How to style floral prints

 

 

style floral printsHappy Saturday, ladies, and welcome to How to Style Floral Prints.

Some of you just said…What?…wait a second…where is the regular feature??

Jennifer and I talked last week and decided that it is time to shake things up a bit and tap into the readers’ fashion talents.

So now, instead of asking if you would or would not wear something…we will show you displays and ask how YOU would style the fashion feature.

It will be a double fashion styling challenge for you each Saturday.

To kick this off on my blog, I want to know how to style floral prints.

I realize many of us are in cold weather today, but since Spring is on the calendar for Monday, let’s talk how to style floral prints…blooming all around us.

And at least think warm….it is cold here as well…so I know it has to be cold in most of the country.

Nevertheless, spring will come…eventually.

So, perhaps thinking spring and how to style floral prints will help!

Get cozy, with your fashionista thinking caps on and let’s get going…..

HOW TO STYLE FLORAL PRINTS

style floral prints

 

Flowers are blooming throughout fashion displays in most retailers.

I found this one which shows three different ways to style floral prints…from a scarf, to a top, to sleeve embroidery.

Look the mannequins over for inspiration and give careful consideration to your answer as how YOU would style floral prints.

Now, if you would not style a floral print at all…then tell us and explain why for other women to consider.

style floral prints

 

With careful consideration…tell us ladies…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

HOW WOULD YOU STYLE FLORAL PRINTS FOR SPRING?

Many of you will recognize these styles are from Talbots,  where you entire purchase is 25% off through end of day on Sunday, March 19 and 40% off one item, use code SPRING.

Here are the display selections, plus if you click through to the site, you will discover even more ways to style floral prints:  (including SHOES)

Blissful Floral Smocked Cuff Blouse

Embroidered Sleeve Poplin Top  (THIS TOP IS INDIGO BLUE, NOT BLACK)

Blissful Floral Square Scarf

Short Trench Coat in Biscayne Blue

Ribbed V-Neck Cardigan Stripe

HOW TO STYLE FLORAL PRINTS AND MORE

how to style floral prints

There were several items, floral prints and more, which readers ordered from our shopping trip to JCP.

The item which sold the most was the Liz Claiborne Sara Womens Mid Rise Bermuda Short (comes in 8 colors)….and is still on sale for $22.39 with the code 4HOMEBUY.

how to style floral prints

And many of you agreed with me that the 1.STATE Surplice Sleeveless Top is a great layering piece for your wardrobe.

I have already worn it several places, and I like that it gives me a white top that is away from my face and is slimming…it looks great with jackets.

style floral prints

But, I showed you yesterday how I style floral prints in my own wardrobe right now in this new favorite of mine…the Bryn Walker Anja Silk Floral Print Sheer Short Sleeve Cardigan.

Well, I cannot wait to read how YOU would style floral prints for spring…what you think of my display ideas…and then what you think of the styling challenge on A WELL STYLED LIFE!

Let’s have fun with this new approach…and by all means…let us know what you think of it!

KEEP SMILING!!

Pamela Lutrell

I appreciate your support of this blog by shopping with my SHOPPING LINKS, and if you don’t see the retailer you need for anything, just send me an email and I will see if I have a link or if there is a sale you are looking for!

Email is over50feeling40@gmail.com.

Recent requests have been for SHEEC NO-SHOW FOOTWEAR and Bombas…and Tuckernuck â€¦just click the name and you will be there.

I am here to assist you with any gift ideas as well, and hope you will consider shopping gifts with these links!  AND your home purchases!

I know many like to make Home Depot purchases online and then drive to the store to pick them up.  You can still use my HOME DEPOT link to do that.

A special thank you to everyone who does this to offer your support of the blog!!  It makes a difference and keeps me here.

style floral prints

28 Comments

  1. Happy Saturday! I’m not much of a floral wearer, but I love the scarf with the striped sweater. I could style that with many things. It would perk up a simple white shirtdress for spring with some woven sandals. The floral sleeves feel too much because my shoulders are broad, but it is a fun look. Your long floral topper is amazing on you!! I adore the look!!

  2. The flower/stripe pairing in agreeable colors are my favorite as well.

    I think the safest thing to do is to add a floral item to a solid. The different items do not have to be dyed to match, but it’s safer if at least one color has a relationships to colors in another item.
    The flower/stripe is good in the scarf/top combo, I’d have to see a pants/top stripe/floral combo on before knowing if I liked that.
    I suspend all American judgement on pattern pairing for people who’re of other ethnic origins.
    I don’t know what their style rules are, but they do seem like they’re different.

  3. Well… these colors aren’t in my wheelhouse. However, earlier this week, I wore and oversized, cream thermal v-neck with a floral Johnny Was scarf. 🙂

  4. The floral topper looked wonderful on you. Love the column of green for early spring and I think it would look lovely with white pants/capris and a white top or pink/coral top in late spring and summer. The topper is narrower than other toppers on the market and has such a slimming effect.
    I appreciate the subtle change in approach to Would You Wear It. Quite frequently we’re quick to criticize rather than offer a positive suggestion. Thank you both for that switch.

  5. For me , being both short and skinny , the important part is the scale of the floral bit . If you wear something which looks more like it should be covering a floor to ceiling window you won’t get the benefit of the floral shapes on your body . Consequently I tend to rather victorian-style floral prints and remember being criticised for wearing faux-Laura Ashley back in the day ! Thus the way the print lies on you is also important – hence why Pam’s beautiful silk coatigan looks so good !

  6. Good Morning! I have a lot of floral prints in my closet, some wilder than others. It depends on the amount of print, as in is it the whole piece or an embellishment. For pieces like your ruana, I would do exactly as you did, a column of color to let the piece take center stage and keep jewelry and shoes simple…..for things like denim embellishments, I play with matching colors and jewelry that ties in. For like wild print tops, the jewelry can’t be seen well anyway so I skip it or keep it simple. I can’t mix prints with much confidence so I don’t do it, but I have seen it done nicely on other women.

  7. I wear a lot of prints on top. Flowers are very fun and encourage the feeling of joy. I would style the floral top with any summer pant or capri that pulls out one of the dominant colors. Doesn’t have to be white pants or jeans. I’d probably pull out the red or maybe the dominant blue as I have both those colors in capris. In the summer, I wear colored capris or maybe blue jeans or leggings. But it’s too hot here for polyester in the summer. To me, that scarf looks like too much with the blue coat. Too much bulk and it makes my eye perceive the outfit as cluttered.

  8. Keeping everything else simple with a floral print is key…..solid colors, minimal jewelry, neutral shoes. Most look great paired with white, cream or dark wash jeans. Fun new feature, Pam! By the way, have you seen the new patchwork fashions? I’m not sure about those, but might make a lively discussion.

  9. I too appreciate the changes. WYWI first drew me to your channel, but after a while it just seemed like weird clothes were on offer. I’m a solids and stripes person, though I will add touches of florals on occasion. In putting together my consignment pile, I found beautiful floral sweaters from Talbots with the tags still on them, so clearly I wouldn’t wear them in a sweater :). I have and like several floral scarves, which I put with a solid or one of my Breton striped tops. I also have a couple of floral bags, which I like but don’t wear much as I don’t change out my purses as often as I would like to think I do. I have floral necklaces and some fun flowery summer earrings. One place I always wear a floral or leafy print is in a swimsuit, because I’ve found a busy print hides some of the lumps and jiggles.

  10. All over florals don’t appeal to me. Usually my floral will be a top over solid colors. I have a cute pair of slip on keds in a pretty blue and pink floral that get a lot of wear with solid or print tops. In my eye, I need to like the floral pattern before I even think about wearing it and for some reason I lean towards vine and medium size prints. All of the florals in my closet are of two colors and not a true multi floral.

  11. I feel overpowered in large prints, so I would wear either the navy shirt with flowers on the sleeves or the scarf added to a plain shirt. I like adding a patterned scarf to a plain jacket to jazz it up.

  12. I love florals, especially scarves as they’re an easy way to add a pop of colour to an outfit. I tend to wear solids which are a good base for any scarf. With a floral blouse or sweater, I usually wear a solid colour skirt or pants but a subtle pattern often works too. I have a number of pairs of floral patterned Keds (their Rifle collaboration) that I wear in the summer with jeans, shorts, etc.

  13. I don’t own any large floral prints in anything but do have a few small print toppers/ ruana trim abd a blouse. (Very small print). I find prints dominate in general so total solid alongside works best in my view. I like solid white if the print includes any white or black column beneath. I love that soft sage color under your topper too. Very pretty!

  14. I am not a huge fan of florals (probably because getting the right size, color, and positioning is tricky), but I dabble in them. I would say that these examples are really inspirational. I have several Breton striped tops, and I love the look of Madewell’s inexpensive little floral square scarves with them. The larger print scarf gives me the inspiration to try a bolder look.
    The black top with floral sleeves is stunning to my eye. I don’t wear black, but if I did I would love it with trim black pants, a short block heeled black sandal for a bit of height, and dangling earrings in one of the colors. As a deep autumn, I would love the top in my colors and the pants in a contrasting color pulled from one of the florals. Love this new format. Spring begets change. You and Leigh Ann look great in your florals.

  15. Good news, Deborah…that top is INDIGO BLUE not black and it is a top selling item today! You can get it with the code SPRING at 40% off.

  16. Hi, Pam. I would style the scarf with the blue trench jacket with a solid color top — any color from the scarf. (Although, I’d choose a lighter, brighter floral honestly.) Call me preppy New England but I find florals and stripes a tough pairing. I’d wear loafers with this outfit. I love the blue (looks black in your photo) blouse with floral sleeves as is. My only style change would be to replace the bracelet shown with colored bangles — Talbots has some really nice ones. I’m not sure about middle outfit: the floral pattern hits in exactly the wrong place, and I’m not crazy about the dots. It’s tough to think about styling something that you’d never wear yourself. You look gorgeous in the ruana.

  17. Pam,
    I’m glad y’all moved on from “Would You Wear It”. I didn’t care for it.
    I often wear stripes with a floral print scarf myself.
    Cheers!

  18. I love adding a floral print scarf to a solid color outfit. It brings the look to life!

  19. Nice little change of perspective. The display is eye-catching, and I enjoyed reading how everyone wears (or limits) her florals. I simply love floral patterns but keep them medium-sized and smaller. I wear my UIN and Keds floral tennis shoes with a solid Capri pant and top in spring and summer, but will add a playful small stripe or gingham crossbody bag. If I wear a floral print blouse, then everything else is likely solid for me, and I almost always have a cardigan over that which reduces the busyness of the pattern. With my floral handbags I stick to mostly solid tops and bottoms unless I have a skinny striped top whose colors are also in the bag. Like one of the Linda’s mentioned, I am also a fan of the floral swimwear because it seems to distract the eye somewhat.

  20. I love florals and wear them often, usually as a top with jeans but sometimes in dresses. I snatched up the Embroidered Sleeve Poplin Top as it is just my style. I plan to wear it with white jeans on my upcoming cruise. Love your new feature, much better than “would you wear it?” Thank you for bringing me my new top!

  21. I am not a fan of large floral prints, so I would definitely use them in small doses. A floral print scarf with a neutral color trench coat or blazer would add a touch of spring without sacrificing warmth. A small amount of floral embroidery on a top or the right small scale floral print blouse might be okay. I would definitely pair prints of any kind with solid neutrals. Although, I do like the print scarf with the striped sweater.

  22. I don’t wear many florals but I think the store dressers did a good job pairing the floral prints with solid pieces and the wide stripe cardigan; I’m not a fan of mixing florals in one outfit. Does anyone else think the fit of the smocked cuff blouse looks very different online than it does on the mannequin?

  23. Similar to that in interior decor; I feel one has to be cautious when choosing floral prints as the result can be overwhelming rather than esthetically complimenting, so I personally opt for it only in small doses even in fashion. That being said; ‘to each their own plus decorate and wear what you love’. -Brenda-

  24. I struggle with florals in general as they can so easily lean, well, I don’t know, old, off trend? I do have some beautiful floral scarves and love the one pictured above. I would love more ideas on how to wear florals. This is fun, thank you!

  25. Mannequin #1, I love, love, love this look! I’m a light summer color type so the light blue, striped sweater and blue coat would be in my cart if I didn’t already have way too many clothes. Since we’re just pretending here, I’d swap out the pants for a slim fitting, white or light wash jean. I do love scarves but am not confident pattern mixing.

    Mannequin #2, Jeans again. I tone down bright tops like this with a jeans jacket as a second layer.

    Mannequin #3, Blue jeans to keep the contrast level lower (light summer remember). While pretty, this blouse might be too loud for me personally.

  26. I live where it is very hot and dry for five months of the year. Spring is about two weeks long! Pretending, I like the first outfit in blues. I am very short and busty so no strips. But the coat, a pale blue shirt and slim white pants with the little scarf would be my favorite. The center shirt would look better tucked into matching white pants but I don’t actually know how else to style it. The dark shirt is very exotic and would look good on a winter coloring in a column of black. Accent the flowers on the sleeves with a dangle earrings in red. I am a spring an look like walking dead in black or red. So I avoid them.

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