Q&A : dressing in flowers and patterns?

Ha wrote in her comment on my "manifesto for dressing better", that she loves to dress in flowers and patterns all the same - cheeky question: would that be allowed?

Yes indeed! (Who am I not to allow you to dress as you like??)

I for one like clear lines and clear colours - but this is a personal preference of mine. I think, it is always so tiring, if you cannot see the eyes and the face of a person, because there is so much going on in her dress and hair. It makes me nervous. This said, patterns are a wonderful thing in fashion, as are flowers. Colours in general!

For flowers a word of caution: IF you dress in a flowerpatterend dress you have two possibilities: or you have the traditional "tea-dress" out of the 1930, which are combined with sleek hair, little jewellery, clear colours in accessories (f.e. shoes and handbag in the same colour and a good red lipstick).
This can quickly look pretty dowdy, so be careful - bold statements are required here! I think it is also a question of age and especially the age of your mind. I have seen  matronly ladies dressed in flowery frocks and with a small round hat at weddings, sporting white embroidered gloves: all you want is to scream, turn on your toes and run for the hills. Mutton dressed as lamb is just not acceptable - even, apparently, if there is a public out there. So if you really want a smallflowered dress, make it modern in restricting other colours, wear it with bold and big singlecoloured jewellery and never ever ever wear white shoes (brr..).

The other variation is Flowerpower pure, with huge flowers, overwhelming and very present. This can be gorgeous, if the occasion is right and the surroundings complimentary. Beach, swimmingcostumes for the slim one, gardenparty in the grand life, but please not for the barbecue on the balcony of your neighbour in the 3th floor.
The idea of the Hawai Shirt and badly cut shorts is to be avoided, by both sexes and definitely after 20. I doubt even Hugh Grant could pull it of in "4wed&1Fun".

Pattern is again another thing.
African Patterns are glorious and very chic if applied with restriction, once again. I have a 2-coloured, not too small patterend dress by Diane Fürstenberg, which is so easy to wear - the pattern does all the talking, you need a  pair of uni shoes, a big necklace and off you go.  The balance here must lie in the combination of number of colours ( max 3!!!) and the size of the pattern involved. The bigger, the more dangerous. The smaller, the more boring. So, be careful to get it right. When in doubt, refrain...

Of course there are patterns, which are eternal: Leopard and Zebra Prints are always in and out. I have a belt in leo-printed ponyskin, which I love and use a lot. Just for the fun and the touch of it. I used to long for a pair of Leopard trousers, together with a black turtleneck and a sleek bob  - seems still a good possibility, when I am in my 70ies. One will see.
Leopard Pattern is also highly recommendable for your Interiors - what is there chicer than a cushion of leopard or zebra on a unicoloured chair in your sitting room. The wild animal is alive in all of us.... and no seriously aspiring flat/apartment/house and sitting room should be without ONE piece of wildness.

All this said, do go ahead and wear pattern and flowers and all which gives you the feeling of being YOU - this is the only thing that counts in the end. Just keep in mind, that the person who looks at you also has feelings and falls under the human rights chartas of this world: don´t be cruel to animals, women and children and make them spinning with patterns and colours, like a trip on LSD ( so I am told?).
Most men will not bother. They do not notice those things.