For this spring’s collections, designers took surprising notes from the quintessential Hawaiian-shirt wearing tourist. Bright, punchy coloured, hibiscus-laden tropical floral prints were seen all over the runways, and this trend is made modern (and far from a baggy man’s hawaiian shirt) with tailoring and chic silhouettes.
Wrap yourself in the rainforest with jungle garden variety, deep jewel toned prints like this Ferragamo jumpsuit. High colour intensity is key with this look, and we love the super-saturated silk print paired with a solid pulled from the print like this poppy red blazer and on-trend ankle strap sandals.
For a more prim take on the trend, try a day appropriate look brought to life with slightly more muted florals like Amy Smart’s pretty, coral and rose frock from Banana Republic’s bloom-filled spring Mad Men Collection. Even tropical print can be made retro with the right simplistic, ladylike styling and subdued neutrals-meet-neon palette.
To keep things fresh, Diane Von Furstenberg pulled just one vibrant pigment, like tangerine or mediterranean blue, and set it against white in her flowery resort collection. Switching up the textures is key to making major impact in this glossy blue and white look, paired with polished white accessories, and again, those on-trend ankle strap heels. We love the (again, retro) drop waist and three quarter sleeves- this shape and cut are unexpected with a blossom-embossed print. We love that when done right, the tropical print trend couldn’t be further from that old Hawaiian shirt.
[Photos via Style.com & Startraks]
Tags: 2012 spring collection, amy smart, amy smart banana republic dress, amy smart floral dress, Banana Republic dress, Banana Republic Mad Men, banana republic mad men collection, diane von furstenberg, Diane Von Furstenberg 2011 resort collection, floral dress, floral trend spring 2012, hawaiian print clothing, mad men fashion, retro floral fashion, retro mad men fashion, Salvatore Ferragamo, salvatore ferragamo jumpsuit, spring 2012 fashion trends, tropical floral prints, tropical print spring 2012, tropical print trend, tropical prints