Like pastels, floral patterns stir up a lot of emotion. A lot of the associations are positive. Flowers are naturally beautiful with almost infinite variety, which is why they are a constant source of design inspiration. They are mostly associated with Spring and Summer fashion because that’s when most of them bloom. On the other hand, flowers are delicate with traditionally feminine associations, and therefore sometimes thought of as twee, precious, weak, juvenile, overly girly and quite the opposite of tough and powerful. 

Floral pattern detail can be small, large, or a mixture of both in one design. The flowers can be realistic and romantic, or more graphic and abstract. They can be serious or whimsical. The flowers can be positioned close together like a ditsy floral, or spaced out allowing the background to play more of a role in the pattern. The flowers can be combined with other patterns in one design. They can also be embroidered onto fabric, or woven into a self-colour design like lace, eyelet or jacquard. 

Floral colours are typically either bright, pastel, earthy, jewel-toned or neutral, or a mixture of these palettes. The flowers can create a high contrast to the background of the pattern, or have a tonal and low-contrast effect. The overall appearance of the floral can be light, mid-toned or dark. 

When it comes to the items that showcase floral patterns; blouses, shirts, knitted tops, dresses and skirts are the most popular. Floral knitwear is having its moment too. Floral jeans, trousers and jackets are a little less expected, but that makes them a lot of fun and more of a statement. And if floral clothing is not your thing, you can wear your floral in belts, footwear, bags, scarves, hats, eyewear, cell phone cases, wallets and even jewellery. 

I believe that the sheer variety of floral patterns, colours and items means that there is a floral pattern for everyone, including men and children. The word “floral” may conjure up the image of a bright fit-and-flare floral frock, but that is just one option. On the other end of the continuum there are florals worn in much more subtle ways. The floral can be small, low contrast or in a neutral colour, for example. And even if it’s bold, the floral needn’t be overly feminine. There are many graphic and abstract floral designs that are anything but girly or juvenile.

Florals are not my favourite pattern, but I do find them calming, pretty, romantic, feminine and fun. They make me happy, so I like to have a few in my wardrobe at once across warm and cold weather wardrobe items. My floral pattern preferences are varied. I love a big, bold and bright floral as much as a soft, small and tonal one. I do prefer abstract designs, but wear realistic florals too. I love subtle self-colour lace and eyelet florals and have both represented in my wardrobe. I’d wear a floral in any wardrobe item if I adored the pattern. And I LOVE my high-waisted floral cropped pants, which have become a wardrobe workhorse. 

Over to you. What are your floral pattern preferences? Do you enjoy wearing them, and if so, in which items? Or are florals never going to be your thing.

A Karl Lagerfeld exhibition opening in Bonn, a documentary about Iris Apfel, a closer look at the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, and other news from the style trenches this week.

• To commemorate Alexander McQueen, the fashion house is bringing out five limited-run scarves depicting some of the late designer’s most iconic runway moments.
• Just watching the trailer for the new Iris Apfel documentary makes me smile. Out in US theatres in May.
• Designer Mary Katrantzou has won the 2015 BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund Prize.
• The Karl Lagerfeld exhibition opening in Bonn this Saturday focusses on the designer’s “most enduring fashion ventures”.
• If you’ve been curious about the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection, you can now check out the lookbook online.
• Manolo Blahnik teams up with renowned German legwear brand Falke for a small collection of unisex socks.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that publishing mogul Condé Montrose Nast was the person who came up with the “crowded page” layout format (first used for Glamour magazine in 1939). Before that, Condé Nast publications consisted of white pages with only one or two pictures per page.

I mentioned in a recent post about pastels that I enjoy the soft shades combined with black and white together. That way you keep the bold of the black and the freshness of the white. I particularly like black and white worn with light blue. And faded denim can be used as the light blue component of the ensemble, which instantly makes the combination more wearable. 

There are many, many effective ways to combine these colours, both with solids and patterns. Black and white patterns can be worn with faded denim bottoms. Light blue trousers can be worn with colour blocked black and white tops. Create a column of colour with faded jeans and a denim shirt, top with a black jacket, and finish off the look with white footwear and bag. Wear a white dress with a light blue jacket and black footwear. The possibilities are endless. 

Here are three on trend smart casual looks to get your creative juices flowing: 

White Jeans, Black Top & Light Blue Topper

Combine white jeans with a black top and light blue jacket. Add black shoes and a white or black bag. A black belt is optional if you’re going to partially tuck the front of the top. I’ve chosen a fashionable drape front blouse, but do choose a style that works for you. I’ve also added a patterned top that works with the palette if prints are your thing. I’ve kept the shoes casual with a pair of slip-on sneakers, but booties, cut-out booties, sandals, loafers, slipper flats, wedges and ankle strap flats would also work well. 

Black Bottoms, White Top & Denim Jacket

This is the easiest way to wear the colour palette. Combine black bottoms with a white top and faded blue denim jacket. Finish off the look with white or black footwear, and a light blue, white or black bag. I’ve chosen black culottes, but a black skirt or pair of trousers will do just fine. A light blue jacket will work just as well as a denim one. 

Faded Bell-Bottoms, Pussy Bow Blouse & Vest 

This is the ‘70s rendition. Combine a pair of faded denim flares with a white pussy bow blouse (also known as a neck-tie blouse), and complete the look with a black topper, pointy toe pumps and chain handle bag. I’ve chosen a vest, but a short black jacket works equally well. I vote tuck the blouse in for a true ‘70s vibe. Add a skinny belt if you need to fill out those belt loops. Heeled pointy toes work well under flares because the toe boxes peek out from under the hems. Platform wedges are another footwear option. Add jewellery, scarves, headgear, eyewear and watch as desired. 

I wear this colour combination quite frequently. Recently, I combined my light blue satin trousers with a contrast overlay sweater and white Paul Green loafers. I finished off the look with my citron trench and turquoise bag, which takes the palette in another direction. But indoors, without the topper and bag, it’s this palette to a T. I can also create a similar vibe to the ‘70s ensemble above with a new white pussy bow blouse I bought in Hong Kong.

It was clear from the runway shows in September that gingham would be having a moment again this Spring. While I haven’t yet seen many gingham pieces in the stores in my neck of the woods, the pretty checks are all over the internet:

• Why Gingham Is This Season’s Go-To Print.
• Fashionista shares suggestions on How To Wear Gingham This Spring.
• Yahoo! Style brings us 10 Gingham Pieces That Won’t Make You Look Like a Picnic Blanket.
• 20 Too-Cute Gingham Pieces to Snag This Spring.
• 8 Great Gingham Pieces to Wear Now.

Fab Links from Our Members

Viva loved hearing Ines de la Fressange speak in this video interview on mixing high and low-end pieces, closet size, and wardrobe purging.

She also found an interesting article about Michelle Obama’s recent “Let Girls Learn” trip and her wardrobe choices. It talks about the message she may be sending that you can dress “like a girl” and still be tough.

E enjoyed this post from the costume designer of the historical series Outlander about creating a mix-and-match travel wardrobe, 18th century Highlands style.

La Belle Demimondaine thinks the message in Into Mind’s blog post about why she doesn’t believe in dressing for her body type should be shouted from the ramparts.

Diana loved this post from AJ Wears Clothes where she rebuts an article about trends short women shouldn’t wear by showing fantastic examples of herself wearing exactly those things.

Joy wants to share this interesting WSJ article about flat footwear. Be sure to browse the slide show with fun facts too.

Annagybe enjoyed Simon Doonan’s tongue-in-cheek take on how to charm up your personal style. And she is all for more hats!

Laurinda liked this initiative: female scientists sharing pictures of their footwear to support an eight-year-old girl who was disappointed that Clarks dinosaur shoes were marketed for boys only.

Angie points us to Sally’s post about how the sizing of petite clothing works in retail stores.

Rabbit thought the metal bands T-shirt hoax played on H&M this week ties in with last week’s article about hipster clothing brands appropriating youth culture but not understanding it.

Caro in Oz loves that Tuyen Tran, Winner of the 2015 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Fashion, sources the materials for her clothes locally.