For a Vibe Reset, Wear Fringe This Spring

This movement-friendly detail can change an entire look.

A graphic of the fringe trend 2024 featuring fringe items in street style outfits and on the runways.
(Image credit: Future)

This month, New York Fashion Week street style turned into a full-on fringe fest. Guests trekked across the city in a living, breathing tutorial on how to wear fringe: journeying from one show to the next with colorful ribbons, free-flowing leather straps, and thin tiers of threads waving in the February breeze.

Their outfits were a 2024 trend alert: fringe is poised to take over. It’s always been a versatile, vibe-setting detail, whether showing up as Western-inspired suede strips on the back of a leather jacket, or disco metallic trim on a miniskirt. But in the Spring/Summer 2024 collections, designers flexed the full range of fringe’s possibilities.

On Bottega Veneta's runway last September, models walked in all sorts of flouncy pieces made to move: leather two-piece sets with feathered trim, ball gowns boasting hems of shredded straw, and woven gowns covered in cheerful pom-poms. Prada also held fringe as a focal point, sending out skirts adorned with grommet-punched fringe and belts embellished with metallic strips reminiscent of party curtain decorations.

fringe trend 2024 on woman at new york fashion week fall winter 2024

Done in loose threads, leather strips, and flingy crochet, fringe was a standout street style trend at NYFW F/W '24.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Even more designers in their spring lineups offered everything from floor-dusting car wash hems to shredded denim that sways in the wind. As an ode to the dynamic detail, Marie Claire broke down seven fresh ways of wearing fringe according to the runways. Keep scrolling to discover movement-friendly pieces ranging from mirror-ball trim that'll command the dance floor to free-hanging crochet with laid back vacation energy.


Arts and Crafts

the fringe trend seen on Alexander McQueen, Prada, Bottega Veneta's spring/summer 2024 runways

Quality crafted fringe seen on Alexander McQueen, Prada, Bottega Veneta's Spring/Summer 2024 runways.

(Image credit: Alexander McQueen, Prada, Bottega Veneta)

A core component of 2024's fringe trend is a craftsmanship-forward approach that manifests in novel fabrications, as seen at Alexander McQueen, Prada, and Bottega Veneta. Instead of snagging just about any piece adorned with trim, keep an eye out for styles that incorporate the detail with artful intention. Try ribbons banded together to create an unexpected textile, or yarn woven into hanging macrame tassels.


Party Trim

the fringe trend seen on Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Givenchy's runways

High-shine fringe seen in Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Givenchy's Spring/Summer 2024 runways.

(Image credit: Paco Rabanne, Gucci, Givenchy)

High-shine fringe—seen at Gucci, Paco Rabanne, Givenchy, and many others—is a detail that demands a cocktail (or at least some sort of celebratory beverage). For an upcoming wedding reception or date night, try a mini dress adorned with disco trim or swinging accessories.


Wild, Wild West

the fringe trend seen on Roberto Cavalli, Erdem, Coach's spring/summer 2024 runways

Roberto Cavalli, Erdem, and Coach took inspiration from the wild, wild west in their Spring/Summer 2024 collections.

(Image credit: Roberto Cavalli, Erdem, Coach)

Western trimmings were a classic way for designers to work fringe into their Spring/Summer 2024 lineups—and they were a recurring presence in New York Fashion Week street style. These ranged from crossbody bags with multi-strip tails strips at Roberto Cavalli, to leather jackets with swinging sleeves at Erdem and Coach.


Shreds and Threads

the fringe trend seen at Gabriela Hearst, Erdem, Acne Studios's spring/summer 2024 runways

Gabriela Hearst, Erdem, and Acne Studios took a grungier, unraveled approach to fringe.

(Image credit: Gabriela Hearst, Erdem, Acne Studios)

Spring found designers shredding and distressing fabrics to the point that threads unraveled freely—see Gabriela Hearst and Erdem Moralıoğlu—for a purposefully undone look. Try your hand at the destroyed detail via ripped denim or a day dress with intentionally threadbare sleeves.


Car Wash Hems

the fringe trend on spring/summer 2024 runways from Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Alberta Ferretti

Chunky car-wash hems reigned at Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, and Alberta Ferretti.

(Image credit: Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, Alberta Ferretti)

Not exactly pleats and thicker than your standard trim, car wash fringe consists of chunkier strips of free-hanging fabrics for a high-impact, dramatic effect. Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, and Alberta Ferretti all put their fashion house's twists on the style, seen in black ribbons, reflective leather, and gusty white strips.


Beach Ready

fringe trend 2024 at Ralph Lauren, Diotima, Gabriela Hearst runways

Ralph Lauren, Diotima, and Gabriela Hearst interpreted the fringe trend for spring as relaxed and ideal for an ocean-front vacation.

(Image credit: Ralph Lauren, Diotima, Gabriela Hearst)

From Diotima's macramé with major movement to Gabriela Hearst's netted accoutrements and accessories, designers included all sorts of beachy takes on the fringe trend in their spring collections. More laissez-faire than other delicate or tightly-crafted iterations, this fringe trim is for those itching for a vacation and fresh Mai Tai.


Hair-Thin Treads

the fringe trend seen at Ferragamo, Burberry, Brandon Maxwell's spring/summer 2024 runways

The polar opposite approach to thicker strips of fringe? Ferragamo, Burberry, and Brandon Maxwell showcased thin, threaded takes.

(Image credit: Ferragamo, Burberry, Brandon Maxwell)

If you squint and stay still, these styles might look like long fabric swatches. Upon closer inspection, you see that they feature hundreds of teeny-tiny, hair-thin threads. Burberry, Ferragamo, and Brandon Maxwell first called on this intricate technique in their seasonal presentations; right now, you can find it everywhere from tiered mini skirts to dramatic cape coats.

Emma Childs
Fashion Features Editor

Emma is the fashion features editor at Marie Claire, where she writes deep-dive trend reports, zeitgeisty fashion featurettes on what style tastemakers are wearing, long-form profiles on emerging designers and the names to know, and human interest vignette-style round-ups. Previously, she was Marie Claire's style editor, where she wrote shopping e-commerce guides and seasonal trend reports, assisted with the market for fashion photo shoots, and assigned and edited fashion celebrity news.

Emma also wrote for The Zoe Report, Editorialist, Elite Daily, Bustle, and Mission Magazine. She studied Fashion Studies and New Media at Fordham University Lincoln Center and launched her own magazine, Childs Play Magazine, in 2015 as a creative pastime. When she's not waxing poetic about niche fashion topics, you'll find her stalking eBay for designer vintage, reading literary fiction on her Kindle, and baking banana bread in her tiny NYC kitchen.