Trim or trimming in clothing and home decorating is applied ornament such as gimp, passementerie, ribbon, ruffles, or, as a verb, to apply such ornament.
Before the
industrial revolution, all trim was made and
applied by hand, making heavily trimmed furnishings
and garments expensive and high-status.
Machine-woven trims and
sewing machines put
these dense trimmings within the reach of even
modest
dressmakers and
home sewers, and an abundance of trimming is a
characteristic of mid-Victorian
fashion. As a predictable reaction, high
fashion came to
emphasize exquisiteness of
cut and construction over denseness of trimming,
and applied trim became a signifier of mass-produced
clothing by the 1930s. The iconic braid and gold
button trim of the
Chanel suit are a notable survival of trim in
high fashion.
In home decorating, the 1980s and 1990s saw a fashion for dense, elaborately layered trimmings on upholstered furniture and drapery.
Today, most trimmings are commercially manufactured. Scalamandré is known for elaborate trim for home furnishings, and Wrights is a leading manufacturer of trim for home sewing and crafts.
Types of trimming include:
