The Return of Luxe

CEBU, Philippines - The art of Passementerie or tassel making has elevated France into the pinnacle of fashion and style. No other artisans were as skilled as the French in making the most painstakingly elaborate tassels. Seemingly a humble little trimming for curtains or throw pillows, tassels were complicated enough such that one little piece could require at least 300 threads woven and interwoven together to get the perfect kind of curvature and drop.

It took an artisan at least seven years to fully master one of the subdivisions of Passementerie as a guild. With the complexity and the immense skilled that was required, tassels became a favorite among the folks in Versailles, from the King and Queen, to their retinue. Tassels began to adorn not just curtains, headboards, and pillows. Tassels eventually made their way to capes and caps. 

Tassels have come a long way, well into the Victorian period where they grew in increasing beauty and complexity. Tassels eventually became the symbol of luxury, prestige, and high society.

Today, despite the fact that we really haven’t completely bounced back from the financial crisis that we wallowed in, we ironically return to luxury and opulence be it in craftsmanship or in art. We turn to the tassel, that little ornament that connotes everything rich but not glitzy. As we close the year, we turn to that little detailing that’s high on quality, authenticity, and luxury.

From the humble little accessory on bags and purses, the tassel will be making it big—oversized, extra-long, too vibrant for words. The tassel will be doing everything to make heads turn, to get noticed. The tassel will be making like Queen Marie Antoinette—controversial, extravagant. This coming seasons the tassel will be on everything from hats to handbags to dresses to shoes.

The perfect companion to the tassel is the rope, so expect to see a lot of rope detailing together with the tassel. Incorporated on both clothing and accessories, ropes and tassels will range from the exotic to the nautical for a very diverse range of looks that will take you from Spring to Summer to Fall.

The key to rocking the tassel is in not overdoing it. Choose tiny tassels that come in a series on your clothes or one big tassel as the piece du jour for your accessories. Play up on opulent colors and rich rope patterns so you can bounce from exotic to luxe to nautical in a snap.

With the comeback of the tassel, we’re sure to see many a rich lady on the streets. Talk about dressing up for the holidays.