Florals: Yay or Nay? Both.

I know it’s spring, but am I the only one totally overwhelmed by the cacophony of floral prints that have taken over dresses, skirts, swimsuits, runways, and yes, even bras?? (Available in “night floral”. Ugh.)

Floral prints can look adorable on pajamas. Or on little girls. Sometimes even on swimsuits. But when it comes to floral dresses, you’ve got to tread the slippery slope very carefully. It’s way too easy to downshift from a nice floral print to total disaster.

You want to avoid looking like you belong in 1993 this summer.
Or, in this case, my poor friend’s couch…

Floral dresses are an emblem of summer fashion. So how do you make them work in 2010?

TIP #1: Avoid sleeves. Especially puffy ones. Or puffy anything, for that matter.
I usually like Diane Von Furstenburg but this is just way too painful.

TIP #2: Choose a figure flattering fit. And no, fitted sleeves do not make a floral dress look any better. See #1.Avoid the moo moo look. Figure flattering does not equal one-size-fits-all.
But if your dress does happen to be a little on the frumpy side, add a belt. Belts have a way of making semi-frump look semi-fashionable.

TIP #3: Avoid buttons or collars. (Some exceptions)

The tiny buttons down the front of this Tory Burch dress take it from bad to worse.
But the Coldwater Creek dress on the right proved itself to be an exception to the rule. The buttons and collars look great – and I think it’s because they’re fitted and figure flattering. See #2.

TIP #4: Go for balance with a floral print bottom and a solid top. Or layer a floral print with a solid sweater. I love this balanced floral look.

TIP #5: When donning florals, avoid boots.
My goodness, Faith broke pretty much all the rules here. She’s got a good excuse, though. This picture is from her 1993 debut album, “Take Me As I Am.”
You’ve got to trust me on this one. If Faith Hill can’t pull it off, you can’t pull if off.
Don’t even try.

TIP #6: Keep it short. I love maxi dresses as much as the next gal, but floral prints should be subtle – not head to toe.
Yikes! This model is especially pretty and thin, but even she can’t make this look work. I shudder to think how it would look on us common folk…

TIP #7: Shop for florals at Old Navy this weekend.

Honestly, when it comes to florals, just keep it simple. Choose floral prints that are cute, fresh, maybe even a little sexy. Mind you, I don’t mean J.Lo-Grammys-sexy.

(My apologies by the way for including 10,000 links in this post. There were so many examples of bad florals and I couldn’t resist.)

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!