Diotima Medusa Long Sleeve Loop & Fringe Crochet Sweater Dress
Have you ever thought about what constitutes the phrase ‘lunatic fringe’ in the context of fashion? What is its derivation? Is it A) A minority group of adherents showing extreme support for a fashion movement or a set of beliefs? B) A hairstyle involving bangs C) Ariana Grande’s fake eyelashes in the movie ‘Wicked’ D) An ’80s U.K. punk band with an EP entitled ‘Who’s in Control.’
Ariana Grande’s “distracting” strip lashes in “Wicked”
If you guessed A), B), or D), you would be correct. While C) is perhaps too current to be cited, it technically qualifies, as I’ve heard eyelashes referred to as “fringe.” Stop the presses—there’s also a 1981 song from the band Red Rider entitled “Lunatic Fringe,” which reached number 11 on Canada’s Billboard rock charts.
Photo credit: Alamy
The oldest and original meaning, according to Word Histories.net, lunatic fringe is “denoted – and intended—to ridicule a woman or girl’s hairstyle in which the front is cut straight and square against the forehead” – in an excerpt from a short story written by Sophie May and published in 1874.
Emily in Paris – Season 3, Trauma Bangs
Today’s examples could include pop artists who have popularized bangs, including Taylor Swift’s usually blunt-cut style and Sabrina Carpenter’s curtain bangs. Lily Collins, in a scene from Netlix’s “Emily in Paris” Season 3, brought the term “trauma bangs” to the forefront (if not the forehead, haha) when she suddenly cut her own “fringe” during an emotional crisis.
Taylor Swift
The first time the phrase was applied somewhat more pointedly to refer to a minority group was by our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, in 1913. The former president was already out of office by 1909 and apparently honing his skills in writing art critique (“A Layman’s Views of an Art Exhibition” appeared in The Outlook) when he used the term to describe the International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York City.
Roosevelt wrote:
“It is vitally necessary to move forward and to shake off the dead hand, often the fossilized dead hand, of the reactionaries, and yet we have to face the fact that there is apt to be a lunatic fringe among the votaries of any forward movement. In this recent art exhibition, the lunatic fringe was fully evident, especially in the rooms devoted to the Cubists and the Futurists, or Near-Impressionists.”
A Brit is credited for popularizing this term more politically. “We are continually being placed in a false position merely so that the lunatic fringe of the Coalition shall be kept from breaking out of the Government ranks,” is a snippet from a speech given by Arthur Lee, a Conservative Member of Parliament for Fareham, Hampshire, England while addressing the Fareham Conservative and Unionist Association in February 1914.
Vogue December 2024
Anyway, you get the picture—”fringe, marginal, and crazy” has continued to this day. From Mesopotamian cultures to American cowboys and Native Americans to Roaring Twenties flapper dresses, 1950s leather motorbike jackets and gloves, hippie boho culture to punk, and avant-garde, fringe can be found in all iterations depending on the material and the intended aesthetic or culture of its derivation.
Initially made only of leather or suede, fringe had a purpose other than just being decorative: It would wick rainwater away from the body. Now, of course, it is strictly ornamental — adding that playful, fun, and eye-catching aspect of interest to a garment or accessory.
Lately, I’ve been admiring fringed layers such as skirts over trousers, as seen on Trinny Woodall of Trinny London Cosmetics fame, who recently opened a pop-up store on Prince Street in Soho.
Trinny Woodall Prada Fringe grommet skirt
The eye-watering cost of her navy Prada fringed grommet skirt ($5,700!) certainly registers it squarely in the lunatic category. It is also available in red and a dark reddish purple.
Ulla Johnson Leonie Top and Therese Skirt
If you prefer an all-over fringe, this Ulla Johnson leather top and skirt are show-stopping and nearly sold out. Net-a-Porter briefly had a beautiful burgundy version, but availability is already limited.
Diotima’s Rachel Scott (see lead photo) recently won two big awards at the 2024 CFDA—the first-ever Empowered Vision Award and the American Womenswear Designer of the Year—and is known for her crochet or macramé artisanal vibe.
Trinny Woodall Prada Fringe grommet skirt
Another fashion stylist I follow (and once had her follow me in person to interview me for her street-style videos) is Karen Blanchard, aka Karenbritchick. She mixes vintage with high-end designer luxe with high-street brands, and the effect is inspiring. I had to track down this AW-22 Sacai wool melton fringed skirt on eBay after being influenced by how many ways she styled it during Paris Fashion Week.
Lastly, I know among NY fashion’s elite that the following is undoubtedly a “contrarian” opinion. Still, I applaud independent journalist Matt Taibbi when he sarcastically tweeted: “If Donald Trump creates the position, I volunteer to be Secretary of Feeding People to Komodo Dragons.
The first round of tossings into the lizard-pit will involve ‘experts’ who still use grossly snobbish terms like ‘fringe’ and ‘contrarian’ to describe beliefs held by most of the population.”
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