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Ruffled Shirts That Don’t Look Ridiculous

A very far cry from over the top.

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Photo: Zara

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Somewhere between last year and right now, statement shirting got wildly out of control. From those overly “reconstructed” button-downs and aggressively off-the-shoulder tops to whatever this is, it’s hard to look at most of the options today seriously. (See: My coworker Rebecca’s opus on the most egregious offenders.)

Still, if you don’t feel like putting a really solid outfit together every day, having a few fancy/cool/”different” tops that distract from the fact that you’ve been wearing the same pair of jeans and sandals all week is a really good fallback. To fill this void, we recommend defaulting to one of the OG accents: the ruffled shirt.

Whether the detailing falls on the sleeve, peplum-style at the bottom, or around the collar, as long as the accents stay simple, you can pull this look off pretty much anywhere. (Plus, it feels especially appropriate for spring.)

Here, you’ll find eight of of our favorite options right now, from Zara to Comme des Garçons, to jumpstart your search.

Pink button-down shirt with ruffle detailing.
Comme des Garçons Ruffled Cotton Shirt, $455
Peach colored frilled knit tank.
Farrow Knit Tank, $52
White polka-dotted blouse.
Topshop Polka Dot Blouse, $65
Light blue denim button down shirt with ruffled detailing.
A.P.C. Ruffled Top, $235
Forest green long sleeved ruffle top.
Zara Ruffled Ribbed Top, $15.90
Pink frilled tank top
SYJP Frill Knit Tank, $175
Light blue denim top with frill.
Toit Volant Rita Front Flare Top, $87
White ruffled button-down.
MSGM Ruffled-Hem Shirt, $223