Welcome to wonderland
Long before the ‘90s made monochrome cool and Armani the king of beige (or “blond” as Donatella Versace likes to refer to the wheat hue), Cyndi Lauper ruled the airwaves and her mad mix of prints and bold colors earned her the adulation of every female (and more than a few gays) between the ages of 16 and 60. Thanks to the return of ‘80s graphic prints and its ensuing popularity, as illustrated on the catwalks of Gucci and the like, the art of dressing up just got a lot brighter.
If you’re interested in experimenting with the colorful trend, there are a few ways to test the waters without emptying your wallet.
SM Department Store’s Miss Couture collection has a wide selection of pop-inspired printed pieces that won’t break the bank. (Reader, have you seen the dresses in the photos? They are awesome!) Be prepared to spend a couple hours deciding which dress and top to purchase because most of them are too cute to pass up.
If you’re mixing wild prints, be sure to vary the size of the print. Don’t put bold patterns together. Tear a page from the Dries van Noten spring/summer 2008 lookbook and pair a smaller print with a larger one. This gives your ensemble a sense of proportion and doesn’t make you look like the crazy bag lady who got dressed in the dark. (Trust me, you don’t want to be that person. I’ve been there.)
Think Tory Burch. The woman has made a career — and a million-dollar fortune — out of putting together eclectic patterns. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
If you feel that you’re heading into kaleidoscopic territory (which isn’t always a bad thing in my opinion), tone it down with a pair of dark tights or dark patent flats.
Lastly, have fun! What’s the point in trying out something new if you don’t leave yourself a little room to go crazy?
As the esteemed ‘80s style icon Cyndi Lauper once noted philosophically, “Girls just want to have fun.”
