DON’T LET THE GRASS GROW UNDER THE PRAIRIE TREND

OF ALL THE FASHIONABLE REVIVALS LAST YEAR – an animal print prowl at Victoria Beckham and Balenciaga, glossy neon shades at Prada and a fresh spin on heritage at Miu Miu and Chanel – the most sweet and memorable has been the flouncy, floral prairie parade. Rooted in 1980s nostalgia – channelled back then by Laura Ashley – sweet ruffled necklines, ditzy prints and pie-crust collars have moved beyond cliché into the realm of cool. They have been re-worked at labels like Erdem, Emilia Wickstead, Simone Rocha and cult label Batsheva, who all owe a debt to Ashley’s early collections.

In 2019, wearing puffed sleeves and ruffles feels so aesthetically oldfashioned it verges on parody – but hear me out, because it works in a non-conformist way when you mix in modern flourishes like chunky biker boots or a belt cinched at the waist. The recent relish for dresses at London Fashion Week has seen another ripple of reserved femininity running through fashion. Designers like Erdem and our own Simone Rocha all play with the romantic prairie theme every season, but it has been Alexa Chung’s florals tinged with her own eclectic style that has stolen hearts.

Others who are rehashing the prairie in cool, modern variations are brands like Ba&sh, Ganni and

Kitri – the latter has just recently landed on Brown Thomas’s contemporary floor. Californian label Doen and New York brand

Batsheva (available online) are also masters in laidback western luxury. The LA sisters who created Doen in 2016 are renowned for their distinctive taste, which they have cultivated into a beautifully curated edit of midi and maxi dresses that define bohemian country charm. Expect all the characteristic details like vintage-inspired florals, high necklines and ruffled trims with a modern sense of femininity.

Batsheva is another label celebrating empowerment via clothes – the former lawyer launched her eponymous label in 2016, frustrated with the limitation of sartorial expression in the boardroom. She has garnered a cult following for her contemporary spin on tiered dresses in ditzy florals and voluminous poofed sleeves with high collars. Matches Fashion (matches.com) snapped her up on the back of her incredibly successful Instagram business.

On the high street, &Other Stories, Zara and H&M are the sartorial haunts – my Chloe-inspired paisley prairie dress from Zara is still a treasure considering I paid €59.95 last year and still wear it religiously.

Styling tips to remember when weaving nostalgic flourishes into real life are to pare all the prettiness of ditzy patchwork florals back. The old opposites attract mentality applies, so throw on slouchy boyfriend jeans with a prairie blouse, or sling a soft velvety leather blazer over a pretty prairie flounce coming into spring. Think more grit than glamour.

“WORK IN MODERN FLOURISHES LIKE CHUNKY BIKER BOOTS OR A BELT CINCHED IN”