The 1921 Fringe (yes, fringe!) and Poppies ensemble
It is a pretty well known fact to readers of this blog that I dislike fringe. Dislike may be putting it mildly. I believe the word I usually use is loath. My dislike of fringe stems primarily from all the terrible, awful, horrible ‘1920s’ ‘flapper’ dresses which owe everything to 2nd-half of the 20th century costume designers, and nothing to period originals. To a lesser extent, I also dislike fringe because of the fringing on some 1860s dresses, where the designers seem to have gone “Woohoo! Fabric is relatively cheap! Fringe is relatively cheap! Dresses are HUGE! Let’s just throw acres of fringe at the hugeness!” Blech. Ergh. But, for every rule, there are exceptions. Vionnet’s famous 1938 scalloped fringed frock gets a pass for being fabulous and amazing. Shawl fringe is generally attractive as long as it is sympathetic to the overall design of the shawl. But I’ve never really been tempted to make a garment with fringed trim. And then, while prepping for the Hamilton Garden’s Katherine Mansfield Garden Party, I came across …