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The frill of it all

It was an otherwise calm midweek afternoon on the fourth floor of New York’s Bloomingdales department store when a young woman’s squeal pierced the silence, writes Tatiana Boncompagni. Plucking an airy Erin Fetherston tent dress, hem haphazardly adorned with three-dimensional flowers, from the rack, the woman gushed: “This is it, Mom. This is my going away dress.”

“Really?” The mother sighed. “It’s a pretty dress, honey, but when would you wear this again? I want to buy you something you can use more than once.”

The pair argued for a while, the daughter insisting the frock could be recycled for other occasions, but eventually the dress was returned to its spot, disappearing into a seemingly endless array of lace and eyelet, ruffles and florals.

Fantastical though they may be, as mother pointed out, the context in which such garland-bedecked garments are appropriate can be limited at best. Take, for example, Alexander McQueen’s show-stopper, a gown blanketed in purple and mauve flowers, or Rodarte’s floor-length dress embellished entirely with handmade pink blooms. Perfect for a garden-themed costume party or Edenic editorial spread but probably too theatrical for any real-life occasion. Marchesa’s whimsical dresses decorated in chiffon florals? Great for the Hollywood red carpet, a bit too girly anywhere else.

Even the more pared-down looks – Thakoon’s tank top featuring shoulders sculpted into peonies, for example – can seem rather too Miss Havisham-ish if worn with the wrong accessories, as the designers themselves admit.

Sari Sloane, vice-president of fashion merchandising for the Intermix boutique chain, says it is important to cut the “frilly feeling” of romantic clothes with modern accents, such as a patent leather bag or an edgy platform shoe.

“Don’t wear ruffles that add volume in the wrong places,” says designer Elie Tahari, who rolled out several romantic looks, including a white eyelet shift, for spring. “Instead, pick a piece with feminine detailing along the neckline or at the bottom of the skirt.”

Witness the wardrobe strategy of the oft-photographed socialite Jennifer Creel, who intends pairing any of her collection of vintage Yves Saint Laurent ruffled blouses with black cigarette pants and gold Christian Louboutin wedges. Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, a Dallas-based entertaining expert, similarly says she will wear her Andrew Gn tiered, ruffled white skirt with a form-fitting black top and black belt.

Of course, there are those who don’t have a problem with channelling floral fantasies worthy of event designer Robert Isabell. Anisha Lakhani, the charity tsarina, paraded a heady succession of romantic looks last month: a pink feathered Sonia Rykiel gown at the annual Frick Collection Young Fellows Ball; a high-necked ruffled Chanel blouse to lunch at a Madison Avenue eatery; a floral printed David Szeto cocktail dress to a champagne dinner at the Museum of the City of New York.

“I’m a confident customer,” shrugs Lakhani. “I’m shopping because it’s fun, and I like to buy clothes that make me happy.” As she sees it, why wait for someone to give you a bunch of peonies, when you can wear some of your own?