The Style Trend You Should Be Obsessing Over: Unfinished Hems (And Where To Buy Them)
By Rachel Hodin
Before you reach down to cuff your pants – don’t. Just…don’t, OK? As my cool model friend recently told me, cuffing is a thing of the past. And, in exploring alternative ways to not trip over my pants, I just so happened to discover my new favorite look – unfinished hems. And it appears I’m not the only one! Tons of designers are leaving their high-end pieces un-hemmed, creating a stunning juxtaposition of refined and rough, regal and pauper-like.
Right now, the brands that are slaying the frayed hem game are as follows:
Faustine Steinmetz.
The East-London-based, Parisian designer can actually count frayed hems as one of the few defining characteristics of her namesake label. She’s known for taking frayed denim and imbuing it with intricate weaving, spinning and dyeing. Each piece is made in her studio and by hand.
http://instagram.com/p/oRoof-lniq/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/s7yxoPRqkZ/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/s4PNemScMK/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/tBH7zyPPFK/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/tJvlSztqFo/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/s2c11RmKLk/?modal=true
Prada.
Prada recently showed an epic Spring/Summer 2015 collection, with brocade dresses, new multi-patterned knee-highs and a staggeringly exquisite take on platform clogs. But what stood out for me was, again, the use of both high-end fabrics with streetwear designs — in particular, the ornate, brocade, patchwork dresses with unfinished hems.
http://instagram.com/p/tKrIbbxF1S/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/tKqrBZRF0m/?modal=true
Rodarte.
For Rodarte’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection, they made mermaid-style dresses with eclectic patterns that included, for many, a fishnet overlay on the bottom half. Look closely and you’ll notice the fishnet is unfinished at the ends, adding an ethereal effect to an already dreamy collection.
http://instagram.com/p/tGmQ_rEb6v/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/thICayQckh/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/s9JyGhwe1o/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/svgs3owe0T/?modal=true
Marques’Almeida.
They’ve always kept their hems frayed, ever since their first collection in 2011. They mainly stick to denim and silk, in terms of material, and tend to maintain simple garments, perhaps to balance out all of the unraveling.
http://instagram.com/p/tDYLDYK_rx/?modal=true
Céline.
Always perfect, Céline’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection — when it came to construction — was no less magnificent than the ones that came before it. However this season Phoebe didn’t adhere to her usual beige and monochrome color palette. Long, knitted dresses were fashioned out of red and blue knits, with unfinished hems that were on the verge of fringe. The same construction was applied to all-white, knitted, loose-fitted pants.
http://instagram.com/p/tiKD32itUo/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/tgdSpmEmuY/?modal=true
http://instagram.com/p/tfPro2pr8i/?modal=true
It’s a way to flex your IDGAF muscles – sartorially – and a way to ooze unconventional class. It is also, incidentally, a fun new way to piss off your grandma. you can do it yourself – starting with jeans, perhaps, and then transitioning over to wool and maybe even silk. Or you can buy pre-frayed items, like the ones discussed above, or these more affordable options below. (IT’S ALL RELATIVE, OK?? Link to items in photos.)