Fringe Magnet

So fringe has gotten so much coverage as a trend for S/S '09 I predict every moving part of every girl in the mall is going to be flicking and tossing like My Little Pony come June, because this is such natural trickle-down from Jil Sander, Alexander McQueen and the others who are doing at the high end.

A humble suggestion. If Sander and McQueen are beyond your budget (tragic but true for most of us), instead of going out and buying some indifferently-made, rushed-to-market cheapie just because it goes swish, why not have a ramble through a vintage shop or eBay and see if you can find something betasselled that's also REALLY NICE.


Like, say, this killer sequin & fringe poncho that's going down for sale tomorrow on eBay. It's great--the kind of thing that you can pull out for a party year after year, and won't show its age. But you might have to outbid me for it.

If you're feeling crafty, go for vintage suede or ultrasuede, which you can fringe yourself with a pair of sharp scissors (it won't fray).

Or if you're feeling achingly delicate, search out one of the many examples of gorgeous beaded and fringed vintage bags from the twenties and thirties . . .

Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a trend that keeps on giving, long after the cheap versions are put out to pasture.