Whats the easiest way to achieve this ribbon look? My best guess is fondant strips, but I have a fairly large bottom tier (possibly 16") and figured it would be quite difficult to roll out long enough strips/ribbons for this (I obviously don't want many seams).

Any other ideas?

Maybe posting the actual picture will be easier!

Maybe you could paint the strips with edible colors? I think that could look quite cool! If you use a wide, square brush and a turntable you should be able to get the strips even too.

That would be perfect for fondant! I'm planning on using buttercream though :-( Any ideas for a similar effect on BC?

If you're using buttercream, why wouldn't you just pipe the ribbons?

was this done with fondant strips

I have done one before on buttercream using just plain ribbon that was washable.  I washed it and applied it to the cake while it was damp. 

I use real ribbon, it's pretty easy. Fondant strips and piping aren't easy to apply like this.

Thank you all! I really like the ribbon idea. :-)