How To Wear Florals In Winter

Have you ever heard of ?enclothed cognition?? I hadn’t until quite recently, but apparently, the associations we make with particular items of clothing we wear them. It makes sense. Certainly,
my baggy Levi’s Mary Lynne jeans have become my standard dog-walking uniform, so now I cannot wear them with anything other than a sweatshirt and trainers. I associate them with leisurely weekend strolls, and with being ?off?, and that’s the person I become when I wear them: laid-back and low-key. But when I pull from my wardrobe the precious silk-mix trousers I bought last year, I instantly want to wear heels and a cocktail ring. I wore them for the first time on my birthday last year, so I associate them with glamorous good times.

It stands to reason then that winter is the time of year when we should be wearing florals if we want to harness the mood- enhancing effect of bold, vibrant blooms and battle the dreariness of mid-winter days. In recent seasons, florals have become a year- round fixture on catwalks and in high street stores. But the trend has evolved far beyond that traditional dichotomy of dark moody blooms in winter and ditsy daisy prints in summer. Neither are florals anchored in predictably pretty dresses and full skirts anymore. Masculine-shaped coats are commonly adorned with feminine flowers, while contemporary silhouettes and deconstructed shapes are often juxtaposed with a burst of fresh blooms. Fashion thrives on creating colourful contrasts. If you

Fashion thrives on creating colourful contrasts. If you want to wear florals in winter with confidence while investing in something that will work just as easily in June as it will in January, choose pieces that are unapologetically bold. This is an all-or-nothing trend. The trick, you see, is to marry the brightest blooms with the most modern silhouettes. Then, what was considered, girlish and predictable suddenly becomes fresh and strong. I’ll be looking out this month for a floral bomber jacket (an athleisure vibe adds a hit of cool to almost everything), a sleeveless coat, which I’ll belt over masculine cropped trousers and wear with trainers, and possibly a floral jumpsuit, not head-to-toe, but strategically embellished. Zara has some wonderful floral embroidered button-front shirts in store now, which juxtapose pretty with preppy beautifully.