If you think tartan, animal prints and houndstooth don’t work together, think again. The Miu Miu fall 2015 ready-to-wear collection combined the best of all three, using leopard, snake and crocodile prints to perfectly enhance the geometric shapes of the tartan. When clashing prints, people often choose to play it safe with a neutral color palette, but Miu Miu took a risk and opted for vibrant hues of red, yellow, orange, blue and green. The fabrics were heavy and layered in a way that could have been too much, but surprisingly wasn’t, instead giving the outfits depth and interest. As for silhouettes, the pieces were a reflection of a number of eras, most notably the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘80s. With oversize shoulders, sweaters belted at the waist and crocodile skin shift dresses, the show really had a little bit of everything; a reminder to mix up your shapes for an eye-catching outfit.
Taking inspiration from the collection, I combined some of my favorite printed pieces in some of the same colors used by Prada, simply toned down to make the ensemble wearable. If the #RAD style of Taylor Swift is anything to go by (it is), you can never get it wrong with classic navy and white stripes, so I started with a striped midi dress that would work with any other print. From there, I layered on top a red and black tartan shirt, inspired by Mui Mui’s tartan coats. This puts a modern and laid back spin on the heavier style. With my prints clashing, I kept my accessories simple with white low-top Converse sneakers, a black Charlie Brown bag and gold accessories, adding a Mimco leopard print bangle for a final nod to the Prada collection.
For any Fashionistas who find the thought of clashing their prints more terrifying than a Monday without coffee, fear not! My fail-safe tip is to stick with prints that are the same size to help the outfit flow together. As for colors, take a page from the book of Miu Miu and wear whatever makes you look as vibrant as you feel!
Get My Look: 1. A striped dress. 2. A tartan shirt. 3. White sneakers.
