War of the Prints!

Come Spring-Summer and prints become a tool to depend on for a majority of the fashion fraternity. The reason is simple. Summer clothing has to be light and airy with minimal add-ons and prints allow that without making an outfit boring.

At WIFW SS 2013 too almost every other designer booth offers an array of prints. The debate is which is ‘cooler’ to wear- The classic floral/nature inspired numbers or the crazier geometric prints that are seen lining the racks this season?

Ironically, the queen of floral Anupama Dayal had ‘not a single’ flower in her collection this time. Her prints were geometric and used ikat influences. “Spring-Summer 2013 is not about the flower, it’s about the weave, it’s about going tribal,” says Anupama.

Ranna Gill whose ‘Birds of Paradise’ print in the SS 2013 collection is nature inspired yet designed towards a geometric feel says that “It is the age of geometric prints… Florals have their moment in spring summer but geometrics are a main stay, they run through winter and summer.”

While you’re likely to see many other designers sticking to geometric or even ‘non-floral’ themes in their prints, flowers do have loyalists in the industry. Designer Rajdeep Ranawat has been inspired by the falling Bougainvillea around the villas in Santorini. James Ferreira showed delicate floral on his sarees and dresses too.

And then there are some designers who are putting the best of both themes together! Hemant & Nandita have mixed their digitized jewel print with classic floral prints. And in some of their pieces you’ll see a floral base with some geometric designing.

Nandita Raipurani from the label says that “You open any woman’s wardrobe, you will find newer prints but the florals will definitely be there. Floral patterns can never go out.”

In the end then, what you chose to wear depends on your personal style. But a word of caution. The size and colour of the print and it’s placement on the garment can make a huge difference to how you look in it! So chose what theme you will, but remember to make that print work for you come spring summer 2013!