The Fashion Statement: Everything That's Fit to Print

by Kristin Young (RSS feed)
Aug 13th 2009 at 9:00AM

Sadly, the only media going to print in big numbers this fall is fashion.

Patchwork, zebra, leopard, floral, tweeds, plaids, psychedelic and Deco graphics, watercolors and paint-splattered fabrics all made a huge statement on the runways. Fait attention! This is the season to forget every rule you've learned about wearing prints. It's time to go Wild and Crazy Guys, not head-to-toe Pucci.

In other words, designers made an eye-popping show of mixing and matching multiple prints on one look. Much like Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin's comedic get-ups on Saturday Night Live back in the late '70s, floral prints were shown with plaids. But then we saw tweeds hooking up with cougars (there must be a joke in there somewhere), leopards pairing up with stripes and stripes in primary colors working well with rich paisleys.

The Mulleavy sisters, designers of Rodarte, are perfect examples of the newest generation of print maestros. Their California-based label had catwalk models in big-cat prints, metallic and watercolor-like fabrics all pieced together on ethereal cocktail dresses (pictured above).

Gallery: The Fashion Statement 08/13/09

Much like modern artists' preferences for various motifs and colors on one tableau, so designers had their individual takes on what prints looked good together.

Temperley London saw its ideal woman in a country red flower motif with cheetah-inspired wide belts and tall, Fez hats. New York-based Peter Som coupled a bright-but-blurred print shift with a tiger-stenciled mink coat. And Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton played stripes off of exotic paisleys in reds and burgundies on ballerina silhouettes.

It appears there's no secret to dressing in multiple prints. And, as far as the fashion flock is concerned, if it looks good to you, it's very likely to look good to someone else.

Celebrity stylist Tod Hallman, for one, sees beauty in print chaos. "I always like when opposing prints are mixed because I just think it's really interesting," he told me this week. "Anyone can go out and buy a complete look in one print. But it brings you more personality and style when you mix and match. When you mix an animal print with a check or a plaid, you get that beautiful dynamic and visual that makes for a well-dressed woman. It gives an outfit some depth. It's almost like a beautiful painting."

I suppose there might be such a thing as piling on too many prints. But, this season, let it all hang out.

Tags: fashion, floral prints, FloralPrints, leopard, Louis Vuitton, LouisVuitton, Peter Som, PeterSom, plaids, prints, Rodarte, Temperley London, TemperleyLondon, tweeds

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Haywood, Cleveland Ohio Aug 13th 2009 7:01PM

Fashion is dying right before our eyes.
I wouldn't be seen with a women wearing garbage bags with straps around them on her legs.
Fashion was ment to enhance beauty, not set a tone (unless your a "look at me" person) for trying to dominate your persona.
If she looks good/great in a little black dress or t-shirt and jeans, you have all you need because she'll look great in anything that doesn't look like some designer wants to make his/her statement instead of that of the wearer.
Fashion is dead because the vision now is about the designer and not the wearer.

Bill Aug 22nd 2009 1:33PM

I agree, Haywood, a lot of fashion is total crap these days; putting outlandish clothing on pale, sickly looking stick-children, and marching them down the runway without a smile on their faces, isn't really helping the situation either.

Mktgguru Aug 22nd 2009 4:52PM

To: Haywood & BILL:
I think you both couldn't have said it better. (I have a degree in the Marketing-Fashion Merchandising field. I utilized it somewhat in my work life...but that's about it. I have also sewn beautiful clothes throughout my life and I have an immense appreciation for beautiful fabrics and fashions (those that truly compliment this or that type of human silhouette). I also can understand "some" mixing and matching of "certain" prints together...but that's about it. I think that some of these designers are trying to outcreate each other by creating "art" rather than wearable clothing. That's what it is. It is using fabric and form to create an object that is more of an art piece than it is fashion or clothing.) Anyway....I went to school for that field when fashion was still absolutely stunning fashion....and clothes that most people could wear (especially those who took good care of themselves). --- I don't even bother making a point of watching these fashion shows anymore....because 9x out of 10, the fashions will not be something that shows me what the real trends are (depending on the designer). --And 1 final comment ---you are so right about some of the models. They make them look like they are on drugs (& maybe they are anyway)...who knows. Why not show healthier young women --- so that young impressionable girls get the right message....during their formative years. I think that Tyra has been preaching this for quite awhile (esp. with the weight issues). (Kudos for her!)