Lately, I have noticed a trend brewing in the stores and magazines. Normally, I don’t follow trends, as I prefer to leave myself open to inspiration from a wide range of sources. However, I am loving this current fashion and I wanted to share it with you simply because it’s so delightfully unexpected. The trend I am referring to is florals and flower motifs. They seem to be cropping up everywhere, from magazines, to shops and on the backs of patrons at my local coffee shop. Flowers are all the rage.

 

 

Now, I know that by this point you’re probably thinking, “Flowers! Has she gone bonkers? What’s so special about that?” The fact of the matter is that flowers and florals in themselves aren’t new or innovative, but it’s the timing of this trend that has me jumping in head-first. You see, florals are usually associated with Spring fashion. The resurgence of this pretty motif in Summer is relatively unexpected. For me, the fact that flowers have become popular at an unusual time of year has inspired me to find new and unusual ways to wear flowers and floral motifs. I have put together a little look-book for those of you who want to give this trend a try, but aren’t sure where to start.

 

Floral prints are usually associated with feminine, girly garments. When we think of flowers and fashion, frothy-skirted dresses, delicate liberty prints and floral hair adornments spring to mind. While there is nothing wrong with wearing florals in this way, there is something so daring and so much fun about reinventing them and incorporating them with ensembles you normally wouldn’t associate with flowers. There are so many incarnations of floral motifs floating about that you can wear them in a myriad of different ways. There is the humble floral print, which may be bright, pastel, monochrome, small, large, garish or pretty. You could also try floral adornments on jewellery, handbags or hair ornaments. There’s no limit to what you can do with florals this season.

 

If, like me, you like to dabble in some hard-edged fashion once in a while, you might not have considered adding flowers to your ensembles before now. As I mentioned before, florals aren’t necessarily the domain of the sweet and innocent. Roses have often been a popular motif in gothic fashion, and can be woven into punk-rock outfits with relative ease. Take advantage of the amazing printed Dr Martens that are available at the moment, and pair them with a printed tee shirt, a bubble skirt and some rough-and-tumble jewellery. I adore the rose-print lace tights shown here. They’re very feminine, but they can easily be incorporated into a harder look.

 

Unleash the bombshell within by wiggling into a skin-tight dress in a large floral print. Choose a bright, racy colour like red or emerald green. Slip your feet into a pair of sky-high heels and tuck a flower behind your ear.

 

Floral prints work brilliantly with bohemian ensembles. They are a great way to add a little ‘flower power’ to your 1970s inspired outfits. Pair a sweet, washed out floral print with a pair of leggings and some gemstone rings. Top the whole thing off with a big floppy hat and add a pair of comfy low sandals to keep you grounded.

 

For a country-and –western take on the flower trend, choose a collared shirt with a loud rockabilly print that incorporates flowers. Team this with a pair of relaxed-fit jeans and funky cowboy boots. A pair of aviator-style sunglasses is all you need to finish this look off.

 

If floral prints aren’t your thing, try incorporating flowers using your jewellery and accessories. There are plenty of tooled metal rings and earrings that feature flowers, and I’m in love with vintage-style enamel pendants and brooches, which are often adorned with roses and violets. You can even buy rings and pendants that have real pressed flowers set into them. This is a subtle way to ease yourself into the floral trend.

 

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that florals are bright and garish, or else too sickly sweet for your tastes. If your style is classic, with lots of black, white and grey hues, you might not want to sashay into the arena of floral dressing for fear of looking like a trashy lampshade. Fear not, my minimalist friend, for there is a huge array of monochrome floral prints and graphic pieces available which will suit you down to the ground. Experiment with a single printed garment and then add plain black and white items to complete your look.

 

 

There are literally hundreds of different ways that you can experiment with this trend, and these are just a couple of ideas that I have come up with. It’s wonderful to see trends cropping up at unexpected times of the year, because it inspires me to think of interesting and unique ways to wear things that have been done to death. I’d be very interested to hear from you guys, about what you think of the floral trend. Would you wear florals in summer, and if so, how would you wear them? It would be great to hear from you.