Thursday 6 May 2010

Pattern

urbanoutfitters

With the weather almost on the up, I am trying to work on a list of things to buy for summer. One thing that is high up is shorts, and I am drawn to this APC madras pair. However I am someone whose wardrobe consists of black....white, and just a little bit of grey and navy. I shy away from patterns (other than stripes of course) because I am still building up a wardrobe of quality basics, and to me it is easier to stick to solid neutrals that will work with every other piece I own. I know these check shorts are just stripes going in two directions, but I am wondering if they are too limited in what they can be worn with, or not. Of course I wouldn't rush out to buy trousers in this pattern, but maybe for summer - where there is more freedom to wear colourful and interesting pieces, it could work.

So I want to know - how do you go about introducing patterns/prints to your wardrobe? Is it a case of just jumping in head first, or are some patterns safer than others? And should you have some clothes in your wardrobe that can only be worn a certain way?
Maybe most importantly, should these shorts have a place in my wardrobe?

4 comments:

  1. I love the shorts and I think they would be a good piece to have in a summer wardrobe. They are a good colour scheme to wear with lots of basic tops, which I know you have a lot of. They would be perfect with a simple white tee and perhaps a black cardigan over, with some sandals or flats as a perfect, simple spring/summer outfit. With regards to prints, I personally did not use to wear many prints at all. However I started to gradually buy a few printed pieces, therefore slowly integrating them into my wardrobe. I find that builds up ones confidence of wearing prints and then they can become a larger part of ones wardrobe.

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  2. ta ozbel, everyone else seems to manage with pattern so i think i just need to go for it! We shall have to check the shorts out sometime this summer :D

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  3. You're right, prints are always tricky. As much as I love them on other people, personally, I always have a hard time figuring out how to wear them. I was, however, very inspired by this incredible editorial: http://fashiongonerogue.com/kim-noorda-laurie-bartley-road-harpers-bazaar-uk-june-2010/ There's something about the way they styled all these different prints into coherent outfits that makes me want to give it a try myself.
    To answer your question, if I were you I would definitely give the shorts a try. I have bought the identically printed bikini and it looks so great, I'd imagine the shorts are equally wonderful.

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  4. Thanks mmr, I will definitely try them on first but thanks for the vote of confidence. If they don't work out, the bikini would be great - it's very cute.
    Thanks for posting that editorial, very inspiring. Even though it's all prints it somehow works. Gives me hope!

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