What do you call those decorative things that flutter in the wind and look kind of like sequins?

Maybe they are sequins? Sequins can come in pretty large sizes.

I remember the sixties, all right (or at least parts of them), but I don’t remember any sequined bathing caps. I looked but didn’t turn up a picture. Rubber flower petals, though—yeah. Beautiful, weren’t they? I’m afraid I might have even had one.

A few months back, I was listening to a show on the radio, about sewing, and they called these things by a very specific name, rather than just sequins. Sequins are usually sewn onto things in such a way, that they remain stationary, whereas these other things have a little hole at the top section, so that when they’re attached to a sign or a bathing cap or a dress, they purposely flap around. I’ve also seen them on dresses, like dance dresses that cheerleaders wear. Here is a dress that has them.

I think they are a type of sequin, as seen here.

Shaped sequins, they call them.

Paillettes!

I think you might mean Paillettes..

There is a different name for them too, other than sequins, it was a term that was specific for that type of sequins.

@GoldieAV16 and @Carla THANK YOU!!! That’s it. This time, I’m going to write that word down. I’ve been Googling and Googling and could not find the word.

Now, off to find a bathing cap from the 60’s that has paillettes on it : )

@Kardamom, let us know when you do, won’t you?

And of course we’ll want to know what you plan to do with it, if that’s not too nosy a question.

@Jeruba I was just going to put it on my Pinterest page, and then show my cousins, who would get a kick out of seeing one of those caps again.

Paco Rabanne designed those dresses in the late 1960’s, when I was still interested in fashion.

http://theperfumechronicles.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/paco-rabanne.jpg

Ah—you didn’t actually mean to lay hands on one, @Kardamom. I was thinking you might have some novel Halloween plans.

Whoa! @gailcalled, those are some racy (and awesome) paillettes!