Printed shirts and how to style them

There's a definite 1970s influence to the things in the shops at the moment and perhaps that's why there are lots of printed shirts around. 

When clients ask me to take them shopping, we might stock up on some basics but they're often looking for something slightly different from what they would normally choose and different colours and prints are a good way to do that. So I thought I'd share with you some of the printed shirts that I've bought with various clients over the past couple of weeks and how we styled them:

The white background of this shirt with it's subtle grey "hand" print makes this shirt very wearable. The client who bought this also got 2 blazers - one in navy, and one in grey which were fairly unstructured with patch pockets so they're quite casual. He could put this shirt with either one of those and jeans, plus one of the pairs of leather trainers he got for casual nights out. Or if he wanted a more formal look, he could wear the shirt and one of the jackets with tailored trousers and the chukka boots or brogues he bought for smarter occasions.

Tailored fit white "palm" print cotton shirt - Paul Smith - £125

This shirt is really flattering for those of you who need strong colours near your face. We got some pale blue chambray trousers which I thought looked great with this for a very summery look. The shirt has a touch of yellow/tan in the print so classic tan brogues will go really well, as would tan chinos.

Navy floral "secret wash" shirt - J Crew - £67

With the colour and pattern this shirt gives a bold look. Luckily the client who bought it also has a bold and interesting style, and is currently doing a book tour for which he wanted to stand out. We went for it and did a bit of pattern mixing too and put it with a check green blazer......the shirt has some green in it, which brought the two together really well. On the bottom half he had his favourite white jeans which give a great contrast. We also liked it under this mustard jumper with indigo jeans for a more casual look.

Slim fit floral print cotton shirt - Glanshirt at Slowear - £195

Another statement shirt! The client who bought this was fabulously experimental - we've been shopping before and last time got some great colour but stayed a little more understated.  This looked great on him and is really fun for a night out - definitely a talking point. I'd stick with conservative coloured trousers or jeans with this one, so the shirt is the central focus.

Slim fit blue "Paul's photo print" cotton shirt - Paul Smith - £285

I love the fact that when you get close up, you can see this is a tiny toucan print, but you can't tell from afar. As you'll see when you click through, they've styled it with navy trousers, but it would also look good with a contrast. You could go for lighter coloured jeans, light blue/grey chinos or classic tan which would give a lovely summery look.

"Phmingo" navy cotton bird print short sleeved shirt - Ted Baker - £89

I've lost count of the amount of times, clients have said to me "I'd never have picked that up myself but I really like it" - if you want to have some "fresh eyes" on a shopping trip, then get in touch and let's expand your wardrobe horizons!

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