Winter bloom

“Florals? For spring? Ground-breaking.”

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Miranda Priestly in Devil Wears Prada perhaps would have been a little less contemptful, had her team put forward the idea of ‘Florals For Fall.’ There might be no snow in this part of the country, but with overcast sky, cold winds and gloomy weather, wardrobe might be the only place to see a few blooms for some time.

“But not the April blooms but the deeper versions against black backgrounds,” Ludhiana-based designer Reet Pahwa, running the label RiP, shares some of the things to be kept in mind while following any cross weather trend. Be it checks for springs or florals for fall.

“This is the time to experiment with floral prints in rich shades like bottle green, gold, rust orange and wine red. The shades that we otherwise wouldn’t consider wearing at the onset of spring.”

Speaking about his fall ready to wear 2016 collection, American designer Michael Kors (having introduced petals in black and white on a couple of outfits) had insinuated his state of mind. “I like bare legs in winter; I like night for day… It’s about the interesting mix.” True, it is about the interesting mix.

Floral accessories to the rescue

It might be a while before we start investing in winter floral blazers. Till that happens, there are always appropriate accessories to fall back upon. “From the way things are going, people might end up wearing statement blazers in prints but since they can’t be co-ordinated often, there are a lot of other ways of introducing florals to a fall or even winter wardrobe,” says Amanjot Bajwa, fashion diploma pass out from RMIT University, Australia. “If your outfit is co-ordinated in too dark a colours, then a floral scarf can pep things up without looking out of place.” She adds, “Stockings in pastels can also go with all dark outfits.”

A few dos, lots of don’ts

There are always a few right ways and several wrong ways of introducing spring into the winter wardrobe. Reproducing a few of the ones pointed out by designers.

• Fall means layering— which means at least three things to be worn at any given point of time. A blazer, a shirt and trousers. Keeping every thing else in darker neutral shades, any one floral piece can add the right break to the outfit.
• If the floral garment in question (be it scarf, stockings, cardigan) comprises lighter colours or pastels, ensure it is out and out winter fabrics, like velvet, satin, silk, wool.
• Pair them with crisp basics. Floral trousers can be pulled off with sneakers/boots, a button down shirt and a blazer, both in solid colours.

—Manpriya Singh