How To Wear Patterns

Once upon a time, wearing patterned clothes was resigned to the back of the wardrobe. Patterns and indeed colours were seen as unprofessional and not the thing that the smart woman around town would wear. In fact they are still avoided by city workers who see them as unprofessional and possibly too girly or feminine. Indeed a friend of mine was fired from a firm in the City of London because they said that she didn’t look the part – her clothes were too pretty for the job. Personally I think she is better off without the job. I completely disagree with the this belittling of patterned clothing. I think that wearing patterns help you express your individuality and when chosen and worn with care they look fabulous giving a unique look to any outfit.

So how do you wear patterns? What if you are scared of colour – wearing patterns is surely a step too far if you can’t even find it in you to get away from wearing blacks, greys or other neutral colours. Not at all – in fact patterns as well as being bright can also be subtle, yes they can be outrageous, and colourful but there are also those that are small unobtrusive patterns that just lift an outfit from out of the ordinary.

So how do you wear patterned clothes? The best way to start to wear patterend clothes is to begin with a simple piece of clothing like a scarf. Wearing a patterned scarf is easy and is a great way to accessorise without looking too outrageous. Look at the base colour of your putfitand wear a scarf with a similar tone or if you are feeling really brave perhaps a contrasting colour. Once you have got started there will be no turning back.

You can then move on to main garments. When choosing a patterned garment whenever possible wear it with a plain one to start. This will enable you to understand how colour works and which colours look good together. Once you really get into wearing patterns you can then start to wear stripes with florals, or spots with paisley items.

There are many wonderful patterns and prints in the shops so one thing to also look out for is the style or the cut of the garment and whether the pattern suits the cut. A chintzy flowery print for instance looks better on a fitted garment whereas an ethnic print looks good on a more flowing style.