Floral prints take over the high street

This is not the season for shrinking wall flowers.

No indeed, for this is the season for riotously rampant floral prints blooming fabulously on pretty much all wearable items, from frocks and jackets to hats and bags, jumpsuits and trousers to ditsy shirts and blouses.

On the international runways, flowers were utterly inspirational, and nowhere more so than at D&G, where they cascaded along the catwalk in opulent tiers of astonishingly pretty, fabulously colourful, retro-style floral prints in pinks and blues – fairly small blooms – often mixed and mis-matched for a fresh and vibrant look.

The best place to start is with a beautiful dress – a fabulous, clean, crisp-looking dress that stands alone as a key season piece around which to build the rest of your spring wardrobe. For really sweet and adorable ones in a simple belted prom style, with lovely posy blooms set against an antique cream background, you can’t beat Laura Ashley, doing what it does best (and many spring items are already reduced). It has prints of roses, bluebells and peonies, while Joules has a lovely selection of quite dense and busy floral patterns. In fact, all the High Street stores are blooming outrageously. Remember, dark backgrounds are slimming.

So, dresses are the main focus, and they make a fresh and colourful fashion statement on their own, but for an extra oomph that’s so 2011, they can be teamed effectively with other floral pieces, such as jackets, cardigans and scarves, for an interesting look from the catwalk that works just as well on the street. Try teaming different but near-size blooms and patterns for a “look twice”, fairly subtle approach, while mixing large-head flowers on one piece with a small, busier pattern on another will look more statement-like, deliberate and confident.

For a more casual but equally fresh appeal, go to White Stuff, which offers simple cotton pieces such as tunic dresses and knee-length skirts, perfect for weekends and holidays. The beauty of this season’s floral-print look is that you don’t have to think too hard about it or worry about making a clashing faux pas, because it really doesn’t matter. It all works.

You can also layer and mix floral prints with other prints, including retro geometrics for a Sixties’ feel, and animal print for a fabulously lush safari look that takes you anywhere from special dos through to holiday looks. Add chunky beads and gold for extra glam.

Talking of glam, there are some fabulous Seventies’ trends this season, so look out for all-over catsuits and maxi dresses in bold floral prints that you simply can’t ignore. Add platform sandals, over-sized early Dierdre Barlow smoky shades and a large floppy hat, and you can’t go wrong. Honestly, try it. But without the bubble perm.