has added ruffles all over the chiffon, making them look gorgeous double time!
↓ 24 – African Printed Ruffle Dress
What’s better than a multi-layered frilled dress? Why, an African-printed multi-layered frilled dress, of course! The abstract nature of the print and the earthy colors make this dress look like a tiered chocolate cake: delicious, creamy, and drool-worthy! The stunning neck-piece and slick bun are on point as well.
↓ 23 – Frilled Collar Detail
This collar might look super stiff and uncomfortable, but the truth is, it’s hard to focus on that because it’s absolutely out of this world! Ruffled collars were a huge deal back in the day; they were worn by men and women and were also a significant part of costume designs. It’s nice to see how something outdated can be adapted and modified for modern times.
↓ 22 – Wedding Dress Inspiration
Ruffled dresses have made a big comeback in fashion in the past couple of years. Major names in fashion have been seen displaying these decorations in their collections. Wedding dress designers seem to have taken more inspiration than the rest. A good chunk of Western wedding dresses sport ruffles, frills, and flounces in various styles. Consider these candy-colored confections for your best friend’s wedding. You can be the bridesmaid no one can forget.
You’ll enjoy our next read on 35 Ways to Wear Tie Neck Blouse.
↓ 21 – Ruffle Trend 2020
It’s quarantine and chill for us as we admire this beautiful put-together white dress with side ruffles. Matching masks are the new normal in 2020, so you should get one made with your wedding dress as well. The frilly detail on this piece is subtle, yet it demands to be appreciated. We love that!
↓ 20 – Bubblegum-pink Gown with Lush Sleeve Detailing
We did say that no one does ruffles like Indian designers, didn’t we? The more we gush about this dress, the less it would be. Where to start? The fact that it’s pink has florals, and oh, the enormous and utterly fantastic ruffles that are giving us major vibes should be enough to articulate how speechless we are.
↓ 19 – Bold Single-flounce Shirt
If you don’t want so many frills in your shirt because it is making you uncomfortable, then you can go for a bold single frilled shirt, and yes, it will look good with pants, skirts, or flared trousers too. Go for anything readily available with a single frilled shirt. Bold ruffles like these are classy and something that can be seen more often in shirts and tops. Keep the rest of your clothing minimalist in terms of color and design because this top will cover all the rest.
↓ 18 – Chic Tops with Trailing Ruffled Sleeves
Don’t want frills at the bottom edge of your shirt? Guess what? You can have ruffled sleeves instead! A classic old English movies touch can be seen in the image below. Monochrome is the best way to go with chic ensembles like this one. Carrying these sleeves might be a bit tricky, but nothing can stop you if you’ve got slaying the fashion scene on your mind. Pay special attention to the accessories you wish to wear with this outfit. Our recommendation is to go for thin, subtle pieces like the bracelet the model is wearing.
↓ 17 – Flared Frilled Tops Perfect for Summers
Flared Frilled tops are one of the trendiest things that work best for the summers. They’re comfortable, breathable, calming to look at, soft to the touch, and they go rather splendidly with denim shorts and pants. For internship or college, white frilled tops are a fantastic choice.
↓ 16 – Top and Skirt Combo
Here you are with a jazzy number with cascading ruffles to steal your breath away! Gladiator sandals will go hand in hand with this sizzling hot look. Here is a fashion tip: always go with solid colors with frills; the outfit looks elegant that way. For date night and a little bit of dancing right after, this ruffled top and skirt combination is ideal. It seems to be made of a flexible material which will allow you to move freely. The skirt also has enough bounce and flare for you to navigate comfortably.
↓ 15 – Sophisticated Office Look
You have a meeting with your office colleagues the next morning, and you want to look chic and confident. The solution is simple. A feminine and bold look in the outfit below is what you are looking for. This is the third black and white ensemble that features a white top with some stylish form of flounces and black pants or trousers. This trend is popular, and many designers have repeated it. We think it’s fair to say that going the monochrome route with outfits that have frills is the safest way to go.
↓ 14 – Cute Princess Dress
Are you a girl on a quest, off to find magical places and travel to far off lands? No, just going to the museum? No, problem! Look cute in this short white dress with an adorably ruffled skirt and an off-the-shoulder top. Tie up your hair with ruffled hair accessories that will definitely support your overall ruffle style. Wear a nice backpack and some sturdy footwear to go along with the dress.
↓ 13 – Classy Shirts with Frilly Hems
Ready-made tops like these can be found online with a little bit of searching. Many online stores have specific sections that showcase dresses and outfits with frills and ruffles. This gorgeous Muslim woman can be seen wearing a navy-blue shirt top that almost reaches her knees. The buttoned-up shirt is plain, but for the detail at the hem and the shoulders. We especially love the shoulder flares; they lend a certain authority to the outfit. Paired with a big white hijab and white pants, this ensemble looks fantastic for an evening stroll at the beach.
↓ 12 – Denim Mini Skirt
What a killing combination this is! See how comfortable it looks. The striped sweatshirt and high-waisted mini denim skirt with a minimally flared hem is an inspiring outfit for gals preparing for a tough day, finding a job, or doing something similarly taxing. The mini cross-body is further accentuating the city-girl look.
↓ 11 – Off-the-shoulder Ruffled Jumpsuit
Skinny figures will look best in this style. It’s a type of style mantra that you can carry anywhere with you. It is an evergreen style statement of many Hollywood celebrities as well. The comfort level of this ensemble is super high, but the fashion points it deserves aren’t far behind. While black is universally accepted as the color that suits everyone, try to find a similar outfit in a brighter, livelier hue. You can select a color depending on what season it is. So, brown, gold, and red for fall and shades of blue and grey for winters, for instance.
↓ 10 – Sweatshirts with a Flare
Sweatshirts are often touted as ugly, loose things you can chill at home in. People wear it outside frequently, but they don’t usually impress unless they have a catchy slogan or style. This flouncy sweatshirt is certainly the catchiest we’ve ever seen. Wear this to your morning jog at the park, and you are sure to receive a lot of admiring stares.
↓ 9 – Ruffled Pants for Ladies
This is one style out of hundreds of ways ruffles can be added to pants. We liked this one more because the color is hot! Be sure to wear these with a crop-top or something that stops above your waist to better show off these magnificent frills.
↓ 8 – Swag College Girl Outfit
Aren’t you glad to see a frilly top that isn’t white? This seductive emerald top is all kinds of pretty, and we recommend it as party-wear.
↓ 7 – Camo Jacket Top for Fall
If you like to dress by season, you’ll simply love this one. Not only are the colors fall-appropriate, but the outfit itself is best for autumn as well because it’s neither hot nor cold. This funky camo jacket slash top has stunning detail and looks great with the black shorts.
↓ 6 – Pretty Dress for a Day Out
The world is going crazy for Netflix’s Emily in Paris. Lily Collins’s wardrobe is a dream, and here’s a beautiful ruffled dress to make you feel like you’ve entered her world.
↓ 5 – Chiffon Frills
We love the floral embroidery on the sleeves!
↓ 4 – Professional-looking Bow Ruffles
Entrepreneur and office-going ladies take note!
↓ 3 – Sleeveless Top with Double Frills
Wear skinny jeans with this top, preferably white.
↓ 2 – Asymmetrical Ruffle Dress
It’s flawless as a bridesmaid dress! You can increase the length if you want by adding more frills!
↓ 1 – Floral Frills for Spring
This butter-yellow and blue stunner has our hearts! It looks incredibly chic with the baby blue hijab!
