The summer of 2012 belonged to the jazzy trouser but as the balmy months of 2013 approach, this year our thoughts turn to the full-body, no-holds-barred jazzy ensemble. One look at the prints at work on this page should be ample evidence of this trend’s existence.
Not convinced of its charms? You will be — I mean, look at how quickly you came around to the idea of printed trousers. After sniggering or — if you’re anything like my boyfriend, a man who gets all his best comedy material through watching me pull random items of clothing out of the wardrobe — yelping with glee at the sight of a pair of silk pyjama pants, last summer saw even the capital’s most fraidy cat fashion folk get on board with the technicoloured trouser trend. As a result, streets, bars and Tube carriages were awash with colour, and the printed trouser found its status elevated from butt of jokes to stand-out item of the season. They even made an appearance in Parliament — full credit to Stella Creasy MP for that.
This summer, then, the success of full-on print seems inevitable. In fact, it is the next logical step — a sort of grade five for print wearers. But don’t think this means you can just fling on a shirt that boasts a matching motif to your favourite printed pants before heading for the door. This season’s print trends are more hardcore than that. Instead you must seek out an opposing yet equally vivacious print to that of your favourite printed trousers — and then you must wear them both at once.
The rules, my friends, is that there are none. Seek out your favourite printed pieces and go crazy. And not just with trousers and blouses but with skirts, sweaters and jackets. On the catwalk, Italian print baroness Consuelo Castiglioni teamed geometric and oversized check prints with breezy floral and block print accessories in her latest collection for Marni. Then Henry Holland — a renowned lover of print mash-ups — teamed neon tie-dye skirts with Oxford-style paint splashed shirts and polka-dot print jeans with floral sequin sweaters ahead of his last spring/summer House of Holland show.
To become a master of print clashing, I suggest starting with a solid foundation — namely with a pair of trousers or a printed skirt compatible with a host of prints. J Crew are experts when it comes to printed cigarette trousers — try there first if you’re happy to splash a bit of cash on a pair, otherwise look to ASOS and Zara, both of which offer a strong selection of printed blouses and blazers this spring.
Another good tip is to choose an item in a block or neutral shade. A classic navy blazer in soft masculine shape will remove the fear factor from a detailed trouser and blouse combination, while a classic white T-shirt will take the edge off a mismatching suit for spellbinding effect. Who’s laughing now? Well, aside from my boyfriend of course.
