Diane Parente, AICI, CIP

How to Select the Right Printed Skirt for You?

By Image Development & Management, Inc.

Feminine

The printed skirt is very popular now and is a wonderful ways to freshen up a tired wardrobe, making basic pieces look current. The right printed skirt can brighten up your ensemble when paired with a smart jacket or blouse; it’s perfect for the office or an afternoon garden party.

Picking the right printed skirt for your spring wardrobe begins with knowing the type of print that suits your style. The same skirt in different prints can create completely different statements.

Dramatic

• Floral is a very big motif this spring. Typically, floras are considered feminine or elegant. This season, however, we see the floral motif used in rather unconventional ways and can be quite vivid, and even a bit edgy, appealing to sporty or dramatic personalities.
• Animal prints are still big and always a favorite with the alluring personality type.
• Painterly motifs and ethnic prints, which are also popular now, are mostly creative in flavor but can also work for a dramatic look if they have bold lines and high contrast.
• Both nautical and traditional graphics, such as stripes, plaid, and polka dots, tend to appeal to the more traditional or sporty styles.

When considering prints, it is also important to keep in mind the scale of the graphic because it can strongly influence how the proportions of the entire outfit will appear. A petite person should work with smaller prints and a person of grander size will want something larger. A print can actually be a useful tool for creating illusion and

Elegant

tweaking disproportions. The way the design lies across the skirt will also influence how the eye follows the pattern, thus affecting proportions: horizontal lines will widen, vertical lines lengthen, and diagonal lines add movement. An easy way to change the appearance of your lower half is to find a print that is closer to the scale you want and moves the eye in the desired direction. The nice thing about having a print on the bottom half of an outfit is that you don’t have to be so concerned about how it works with your facial features, but rather the proportion of your entire body, which allows more flexibility. So go ahead — find a great printed skirt that you love and don’t be afraid to wear it!

Now let’s talk about the silhouette of the skirt.

Alluring

Two popular silhouettes right now are the pencil skirt, which can create a chic business look when paired with an attractive sweater or blouse, and the pleated skirt, which can soften and punch up a stuffy suit jacket. The tiered skirt is also another popular style in prints. Although generally used for more formal occasions, it can be stunning with the right business look and works well when you go from business to an evening function. A skirt length below or just above the knee is recommended for business. A shorter skirt is too revealing for business, appropriate only for personal events, while a skirt that falls past the mid-calf can look heavy and matronly unless combined with a fitted top and heels.

A great printed skirt can add pizzazz to your existing wardrobe for this spring and summer! If you are having trouble finding the right skirt to match you style, you might consider getting some professional advice.

What types of printed skirts have you seen this season that really caught your eye?

Traditional

Sporty

Creative