Hello sweetlings,
I want to talk about prints for a moment.
I am not a big fan of prints and use them only as accent pieces in my wardrobe. I prefer to accessorize my outfits with jewelry or scarves or interesting shoes, as I find prints kind of visually noisy, if you know what I mean. I love soft paisleys and contemporary florals but graphic prints and especially black and white prints are jangling for me.
I do own a few b & w pieces but they’re large floral prints and the round shapes feel easier on my eye.
I think that a sizeable guy or gal needs a sizeable print. Regardez:
Instant frump. Look at all the busy little detail right around the gut. In black and red, no less. Awful. The print is like little ants roaming around your lower abdomen.
You would seriously be better off with something like this. Of course you’d have to do great hair and make-up and a tummy trimmer or control top panty hose, as you should be doing any time you dress for anything more serious than a day at the office or a few casual meetings:
I love Mexican art, and this sort of reminds me of it, which is why I’m not fainting at how bright the colors and flowers are. But if that’s too much for you, look at the scale of this floral print:
Going for a big print is no guarantee that it will be flattering. Here’s a sweater that has a great bold print but will totally upstage you, obscure your face entirely, and make you look like an enormous walking painting. I love the art work here but I’m not stupid enough to make someone else’s art such a focus that I have to shout to be heard from behind it:
If you do choose a garment with a delicate pattern, pair it with other garments with bold elements, like this big beautiful collar and bold necklace. See how the skinny belt and petite pattern on the sweater get balanced by the dramatic details? And she’s got enough hair to keep the whole thing working. That’s why I think big women with really short hair make more problems for themselves than they need to: unless they have super volume and great bone structure, their heads always look too small. Unless you have a beautifully long neck and your weight is distributed in curves (as opposed to a more square shape), keeping super short hair is probably not helping you look your best.
This is why I mostly keep my prints to skirts. A nice bold color and clean lines up near the face and a fun burst of color on the bottom= fun and lively:
I’ve gotten bored with just basic colors and was looking for a print top to wear with my basics – and all the prints have been 1) sleeveless, 2)made out of material that would have been considered cheap lingerie in any other decade, and/or 3)just muddy ugly colors. Not in Talbots, not in Ann Taylor, not in LImited (none of which are in my budget, but a girl can dream) was there a beautiful printed blouse I would have considered squirreling away my money to purchase.
do you have a link for the third top down the one you think looks Mexican? I think the colors are gorgeous.
Thanks
The cabbage rose cardi reads frumpy to me. [I know. It definitely leans that way, but I couldn’t find a bold floral print I liked in any searches so it’s there to give an idea of scale. If I HAD to wear it, I would, with jeans and high heeled boots and a black scarf in my hair. Maybe with a skinny belt over it. – PB]