Just when you thought florals had wilted… Here are the seven best ways to wear them this spring
- This spring there is a fresh new way to wear one of the most enduring trends
- Statement blooms are showing up everywhere from accessories to tailoring
- READ MORE: Princess of Wales wears £20 skirt from Zara for visit to Wales
Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking. But, this season, there’s a fresh new way to wear this most enduring of trends.
Forget the ditsy midi dresses that have been ubiquitous for, let’s face it, a little too long now. As John Lewis announced, when launching its latest collection under fashion director Queralt Ferrer, we’ve simply seen enough of them. Instead, bold statement blooms are showing up everywhere from accessories to being splashed over smart tailoring.
Here are the seven ways to wear them . . .
CHANDELIER SHOWSTOPPERs
Earrings, £180, kate spade. co.uk
Handbag, £109, charleskeith. co.uk
Scarf, £12.99, reserved.com
Heels, £69.99, zara.com
Designers Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera and Simone Rocha all sent models down their SS23 catwalks wearing shoulder-grazing, super-sized floral earrings.
Look to the Princess of Wales for inspiration: at the Baftas she paired a white Alexander McQueen gown with cascading floral gold earrings from High Street favourite Zara, costing just £17.99.
Bags, shoes, jewellery, and even scarves can all add horticultural highlights to your couture.
TOUGHEN BLOOMS WITH TAILORING
A model walks the runway during the Dries Van Noten Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2022 in Paris, France
Suit jacket, £250, and trousers
£150, ted baker.com
Perhaps the issue with the floral midi isn’t so much the floral element, but the frock’s shapeless, floaty silhouette. Enter the floral suit. As seen on the Dries Van Noten runway, where masculine tailoring, padded shoulders and sharp angles toughened up feminine florals.
On the high Street, you can find gorgeous floral suits at Ted Baker, Karen Millen, River Island, Sezane and Yolke. The good news is, you can’t go wrong on colour or type of bloom. Just keep the trouser straight or narrow — a wide-leg floral print with matching blazer is too much.
TRY REFINED REGENCY
Phoebe Dynevor, who was educated in Altrincham and later Stockportt, Greater Manchester, starring in Bridgerton
Dress, £111.20, warehouse fashion.com
NOT everyone wants to go for broke — if you’re averse to anything that could be called garish, consider the Regency look of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Spring/Summer 23 show at Dior.
Corsets and dainty Burano lace were matched with sleek modern silhouettes and blooming prints — with trailing, loose wildflowers rather than tight, stylised patterns.
Just stick to a neutral colour palette of white, cream and black to avoid falling back into ditsy floral territory.
TROPICAL FRONDS
Naomi Campbell attends the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring Summer 2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 23, 2022 in Paris, France
Shirt, £29.99, zara.com
Trousers, £360, hayleymenzies.com
Want to shake up your florals? Take your cue from Michael Kors and Prada and think jungle fronds draped with exotic flora, rather than English country garden.
This is not about your dad’s tacky Hawaiian shirt — it’s a sophisticated reworking of J-Lo’s plunging Versace palm tree dress that’s all about glamour, excess and having fun.
Or think Naomi Campbell at the Louis Vuitton SS23 show in a tropical, purple co-ord (left). Get the look yourself at Zara, or with these gorgeous trousers from Hayley Menzies (right).
NOT YOUR GRANNY’S CORSAGE
A model walks the runway during the Carolina Herrera Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show as part of the New York Fashion Week on September
Top, £19.99, hm.com
Thought floral corsages were oldfashioned? Now they’re popping up (elegantly sculpted from gorgeous fabric) at Prada, Dior and Roksanda — and on red carpet stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Harry Styles.
Most recently Zendaya stepped out at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards in a pink satin Valentino gown with applique blooms all over the skirt.
The High Street is brimming with brilliant, 3D floral bouquets. But if you’re worried about looking OTT, stick to one huge applique flower, as on this red, one-shoulder top from H&M.
ARTY BLOOMS
Dress, £185, jigsawonline.com
If your dress looks like it’s been pulled from an artist’s canvas, then you’ve nailed the look of painted florals. In the same romantic vein as ditsy florals, but painterly and powerful rather than prim, they were seen on the catwalk at Dries Van Noten, Yuhan Wang and Louis Vuitton.
Look for large, individual flowers that appear hand-drawn. Jigsaw’s collaboration with British Indian artist Sharan Ranshi perfectly encapsulates the trend. Dresses and separates are decorated with Sharan’s maximalist illustrations in bold colours.
ELEGANT EMBROIDERY
Emily Blunt attends the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles
Cardigan, £130, boden.co.uk
One problem with prints is that, when they’re popping up on every stylish woman that comes along, they can start to look a little cheap. But embroidered flowers are a way of looking seriously luxe — and, thanks to the surprisingly good quality High Street offerings, it won’t break the bank either.
Try embroidered floral jackets from the likes of River Island and Monsoon, or splurge on an embroidered broderie anglaise dress from Wyse London.
A big splash of embroidery will lend a bohemian feel — or keep it classy with a single spray of elegant asymmetrical blooms, like this Boden cardigan (below).
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