Big florals were all over the runway a few months and now as Spring is getting sprung, we’re going to start seeing it in shops as well. As many of us know, Bad Things can happen when we attempt to wear florals. Bad embiggening things. So how do you dress the trend without looking like my Great Aunt Nobby’s favorite couch?
Avoid the all-over print. With big prints, as with vermouth and potentially damning eye-witnesses, less is alway more. You’ve got to give the eye some place to rest.
Case in point:
The Alva dress from B&Lu. Cute cut, but quite noisy and 100% hugeifying.
Much better is the Floral Dot Dress from Lane Bryant. You still get a bit of a bold pattern statement but it leaves the waist and hips clean. It’s a little art nouveau too, which –in my not remotely humble opinion– is always good. Remember to use the link on our side bar and get a big discount!
Hey, it’s funny because yesterday an article about black and white flower power for plus size has been posted on Vivelesrondes.com (french plus size fashion site).
Inside they show 10 models like the dress from Lane Bryant.
The world is not so big I guess.
Comment by Anne — February 28, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
dang, once again i like the dress you guys think is bad! the lane bryant one is more tailored and corporate — if that’s your style, great, but again, can’t we get away from proscriptive “don’t wear this” commentary? i think if you’re confident and comfortable and actually have a sense of style, you can wear gathered waists and big prints whatever size you are. chacun a son gout!
Comment by marjorie — February 28, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
Hmmm, I think we can wear an all over floral print. Here’s some great floral dresses that would look great on a plus size figure.
http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=20552&storeId=12552&categoryId=49448&parent_category_rn=&productId=626901&langId=-1
http://www.torrid.com/torrid/store/product.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302024201&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442172754&bmUID=1204242732383
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2966877/0~2376776~2374327~6007059~6007112~6010558?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6010558&P=1
Comment by Angel — February 28, 2008 @ 8:04 pm
Agreed, marjorie. Also, can we get the spam above removed?
Comment by cheeky — February 28, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
Yes! Be cautious what flowers you pick from the garden, lest you look like an escaped petunia on rampage!
I have some thoughts on all this “splashy print” stuff. Most of my opinion is not in favor of it.
Comment by Di — February 28, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
I would be tempted to go for the verboten dress because I’m 5’11”, and I think a large print looks much better on me than a dainty print. I might be able to pull that off.
Comment by Ripley — February 28, 2008 @ 9:52 pm
I don’t know. I understand that big splashy prints can come off as hugefying and all, but I think the amound of neutral gray in that one might render it okay. And the Lane Bryant dress? Looks kind of mumsy to me. I’m pretty sure my grandmother had a dress in that pattern.
Comment by Amanda — February 28, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
It would be very cool if you guys did a feature on here showing the same woman wearing a few different dresses and said what you liked and didn’t like about each one. I appreciate that you don’t kiss designers’ asses on this blog!
Comment by boots — February 29, 2008 @ 10:45 am
You may be right, Plumcake, but I don’t want you to be right! I love big prints and I wear them even though they are hugeifying. I am going through a phase where I like to mix and match prints for a crazy, Kala-era M.I.A. effect. But that is just for casual days — at work I still wear boring solids, because I am trying to look like a professional….
Comment by Chiken — February 29, 2008 @ 11:55 am
I’ve always heard that the print should be proportionate to your size. Just yesterday I tried on a shirt with a sea of tiny dots and decided against it. In looking at myself I just saw a vast repeat of the pattern, so many dots! I tried on a larger print, and it didn’t overwhelm so much. Still, I agree that in dresses care is well taken. If you wear a larger print skirt or top, then the eye can “rest” on your other solid piece. That yellow dress might be great with a grey or even yellow cardigan or jacket, or even a wide, solid belt.
Comment by CJ — February 29, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
I think height matters here. If you’re tall and big, the large prints won’t hurt, as you already dominate the room and something more subtle would be like trying to cram a sunflower into a bud vase. If you’re petite, you want to go with the black dress, as the yellow and grey one would make you look even shorter.
Comment by Phalene — February 29, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
Ooh, I love that Lane Bryant dress – but I already own a white on black patterned dress in a very similar cut. Probably I don’t need two.
And your post had totally the opposite effect it was probably meant to – I went over to B&Lu to check out the dresses and bought two big floral print ones, haha. I love florals, and if they make me bigger and shorter, well, it’s worth it to be wearing something that makes me feel pretty and feminine.
Comment by Becky — February 29, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
I love the “wrong” dress and really dont care for (being polite) the “right” Lane Bryant dress. I think I could pull of the big florals. Just have to make sure that no large blossoms or leaves cover the hips or rump.
Comment by Peaches — February 29, 2008 @ 11:44 pm
I’m of mixed opinion on large prints. I agree that small prints are kind of out – too many repetitions, as the commenter above said.
But one also has to be aware of what I call the “perambulating sofa” look – large florals, especially, always seem to be reminiscent of upholstery…
placement of motifs is also important, of course – no one wants to be wearing giant sunflowers over their boobs or on each butt cheek…OK, maybe SOME people do, but…
I’m not crazy about either of those dresses…
Comment by CanadianChick — March 1, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
I’ve been eying that B&Lu dress for weeks now…I want it even more lol I guess in the end it all comes down to personal style.
Comment by SumtingSweet — March 1, 2008 @ 9:08 pm
I love, wear and look great in big prints – and I’m 5′ 3″. While they may not make me look smaller than I am, they certainly don’t make me look any bigger. In my view the cut and the style of a garment is far more important with regard to flattering one’s size and shape. While I do sometimes opt to wear black if I’m feeling the need to look chic, I don’t feel obliged to disappear into the woodwork just because I’m fat. Strong colours and bold prints reflect my personality; plain, dark, “flattering” shades depress the hell out of me.
Comment by buffpuff — March 4, 2008 @ 6:56 pm