My wardrobe tends to be a bit heavy on solid colors and stripes (which are, if you think about it, bands of solid colors). I've been trying to add in prints here and there, but I always have a tough time with it--florals are too prissy, geometric prints are too Austin Powers, and polka dots are too young. But with the '20s inspiration this fall, there are a lot of great Art Deco prints out there that manage to look sophisticated without being costumey.
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I know I've been knocking Roberto Cavalli's line for H&M, but only because I know the man is capable of greater things. Take, for instance, this Deco-print blouse--his fall collection was filled with gorgeous prints like this. Why he didn't reproduce them for H&M, we will never know.
You know when you go to a party and leave your coat on the bed, then at the end of the night, it's total chaos since everyone has a black coat? With Tibi's Chrysler Coat, that's not going to happen. At least, not for you.
Matthew Williamson is a designer known for his prints, and this dress is one of the best of the Art Deco bunch. Granted, the print is not the most subtle, so I'd keep the rest of your outfit on the basic side.
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This Lauren Moffatt shift dress is definitely a conversation-starter: Take a poll on what bridge people think it is. I vote for the Brooklyn Bridge.
Anna Sui is another designer who always has great prints--and she defends them (girlfriend currently has 20+ pending lawsuits against Forever 21). The simplicity of this graphic-print dress reminds me of an Mondrian painting, but in more wardrobe-friendly neutral colors.
And because I love Tibi so much, here's another great print--this time in dress form, which is not as big of a commitment as a coat.
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I hope they didn't steal this print from anyone, because Forever 21's satin halter dress is pretty awesome--the pattern reminds me of the Chrysler building, but the magenta color makes it seem not so obvious.
Also cool--but in more of an everyday way--is this stained-glass-print tunic, also from Forever 21.
But if you ask me, the new Topshop can't open fast enough, so I can scoop up dresses like this one by the armload. The print at the hem is subtle enough so that print-averse gals like me can slowly work our way into it.
1 comment
I don't know, I'm the same way as you -- I only wear solid colors! Certain ones at that! I'm of the opinion that patterns and prints aren't really necessary, even though you may feel pressure to wear them. All-over prints usually pull the eye away from well draped fabric, good body tone, fitted bodices, or whatever else you might want to show off. Lovely pieces of accent jewelry, tonal embroidery, or an unexpected handbag shape is much more sophisticated and beautiful in my opinion than a graphically distracting print. Of course, there are exceptions, but that's my general rule. Love your blog and have been reading for years, thanks!
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