Elizabeth's Edit: botanical prints

Feature writer/fashion columnist

Thursday 12 April 2012

Clothes are rarely silly enough. I now firmly believe that. We’re all so obsessed with good taste (what ever that actually is) and looking put-together (just like they do in the movies), that we’ve seemingly lost all ability to have a bit of fun with our clothes. With ourselves.

Well I say we, but really I’m only speaking for myself here.

A few months ago I opened my wardrobe doors and thought exactly this: what a boring collection of clothes you’ve got here McMeekin.

Nice clothes, some fancy clothes, but grouped together on a rack, largely boring-looking ones. Why? They were all grey and black and brown and cream – a clothing colour scheme I imagine a lot of people can relate to. It’s not very exciting though. Where’s the bright colour, the patterns, the dodgy print shirt from that great holiday ten years ago? Where’s the potential for looking anything other than, well, nice? Where’s the fun? Answer: I don’t know, but the fun aint here. While I’m all for looking elegant at the appropriate occasion, I think it’s time we shook things up a little – let our apparel inhibitions go. Ditch the Audrey Hepburn complex and move right over to Liberace for inspiration. Fortunately designers all collectively had a similar thought for spring/summer 2012. We have a season of mad botanical prints and tropical patterns ahead folks, and I for one could not be more thrilled.

First stop in Project Wardrobe was the purchase of the delightful blue and ivory patterned trousers in the picture above (they’re from Vanessa Bruno’s Athe label). The pattern itself (some weird baroque themed floral) isn’t particularly crazy but to me, at least, the idea of wearing printed trousers is. I’ve also invested in a silk map print skirt by French label Carven, a Paisley print shirt from Whistles and the palm tree print silk top you can also see in the photo. It’s from a great new-ish label called Lulu & Co, which you can find on ASOS, and I think it goes brilliantly with those patterned trousers. Together they create a look which would be best summed up as: “the man from Del Monte having fun on his holiday, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.” You might laugh, but I’m thrilled – that’s exactly the look I was going for. Read Elizabeth's column in The Herald Magazine every Saturday

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Elizabeth's Edit: botanical prints

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