Handsome Prints

The Print Trend - Spring/Summer 2012 

As I'm sure you've observed, prints are a massive trend for this Spring/Summer season.
The High Street is exploding with a whole plethora of prints that are vibrant, exciting and fun to wear and most definitely make a fashion statement with!
Currently, some of the most popular prints are:


Baroque

Tank top, blazer and cropped bandeau - River Island 
Maxi dress - Mango 
Shorts - Topshop

Floral

Jeans, sleeveless blouse - Topshop
Wedged sandals - New  Look
Scarf - Zara
Body con dress - H&M
Brogues - Accessorize

Animal

Scarf - Accessorize
Leopard print body-con dress - Topshop
Snakeskin shift dress - French Connection
Snake skin hand bag - Fiorelli
Leopard print peep toe shoe - Kurt Geiger
Snakeskin bangle - Accessorize
Zebra print cardigan -Dorothy Perkins

Aztec

 Head band - Urban Outfitters       
Shopper bag - Mango
Chunky knit cardigan, sequinned dress
 and sleeveless top - ASOS
Beaded bangle - Forever 21
Jeans - Topshop

There are many different ways to wear prints. But just how you pull a printed outfit together depends on your personality and to some degree, how daring or adventurous you are! 

So let's take a closer look at the various ways to wear prints:

Pairing with a matching block colour:

Prints and matching block colour on the catwalk: PPQ and Rue Du Mail S/S 2012

On Style Icons: Joan Smalls and Solange Knowles both wearing a fabulous print and matching block colour outfit

The easiest way to wear print (and one way to guarantee pulling it off!) is the conventional way -  to simply pair it with a complimentary block colour. 
Not sure which precise colour matches with your chosen printed piece? You're not alone. I find that this is a common query that Clients raise in the Personal Shopping appointments that I conduct. 
What I always advise is to try this fail-safe technique: simply select one of the prominent colours in your printed piece and pair it with an item in that very same colour. Voila! There you have your perfectly colour coordinated outfit! 
Pour examplé:

ASOS

Printed accessories:


Have you never felt brave enough to wear print but want to test the waters this season? Maybe begin with small steps and ease your way into this trend by opting for  printed accessories instead, ie. shoes, scarf or a handbag etc. 

Ashley Olsen and Beyoncé don animal print accessories.

Clashing Prints:

Clashing printed vest and skirt - ASOS

Olivia Palermo totally nailing the clashing print trend: 
she pits together leopard print 

court shoes and floral print trousers - an interesting 
and more subtle

way to clash prints

Clashing prints is the most adventurous and fun way to put together a printed outfit but is certainly only for the most committed of fashionistas! 

If you've not ever ventured into the world of clashing prints but want to experiment and are unsure how to do so, here's another style tip: select 2 clashing prints of a similar size within the same colour palette  and team them together.

Here we have Solange's interpretation of what an exciting clashing print outfit should look like using this technique:

As always, Solange inspires us with her take on the trends. 

To view my clashing prints outfit, go to my Style Diary.

What is your favourite print this season and how will you wear it?