Looking Great By Design, Not Chance

It all started with a little blue dress covered with tiny pink roses. It had a shirred waist and long sleeves with puff shoulders. How could any little girl fail to fall in love?

A couple of decades down the track, patterns are back among my favourite things. Fashion has much more that the usual checks and stripes; we have a kaleidoscope of designs from stripes to ethnic-inspired prints, traditional designs and futuristic digital prints, and animal prints that would make Dr Doolittle look twice.

It may be winter, and there may be plenty in the news to make us glum, but the saying is once again proved that when the times are hardest, fashion is liveliest. We may not be able to solve the economic crisis, reverse oil spills, rebuild cities, or bring world peace by wearing bright new clothes, but it just might give us something to smile about each morning.

So, where to begin? Give a hungry man a menu and he'll starve. Give a woman limitless choice of colour and style and she'll go all day in her pj's (or at least her old black pants and polo-neck). In body shape and style analysis I work with clients to show them how their own personalities and bodies provide the clues for choosing the most flattering clothes and accessories. The following is a brief look at how you can use these clues to choose what, where, and how to wear pattern to break the winter (colour) blocks.

Firstly, choose a pattern that represents your personality so you can feel free to be yourself and have fun. Choosing a pattern that doesn't tell the same story will leave you feeling contrived and uncomfortable.

• Do you prefer to stand out and let the world know your mind? Then a bold print in striking contrasting colours, possibly as a large print in the centre of a garment, will make the clearest statement.
• Do you prefer to remain in the background and to wait to be asked before sharing your opinion? Then a smaller all-over print in subtle colours, such as spots or florals or small-scale abstract prints, will harmonise with your gentle presence while still showing you have plenty of valuable insights to contribute.
• Do you like straight forward action, keeping things clean and clear? Then a simple, precise print is for you. Opt for stripes and geometric designs and clear, simple colour schemes.
• Do you love to take the time to learn as much as you can from other people, situations, and experiences? Find patterns that remind you of people or experiences, such as vintage prints, florals, and abstract designs. Look for bright, fun colours and interesting colour harmonies.

When looking for a pattern that will flatter your body shape, look for details that mimic the nature of your body and features:

• If you have a curvy body shape, where you have a rounded face shape and features, wavy hair, and a soft body line, choose patterns that have a curvy theme, such as paisley, abstracts with circles, florals, or spots.
• Linear body shapes, where you have an angled face shape and features, straight hair, and a lean body line, will suit more structured patterns such as stripes, geometric prints, and the linear animal prints such as snake-skin.
• Curved-linear body shapes, where you have a combination of linear and curved features, will suit a combination of linear and curved design elements, which can be chosen according to the look you want. Wear curved patterns to appear more curvy, linear patterns to appear more structured, or look for patterns that have a combination of both curved and linear features such as vintage or abstract designs.
• Scale is also vital when considering how a pattern will work with your body: Note the shape of features such as your eyes and your face, as the most complimentary patterns will use the same shapes. The best patterns will also be on the same scale as your features, e.g. if you have smaller features, then a large pattern with overwhelm you; if you have large features, a small pattern will seem insignificant.

As to where on your body to wear patterned garments, then the clues once again can be found by looking at your body shape and features. The best place to start is by choosing your favourite body parts and adorning them in your favourite patterns.

• Great body? A printed dress can show off your curves in all the right places.
• Great legs? Then a printed skirt, or for the slightly more adventurous, patterned hosiery, will help you share your gift with admiring passers by.
• Great feet? Patterned footwear is a fun way to show you aren't afraid of putting your best foot forward.
• Great upper body? A patterned top or scarf will attract the eye.
• Great wrists and hands? Patterned bangles and cuffs!
• Great eyes? Patterned frames on sunglasses or spectacles...

If showing off your favourite body part seems like less of a priority that covering up and hiding areas you are less fond of, then patterns can also provide an answer, as they can be used not only to highlight, but to disguise. Patterns draw attention to themselves, so you can hide an area in plain sight by wrapping a pattern around it. For example:

• Wearing a patterned scarf will draw attention to itself and cover a neglected neck.
• A patterned top can diffuse the surface of the fabric and the edge of your silhouette, confusing the eye so that it cannot tell what shape your bust or belly really is.
• A patterned dress can disguise short legs, as there is no way of telling where your legs end and your body begins.

One of the most common cries throughout the land is 'what do I wear with that'? In a spark of spontaneous shopping you purchased a new leopard print scarf, and now it's hanging on a hook on your wardrobe door while all those old rules about how you can never wear such-and-such with so-and-so run through your head.

For the pattern-cautious:

• Start with inexpensive accessories, such as a scarf or handbag. This will let you experiment with pattern, without forcing you to make a big commitment to it.
• Wear your favourite pattern with plain block colours that can be found in the pattern or pattern background so your outfit blends together to make the overall effect more subtle.
• Consider mixing printed patterns with items that have an interesting texture, such as a floral prints with lace, or stripes with corduroy, or abstracts with boucle.

For the more pattern-confident person, mixing patterns is far from taboo. However, before throwing all rules to the wind, consider the following guidelines to successfully mixing patterns:

• Consider a more adventurous purchase, such as a printed shirt or even a coat to be your signature piece, and mix with other favourite items, even if they too are patterned.
• All of your chosen patterns within an outfit should have a consistent theme, for example, the same colour or shape.
• All of the colours in your chosen patterns should be of the same colour family - either all rich warm colours, or all light vibrant colours. (If in doubt, personal colour analysis will give you the tools to choose flattering colour harmonies.)
• Keep the shape of the garments simple in order to let the patterns take centre stage.

Ultimately, the main thing to remember when thinking about how to wear patterns is to simply pick up the item and put it on, giving yourself permission to try something new and give your creativity a mid-winter work out.