Don't Take A Pass On Passementerie

Style setter, dress designer and famed society doyenne Carolyne Roehm claimed she’d never seen a trim back in her Missouri hometown (and as a fellow Missourian, I saw a couple—though they were scarce). But when she came to New York, a whole new world opened up to her.

The style maven of 1980s and ’90s society, and former wife of billionaire investment guru Henry Kravis, collaborated with the top interior designers of her day. These men, Robert Denning and Vincent Fourcade, knew something or two about trimmings. The decorators lavished their Belle Époque style on Ms. Roehm’s Manhattan manse in the sky. Lined in pink, their emerald silk lamp shades were trimmed with double layers of brush fringe and custom gimp. Their satin curtains swooped back with tiebacks sporting foot-long tassels, embellished with silk thread-wrapped bell flowers whose stamens were crystal beads.

Denning and Fourcade’s curtains sported triple layers of tassel trimmings layered over rows of crystal beads. Austrian shades made of Belgian lace found their pouffed scallops strung together by beaded trims of cut coral, jade and quartz.

Sofas were tufted, channeled and stuffed until they looked as if they were ready to burst. Eight- to 10-inch bouillon fringe was tacked on the bottom of the sofas, or with swags of intermittent cord punctuated by rosettes of interlaced soutache.

If that was not accent enough, custom-woven welting would be sewn in the seams of every cushion, arm and back and then double knotted in the corners. Under these corners, flowered rosettes were pinned. And from the flower centers, frolicsome tassels would spring.

Those were the days when Scalamandré—one of America’s most prestigious manufacturers of traditional textiles, decorative textile trims, wall covering and carpeting—ruled, displaying racks and racks of passementerie. On these racks were tassels created for French interior designer Stéphane Boudin, who was Jackie Kennedy’s decorator of choice for the main reception rooms of the White House. Also displayed were rosettes from Mark Hampton’s redo of Washington’s “Blair House” and beaded fringes that graced the pelmets of the American Embassy in London. And there was a “custom only” section in a secluded corner, where shoppers could salivate over intricate bouillon fringes copied from fringes throughout all the great houses of Europe, each one labeled, “Ham House,” “Syon,” “Versailles,” etc.

Those lucky enough could visit the factory in Long Island City to check out their custom orders. There (in a less than glamorous warehouse) was a remarkably long room with wheels at one end, workers at the other and 60-foot-long lengths of bandings, ribbons, tassel trim and cords stretched taut from one end to the other. Strange looking antiquated machines in iron and steel quickly whipped up threaded corn flowers, buttons and sweet little bows.

The setting might have seemed grim, colorless and industrial except for the intricate jewel-like product that was the end result of the production process. And all who worked there were proud of this remarkably hand-crafted, exquisite product they created on a daily basis. It was exciting to witness.

Designers have long employed trimmings as a means to distinguish their work with an attention to detail. Many purists with upturned noses sniff at passementerie as the superfluous frosting that only the trite and the ridiculous utilize. But those in the know recognize that passementerie is a useful tool, and rather than dismiss it out of hand, they should investigate, embrace and now reevaluate its use.

Silent film actor Charles William “Billy” Haines reinvented his career as Hollywood’s premier decorator to stars like Joan Crawford. Famed for his modern amalgamation of regency and Oriental styles, Mr. Haines used trim liberally. Moss trims outlined the seams along his upholstery—softening the modernist edges.

British interior decorator Syrie Maugham, the self-proclaimed goddess of white, outlined her sensuous satin sleigh beds with channels of trim. Frances Adler Elkins, renowned for her restrained chicness, embraced tapes, gimps and fringes to enhance the architectural line in her work.

During the 1980s, master curtain designers like Mario Buatta, Mark Hampton and Keith Irvine would not imagine a drapery treatment without attention to the trim detail. With stone valances, swags, jabots and soft shades relying on curvature as their main intention, passementerie by its sheer weight helped guide their course.

To quote the magazine Elle Décor, “When it comes to passementerie, form follows and transcends function.”

Fringes can gracefully add necessary ballast to a curving sway. Gimps hide ugly staples on an upholstered chair. Tapes disguise unruly sewing or join two textures together effortlessly. Cords enhance seams and piping hides zippers.

With the current trend of retro revival, Hollywood regency and outlandish often in-your-face design, trim has found its place again. Designers are once again drawing boxes with tape trim on their chair backs and seats, lining their sofa seams with caterpillar trim and adorning their pelmets with tassel fringes. Often found in more graphic contrast these days than the once romanticized technique employed in the 1980s, trims have now been redesigned to meet the market’s needs.

Unfortunately, the great house of Scalamandré has reduced its offering. Though I am sure their archives are rich, they now showcase quite little. Gone as well are the days of rich treasure troves of imported trims at Brunschwig & Fils and Clarence House.

But in their place are newer, and in some ways equally committed sources. Paris-based Houlès now holds title to the most elaborate of trimming resources, though they cannot hold a candle to Scalamandré in its heyday. Samuel and Sons, another family-run business, seems to now be the purveyor of choice with an extraordinary collection of in-stock trims, clearly and efficiently displayed.

For more subtle textural tapes and a more modern interpretation, Rogers and Goffigon has introduced a mouth-watering line. And most of the better financed fabric houses are now jumping on the bandwagon and scrounging up delectable offerings. So it’s always worth asking to see their selections.

Trims are certainly not be scoffed at as they are a wonderful tool when used appropriately, judiciously and with aplomb. And at this time, after a rather lean, cautionary period, their re-emergence is perhaps a harbinger of better times. Who knows? Remember when hemlines and tie widths reflected the market? Or was it the other way around?