I think that’s good advice Suz. My sister and I are a similar height and size but she has larger hands and suits chunkier jewelry. I don’t think I suit ditsy small scale patterns- I think it’s because I am tall, broad shouldered and have a strong jaw - the kibbe natural. But if the colours are right and the cut is right and I make them mine I can and do wear them.

The shirt dress and blouse below are two examples where the small scale works. I tend to style these with sneakers, or chunky sandals. I would wear with delicate jewelry or pointy toe flats- whereas that would suit Angie for example.

Exactly, Sally. The colours work for you and the style details are just-flattering enough (print may be ditsy but it is not truly teeny tiny, other details not overly feminine) and then you wear it in YOUR way so it works for your looks and your lifestyle. A lot has to do with styling the items -- no question!

Oh, yikes, having to worry about the scale of prints is new. I guess I am "big boned" in that my wrists measure larger than most other people I know, even those who are taller and heavier than I am. I have a friend who is considerably larger than I am in all ways, but her wrists are TINY, and we can see the difference even just holding our arms out next to each other. Like Sal mentioned, I am also broad shouldered and have a strong jawline.

But, I am bordering on petite in stature (right around 5'4"), and wear about a size 4. So... being big boned, should I be able to wear large prints? Or given my stature should I stick to small? Ironically, I just purchsed two dresses, one with a small print and the other with giant flowers - and I liked both! But I think I only considered the silhouette and whether they were flattering to my midsection (the area about which I am most self-conscious). Perhaps I need to take pictures and put them up for opinions.

As for jewelry, I don't really care, because I like statement jewelry! I either wear lots of layered, real jewelry, or big, noticeable pieces in paste. Whenever I'm wear a solid colored top, I will wear jewelry that can be seen.

Echo- I suspect you are getting it right. And to be honest if you really like something and feel happy in it then it will look good because you feel good. Other people don’t notice as much as we think they do.

What Sally said! If you love it and feel great in it, GO for it!!

Our preferences shift over time and in different circumstances at the same time.

I am 5'4" also and take a size 2 or 4 as a rule (though sometimes a 0 and sometimes a 6, it just depends....) -- here are a few of the various prints I wear and enjoy and that seem to work. You will see the scale is very different from item to item. But they all seem to work.

Some are even in non-preferred colours (black dress). But they work! So just try stuff on and see how you like it and if it doesn't work after a few wears, sell it or donate it and try again. You'll get so much more confident with this over the next few months of wardrobe re-building. I know it seems intimidating at the start and when you think about how much money you might waste in the process, but it's really not a waste because you are learning. Picking your key neutrals first will also limit any economic fall out.