Ruffles: From Then to Now

This year’s Met Gala celebrated the art of the dandy—elegance with a wink, flair with a flourish. The blue carpet was full of embellishments: bows, pearls, embroidery, and yes, ruffles. Which got us thinking... Ruffles may read as romantic or overly sweet today, but that wasn’t always the case. Historically, they’ve been sharp, dramatic, and genderless—more statement than decoration.

 

Soldiers, Slashes, and Power Collars

In the 16th century, across Europe, soldiers would cut or “slash” the outer layer of their clothing—usually their jackets or sleeves—to reveal the contrasting fabric of the shirt underneath. This wasn’t about utility; it was about style. It was a deliberate display. The inner layers were often made of finer, more colorful fabric, and exposing them was a way to show off wealth, rank, and taste.

Eventually, tailors formalized the look—stitching slashes, gathering fabric, and stiffening collars to hold dramatic shapes. What began as swagger became structure.

But how did this display of wealth and status turn into the ruffles we know today? The evolution from display-as-status to decoration-as-design would take at least another 200 years...

The Dandy Era: Ruffles Get Flirty

After the French Revolution, the rigid dress codes of royalty and aristocracy began to loosen and fall out of fashion for the upper class—not necessarily because they weren’t beautiful, but because they had come to represent inequality and outdated hierarchy. Out of this vacuum came the dandy—a man who dressed with care, elegance, and often exaggeration, not to display inherited wealth but to craft an identity.

Ruffles became part of a more playful, intellectual, even provocative style. Think sharp tailoring softened with a frothy collar, or a crisp shirt with a little extra flair. The ruffle became a tool of self-expression—flamboyant, stylish, and kind of subversive. It wasn’t about gender so much as performance and play.

When Ruffles Got Boxed In

Post WW2, men’s fashion became increasingly sober and pared-down. Ornamentation, including ruffles, was coded as frivolous or vain, and therefore unmanly. That left decoration—including ruffles—to be picked up by women’s fashion, reshaping its meaning. No longer about power or flair, ruffles became signs of delicacy, modesty, and innocence. Conforming to a narrow ideal of womanhood: demure, decorative, and domestic.

Through the 1950s clothing reflected (and reinforced) the cultural pressure for women to stay sweet, gentle, and in their place after the chaos of war and women's growing role in the workforce. Ruffles became shorthand for innocence and girlhood, especially in children’s clothes, prom dresses, and bridalwear.

The Ruffle was no longer bold—it was obedient.

The Comeback: Ruffles with Teeth

But of course, fashion doesn’t stay in one lane. In the ’70s and ’80s, ruffles came back louder and weirder. Designers like Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garçons made them huge and sculptural. They weren’t delicate—they were defiant. 

Even now, ruffles are showing up across gender lines—especially in fashion that plays with performance and presence. Think Harry Styles in a sheer, ruffled Gucci blouse. Or Billy Porter in a ruffled cape or Bad Bunny mixing voluminous, flounced sleeves with sportswear. These aren’t throwback looks—they’re deliberate choices that tap into the ruffle’s history while rewriting its meaning. 

So What Are Ruffles, Really?

That’s the thing: ruffles aren’t just frill. Ruffles can be romantic or theatrical, tender or defiant. They’re playful, sure—but they carry weight. History. Attitude. And like a lot of things labeled “feminine,” there’s more to the story than people realize.