Trend alert: Why ruffles and frills are back in a big way

Ruffles are having a moment. But before you pull your 1980s rah-rah skirt from deep storage and scour the internet for a hair crimper, the 2024 ruffle wants you to know it’s evolved from its tousled ancestors. 

Sure, ruffles are not new, but we can’t ignore the next-gen newness of how they are used today.

Looking back, ruffles were stiff and starched and a signpost of wealth. You only need to walk the halls of an art gallery to see Elizabethan portraits depicting the status symbol of the era – the “ruff” collar – staring back at you. (Apparently, these detachable collars were highly uncomfortable, which may explain the stern expressions.)

Over time, the ruffle found its way into interiors, from stately homes to English cottages, where it reigned in the form of furniture skirting, sofa slipcovers, cushion covers, bedding, and the mattress’ red-carpet ensemble equivalent – the valance. 

After the futuristic aesthetic of the 1970s slowly faded into the galaxy, the 1980s welcomed ruffles with open arms, and finally, our flouncy friend made its way into suburbia. Someone who remembers this specific ruffle-era well is Briony Delves, creative director of bed linen and homewares label Society of Wanderers. 

“I’m an ’80s child, so ruffles were everywhere,” says Delves. “Bed linen had ruffles everywhere, and my first bed linen memory is the iconic Sheridan Chippendale design that my parents had on their bed.” 

Delves also recalls the 1990s iteration of the ruffle before clean lines, creams, and the blonde timber kitchen became the interiors-recipe of the decade. “In the 1990s, ruffles were in overload with florals and matching wallpapers a la Laura Ashley vibes with flawlessly made beds with immaculate plump pillows.” 

For the next few decades, ruffles would no longer dominate interiors but float somewhere in the background. Maybe a kitsch ruffled cushion you found in the op shop would be perched on your couch, but you’d need fine-tuned detective skills to find a ruffle elsewhere in the home.

In recent years, slowly but surely, the ruffle started to creep back with a sassier personality.

Today, the ruffle revival is in full swing, but its use is different from the past. Gone are stiff, serious ruffles in chintzy fabrics. Instead, think looser, funnier ruffles in bold, graphic prints and colours. 

“Now we have reimagined them with the rawness of unhemmed edges and the texture of yarn-dyed linen, so the look is more subtle and less perfect,” explains Delves. “We are embracing the crumbles, creases and raw edges.” 

When Delves launched Society of Wanderers in 2013, she knew ruffles would feature prominently in her designs.  

“I love that ruffles are being used so much in interiors at the moment,” she says. “We’ve seen an increase in the use of colour and texture over the last few years and ruffles are extra fun in the world of maximalism.”

If you’re newly dipping your toes into the world of the ruffle, Delves suggests bed linen is an excellent place to start. 

“I feel that extra texture gives a real vibe of comfort and warmth, which is what bedtime is all about. So, a little extra fabric in a ruffled pillow or valance is just adding to that feeling of relaxation.”