PRINT IMPRINT
How do I style print on print?
uckle up, we’re venturing into advanced territory here! For the unenlightened, print-on-print refers to combining different patterns into one outfit, rather than the more customary practice of pairing a print with a solid colour. Like scatting in jazz—where singers improvise using random syllables—there are no real rules for this, it’s more about instinct and a finely tuned eye. So I sought out some counsel from someone with both—my friend, celebrity stylist, Kavita Lakhani (@officialkavitalakhani). “This is for when you want to stand out, not blend in,” she explained. “Start out with small prints in similar tones, until you get the hang of it and then go bolder as you get bolder!” She also suggested having an “anchor”—one piece in a solid, neutral colour that holds the whole look together (like a solid coloured jacket or shoes).
Ideally, the prints should relate to each other in some way or intentionally clash (the key is making it look deliberate rather than like a mistake). You might discover you have an innate knack for it, right out of the gate. But, more realistically, you’re going to have to put in some groundwork to earn your stripes-on-stripes.
Based on her advice, I would suggest a three-step approach:
Emulate (look to others who’ve mastered the trend for inspiration)
Experiment (get creative and workshop your looks in private, trial and error are your friends). Then, once you’re confident you’ve developed your own “vocabulary”, so to speak, take those prints out into the real world and,
Express yourself!