Market work and text by Jana Platina Phipps
After an extended dry spell, embellishments have re-emerged on the design scene. These details, overscaled, graphic, or used en masse, express not only style but individuality, and they showed up on almost every runway for fall. No surprise, then, that with their return to the world of high fashion, embellishment trims are also making the way to the home, offering exuberant expression through unexpected fabrications. Here are some of our favorite trends from the big fashion houses that we are also seeing in home décor.
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Once a technique used to mend or tailor fabrics, embroidery stitches evolved from utilitarian beginnings to impressive decorative needlework. This trend aligns with the rise of the artisan, the appreciation of craft, and the maker movement. It also exemplifies the very 21st- century merging of handcrafted elements with technology. This idea was the subject of Manus X Machina, the acclaimed exhibit at The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Whether comprising yarn, sequins, beads, or gold thread to stitch designs of flora or fauna by hand, machine, or both, these embroidered designs pop dimensionally from the textile. When done on a patterned fabric, the design mash-up is especially eyecatching and in vogue.
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Embroidered Garden Trim - Partner Content -
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Astra Embroidered Border |
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Custom Fabric Flowers |
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Trianon French General |
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Chalet Embroidered Border
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BalmainLiterally meaning “to turn by hand,” passementerie is the art of manipulating braid and ribbon into dimensional ornaments. Passementerie has decorated royal interiors, costumes, and military uniforms as frog closures, epaulettes, belts, tassels, and tiebacks, signifying rank, status, and power since the guild of the Passementiers was created in 16th century France. The new translation of this art form conveys status too, as one must be able to afford this handcraft. Much of the passementerie on Balmain’s fall runway had a military vibe, and designer Olivier Rousteing cleverly christened his models, and fans, #BalmainArmy.
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Ornate Braided Frog Closure |
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Ribbed Button |
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Shang Knot |
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Harbour Serpentine Braid |
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Elegant Knot Frog Closure |
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Tyroleon Toggle |
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Metallic Passementerie |
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We’ve seen tassels and fringe go from couture to ready-to-wear to mass market and DIY; this trend seems unstoppable. Its versatility to convey mood—sleek yarns for a chic look and chunky yarns for a crafty style—and its playfulness of movement, keep it swinging at the top. Designers continue to find new ways to use it, infatuated with its texture, length, and application, fabricating every which way: vertically, horizontally, diagonally, sheathed, or layered.
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Calisto Key Tassel |
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Bell Fringe |
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3″ Halsey Onion Fringe |
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Twiggy Key Tassel |
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8″ Rouen Tassel Fringe |
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Joffrey Tassel Fringe |
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Miu Miu |
Historically, patches have proffered identity, signified rank, noted accomplishments, showed team allegiance, or even flaunted places traveled. This season, designers have taken this embellishment and given us non-ranking folk a way to distinguish ourselves: retro, artsy, clever, exotic, sporty, or noble. These patches aren’t earned but bought—and not as presumptuously as procuring a royal title.
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Vintage Crown Badge Embroidered on Wool Felt |
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Vintage Crest Badge |
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Bunny Badge |
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Tennis Club Patch |
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Champs Pillow |
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Vintage Crest Badge |
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Vintage Naval Badge with Metal Bullion Stitching |
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