Outfit Post: Mixing Prints
Fashion & Beauty

Outfit Post: Mixing Prints

Do you ever have clothes that you absolutely love, but just don’t ever want to wear?

My Mum bought me this floral dress in the Boden sale (OMG! It’s still available and less than half price!) at the beginning of the year, and I just couldn’t wait for sunny days to wear it. I wore it once with pearls and gloves to help out at a Debutante’s Ball themed Roller Derby game. It got lots of compliments, but since then every time I’ve put it on it just felt too *pretty*.

I like pretty, I really do. But for some reason I wasn’t feeling it. Then in another “OMG I HATE MY WHOLE WARDROBE” moment I decided to rock it up a bit by mixing the floral with leopard print and leather.

Floral Dress with a Leather Biker Jacket

It actually worked a lot better than I thought it would.

I’ve never been very good at that clashing prints thing. I’m one of lifes naturally matchy matchy dressers. With a bit of experimenting I have discovered that it’s easier to work in small doses. So, rather than mixing a floral top with a check skirt in large blocks, I try mixing printed shoes with a skirt or dress. I think it’s gets that “hey, I’m such a fashion rebel” feel, without running the risk of looking like that crazy lady that probably has 20 cats and a garden full of sun-catchers.

I am also in love with these leopard peep toes that I bought from TK Maxx, and will therefore take any opportunity to wear them with anything. Even though obviously the furthest I can walk in them is to the bar and back. They’re not uncomfortable, they are just very high, even with the platform. They do make me feel super fierce, though! Which I absolutely need right now.

Grrr.

See, that’s me being fierce.

Blue and white floral summer dress

Boden Floral Dress and Leopard Shoes with a leather jacket

Twirling in a Summer Dress

This dress is absolutely beautiful. It has delicious pleating details on the bodice, feels really heavy, and I want to say sturdy. Sturdy doesn’t sound like a beautiful word, but it does mean I think this dress has years of wear in it.

When I wore it lots of people assumed it was vintage because of the detail. Like a lot of Boden dresses it comes in petite, regular and long. This is the long version. On my 5’4″ height it falls to the top of my calf for a reasonably authentic vintagey look.

Blue and White Floral Dress

Floral Dress and Leather Jacket

leopard print peep toe shoes

I do struggle with the language of fashion. Anytime anyone adds a “pop of colour” to anything it makes me want to scream a little inside. Though I also have a terrible fear that I’ve probably used the phrase myself in the past because those clichés just work themselves into your brain.

So, you will notice I will have refrained from claiming that I have “toughened up” this floral dress at any point. Toughening something up is fashion magazine speak for “wear a leather jacket with something that doesn’t normally go with a leather jacket”. Except, of course, that now the concept of toughening up florals is so ingrained that if I were writing a list of things to wear with a leather jacket I would probably put jeans first, but then floral dress would come a close second.

Still, much as I hate the whole fashion cliché, if you’re not feeling the pretty and you want to get some more rock n roll wear out of a floral frock, this is totally the way to do it.[separator type=”thin”]

♥ Dress- Boden Sale ♥ Shoes – Guess @TK Maxx ♥
♥ Jacket – French Connection*♥ Necklace – Tatty Devine ♥

Linking up with Not Dressed As Lamb

8 Comments

  • Ev June 27, 2016
  • Sarah June 28, 2016

    Thanks so much for this. At 34, I’m still battling that part of me that makes me tone down my style for fear of being too visible. Blogs like yours help me realise I should embrace style as a form of self expression. Thanks!

  • Leigh June 28, 2016

    Really cute outfit! Love pairing the floral dress with a leather jacket. I have to try that sometime.

    xo,
    Leigh
    http://www.pinkvintageheart.com

  • Tricia June 28, 2016

    that’s a fabulous dress

    and don’t worry about clashes – leopard print is a natural!

  • Theresa Campbell June 28, 2016

    I find I tend to be matchy-matchy as well. Your post is inspiring me to go out on a fashion limb and try mixing things up a bit. Though I do think leopard prints can be worn with anything!! And the Boden dress is stunning. I’ve never actually owned anything from that brand. But I”m about to go to their site and check them out now!

  • How pretty is this dress! I don’t think I have ever toughened something up, oh actually, thinking about it, I would wear patent DM’s with long lace skirts and my friend used to call me an Oxfam Rocker!

  • Anna Parkes July 1, 2016

    I’m a huge fan of pattern clashing and do a lot of it on my blog too. I think your take is great and not overdone or too contrived. The dress is indeed very pretty, and I would have fallen into the conventional trap of going with that conservative, predictable theme. Leopard print shoes are such a fab way of changing up a simple outfit and they certainly do the trick here. Lovely!
    Anna
    http://www.annasislandstyle.com

  • Michelle July 4, 2016

    I think it works really well. As far as I’m concerned anything with animal print, sequins or sparkles is a neutral 🙂
    Really nice pics too.
    Michelle xx

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