When it comes to fashion, there are few things more intimidating than prints. Printed anything- pants, tops, shoes- may be appealing to our eye, but more often than not we turn them down in favor of their simpler, plainer counterpart. Maybe you don’t know what to pair a particular print with, or maybe you think you won’t get a lot of wear out of it. And when it comes to designers like Marc Jacobs and DVF, we oftentimes find ourselves wondering if a print is just plain weird. Personally, I’m just the opposite. I prefer printed everything (I really do mean everything) and the weirder, the better. I love prints because they add personality to an outfit, they’re aesthetically pleasing, and they can spice up a simpler wardrobe. Diane Von Furstenberg is a favorite of mine, because she creates pieces that can only be described as art, and no two pieces resemble one another. More than that, she creates clothing that you will not find anywhere else. There’s nothing I hate more than showing up somewhere in the same outfit as someone else (imagine my dismay when I arrived at a fraternity event wearing the same Alice and Olivia dress as another girl), and prints are ideal if you want to avoid this situation.
DVF Prints
I would suggest starting simple. Don’t worry about mixing polka dots with lace- yet. Pick a printed trouser and pair them with a loose- fitting plain black tshirt. Or pick up a scarf-printed blouse from Zara and dress it down with your favorite pair of skinny jeans. Starting simple is a great way to get comfortable with incorporating prints into your wardrobe. You can also add a printed scarf, flat, or sweater to an otherwise simple look. Use this beginners step as a way to figure out which prints are your favorite, and which prints you want to stay away from.
Scarf-print blouse from Zara
After you’ve mastered prints-for-beginners, you can begin to mix prints. This is where things can get tricky, as oftentimes mixing prints can be confused for or labeled as “clashing.” Spirit week in highschool always included a clash day where girls would tear through their wardrobe and show up to school wearing everything polka dotted, striped, floral, and neon that they could find. The way to avoid this fashion mishap is to pick only two patterns, like a striped top and floral jeans.
Below, Blair Eadie of the fashion blog Atlantic Pacific paired her Diane von Furstenberg Leaves Pant with a striped t-shirt and a white blazer. Notice how she picked a simple print-striped- and used it to offset the loud pattern on her trousers.
More tips for mixing prints:
- Make sure one color repeats in every piece of the outfit (For example, the navy in Blair’s striped top is echoed in the pattern on her trousers)
- Combine loose prints with structured prints (like flowers with stripes).
- Blend small designs with larger-scale ones (the pattern on Blair’s pants is a lot larger than the stripes on her shirt).
Lace top and silk polka dot trouser, both by Robert Rodriguez
