LaRibbons 4-Inch Burgundy Velvet Ribbon: Wider Is the Whole Trick

Lexi here.

Every other tree in this series uses two and a half inch ribbon. Mine is four inches wide, and that difference does more for a formal tree than almost anything else you can buy for seventy-eight dollars.

Why width matters on a tall tree

Ribbon has to hold its own against the scale of what surrounds it. On a six foot tree, two and a half inches reads as generous. On a seven and a half foot tree it reads as string.

Proportion is the entire discipline of formal decorating. A large tree needs larger gestures — wider ribbon, bigger ornaments, deeper folds — or it looks like a big tree decorated with small-tree supplies. That is the specific thing that makes an expensive tree look cheap, and it is almost always a proportion error rather than a quality one.

Four inches at seven and a half feet is the right relationship. It also means the cascades fold properly rather than twisting, because there is enough material to hold a curve.

Key features

📏 4 inches wide — Proportioned for a 7.5ft tree rather than a standard one
🍷 Burgundy velvet with gold edge — A traditional heritage combination
✨ Metallic back — Catches light when the ribbon twists, so folds have depth
🔗 Wired edges — Holds whatever shape you bend it into, permanently
🎀 Double-sided design — No wrong side showing on a twist
🎨 Thirteen colours — If burgundy is not your palette

The metallic back is the detail worth paying for

Plain velvet ribbon has one face. When it twists, you see the reverse, and on cheap ribbon the reverse is unfinished fabric that reads as a flaw.

This one has a metallic backing. When the cascade turns, gold catches the light instead of showing you the back of something. On a tree lit with several hundred bulbs, that turning gleam is a genuine effect and it is what separates ribbon that looks placed from ribbon that looks arranged.

It is also why velvet belongs on a formal tree specifically. Velvet absorbs light where glass and metal reflect it, and that absorption gives the eye somewhere to rest between the shine.

The thing I cannot tell you

I have to be straight about this because it affects what you order.

The listing gives the width — four inches, clearly stated. It does not give the length per roll in what I was able to see.

I bought three rolls on the assumption of ten yards each, which is standard for this kind of ribbon and works out to about the sixty-seven feet a 7.5ft tree needs for vertical cascades with tails.

If the rolls are five yards rather than ten, three is not enough and you need six.

Check the length before you order. Do not assume my quantity is right, because I am not certain it is right for me either.

Where it is honest and where it isn’t

Buyers describe the ribbon as beautiful, praise the quality of the wire and fabric construction, and note the good texture on both sides. It holds its shape well and buyers like the colour.

That is a short and consistent set of reviews with no significant complaints, which is unusual and welcome. The only real caution is the one above, and it is about the listing rather than the product.

How to run it

Vertical cascades from the top, not horizontal wrapping. Four or five runs spaced around the tree, with the tails left long and loose at the bottom rather than trimmed neatly.

Twist as you go. A flat ribbon running straight down is a stripe. A ribbon that turns two or three times on its way down catches light differently at each turn, and that is where the metallic backing earns its money.

Tuck the ribbon into the tree at intervals rather than laying it on the surface. Depth again — the same principle as the ornaments.

The bottom line

Wider ribbon on a taller tree, in velvet with a metallic back that rewards twisting. Seventy-eight dollars for three rolls, and the width is the reason to choose it.

Confirm the yardage before you order. That is the one open question and it is worth a message to the seller.

Check the current price on Amazon →

See the full ribbon Idea List →

See the whole heritage tree build →

Darlings, always,

— Lexi 🖤