We all know what prints are. And some of us have their favourite ones as well. Here we’ll continue on the optical illusions in clothing theme, by talking about how to choose prints to use them to our advantage. We’ll actually start off by saying that they tend to make the figure more rounder than solids do, so choose them taking this into consideration. Also, consider that the size and the density need to be considered too. Do you like lots of flowers together of a few flowers kept distance equally? Big or small flowers? In the end, also consider which part to highlight by wearing it. If you don’t really want to highlight, you can create a look that has the same print all over, but be careful with it. To play safe, go with a solid look instead.
Floral prints and how to choose them
A floral print is associated to being feminine and slighly romantic. It’s perfect for clothes that you will wear at work too. It’s more low-key compared to other prints. If they are small and close together, they will give you a more slimming effect compared to big flowers at a distance.
Animal prints and how to choose them
These prints are associated to being bold, which is why they are just loved or just hated. Some people may have whole collections in their wardrobe, others won’t even enter shops that sell them! It depends on what design you have as well. A zebra-stripe design is similar to stripes, snake-scale designs are similar to florals and the jaguar’s mane-kind of design looks a bit like polka dots.
Polka dots and a tip to choose them
These remind of the 50’s, when the trend started. More then anything, it depends here on how big those dots are and what the distance between them is.
Stripes and tips to choose them
There are three kinds of stripes: vertical, horizontal, diagonal. The vertical ones optically elongate and thin the figure, while horizontal ones do the opposite: they shorten and enlarge the figure. Diagonal lines help create movement, making them perfect for broad-shouldered people. Here there are two things you will want to consider the next time you buy stripes:
- The more important the body feature you want to cover, the wider the stripes should be.
- The distance between two stripes determines whether the piece will have a slimming or a dilating effect.
Abstract designs
Along with what said about stripes, there’s one thing to add: designs with curved lines (any line that we can consider as such) can highlight or create curves.
Losanges (losanghe) and how to choose them
This geometrical design can elongate your figure, especially when all the rows don’t have chromatic contrast withh one another. Found on those autumn jumpers and gilets, you can use them to create a boyish British-inspired look (if that’s your style).
Tartan/check and how to choose and wear it
Prints like these do optically take up a lot of space, which is why just one piece with this print is more than enough. They are, for the same reason, very tough to wear as well. If you like wearing them, wear them only on the parts you want to optically enlarge (a jacket or a shirt or a skirt or a pair of trousers).
Paisley/Military-camouflage style
These stay together because they have a lot in common. The designs are both dense (no empty spaces) and they also use the same colour palette. For these reasons, you can use them to cover small imperfections.
So, these were a bounch of tips to eventually keep in mind the next time you go clothes shopping. Hope you found them useful!