Passementerie is the French term for decorative trimmings used to finish curtains, upholstery, cushions, bed hangings, lampshades and clothing. It includes fringes, braids, gimps, cords, tassels, tiebacks, rosettes, frogging and edgings, made from silk, wool, linen, cotton and metallic threads, often wrapped around wooden moulds to create intricate three-dimensional forms.
The craft has a long history, flourishing in Renaissance Italy and reaching great sophistication in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France, where the guild of passementiers supplied the royal palaces and grand houses with elaborate trimmings in silk and gold or silver thread. In Britain, passementerie formed an important part of the richly upholstered interiors of the Georgian and especially the Victorian periods, when heavy bullion fringes, deep tassels and thick cords adorned curtains, pelmets, sofas and chairs. Antique passementerie is now rare in good condition, as fibres fade, rot and suffer from moth damage, and metallic threads tarnish. Collectors and decorators value original pieces for their colour, craftsmanship and authenticity, and specialist makers still produce passementerie by traditional methods for historic houses. Well-chosen trimmings finish a scheme beautifully, giving soft furnishings definition, depth and a sense of tailored luxury.
