Rather like flowers themselves, floral prints burst into bloom around this time every year. They are, in effect, the hardy perennials of the fashion world, certain to pop up in shops throughout the country no matter what the weather. And why not? Irish women seem to adore floral prints, and a staple of many summer wardrobes in this country is the sleeveless button-through dress adorned with flowers. However, like many other designs, the floral print moves in and out of favour, and right now it has achieved intense fashionability. That means flowers may be found decorating not just comfortable summer dresses, but almost every other item of clothing as well. Among the international collections, floral prints at their boldest appeared on Gucci's psychedelic hipster flares and on Londoner Matthew Williamson's strapless knee-length dresses. Alexander McQueen produced coarse canvas tops and skirts embroidered with trailing flowers, Clements Ribeiro produced a more delicate version with white roses climbing up sheer white shifts. Versace showed boldly-coloured daisies on net for skirts, John Galliano had what seemed to be entire gardens on some of his dresses, and Emmanuel Ungaro transformed his catwalk into a flower-strewn lawn to match the clothes being shown.
The floral print is a natural extension of the interest in surface detail which has been a feature of fashion over the past two years. It continues a theme already encompassing embroidery and beading and is a natural reaction against the blocks of solid, unrelieved colour which prevailed for much of the 1990s. The best of the florals around now are the prettiest, again a romantic response to hard-edged, minimalist dressing. These prints are often used on items which have a pastoral character: smocked and ruched blouses; tiered skirts; rufflehemmed cardigan jackets. It is almost an update on the infamous Laura Ashley style of two decades ago, with the broderie anglaise trimming removed.
In fact, the best way to wear florals this summer is to keep the spirit of romanticism in check. Restraint may be exercised in a number of ways. If dressing entirely in floral prints, make sure the clothes are not too loose or flowing. The Mariad Whisker pieces shown here demonstrate how floral can be sensual, thanks to the use of stretch fabrics. Equally, floral is funky when used for a pair of Kookai pedal pushers; the rustic character of the pattern is contrasted with a distinctly contemporary and urban cut.
If you're uncertain that you can carry so many florals, try introducing them as a fashionable, but not necessarily dominant, motif. Marc O'Neill's skirt, for example, features flowers in a low-key manner and so does not overwhelm the twin-set it has been combined with. As is now the norm, fashion's floral fling should be considered an option and not a diktat. Take a little or a lot, a single flower or an entire bouquet. Everything may be coming up roses this summer, but you are not obliged to wear them all.
