Key Takeaways
How to choose prints, at a glance
- Prints are the animation of your life force, so the right ones draw people and opportunity toward you.
- Your season sets the contrast of your prints, and your natural complexity sets how busy they can be.
- Your face measurements reveal the ideal scale and spacing of a print.
- Repeat the shapes of your features, and choose fabrics that match your texture and visual weight.
Learning how to choose prints is learning how to be noticed for the right reasons. To me, prints represent the animation of our life force. When you choose them well, they mirror the energy of your personality and highlight what makes you interesting, like exclamation points or underlines.
When you choose them poorly, however, the print arrives in the room before you do. In this post, I’ll walk you through the same method I use with clients, so your prints become magnetic instead of distracting.
Why Prints Create Magnetic Attraction
We want to repeat your natural design in your clothing because, when you are surrounded by patterns that echo you, your essence emerges. People lean in. They remember you, and they hear what you have to say.
On the other hand, prints that clash with your natural proportions create distortion. The focus shifts away from your message and onto what doesn’t work. In other words, people see what you are wearing, not you.
That is why I always save print selection for last. It is Principle #7 of the Seven Principles of Design, and it puts all six of the others to work at once: contrast, texture, complexity, scale, geometry and visual weight.
How to Choose Prints in Five Steps
Each step below answers one question about your natural design. Together, they describe your ideal print with surprising precision.
1. Match the Contrast to Your Season
Contrast is determined primarily by your Season. Springs and Summers need prints that are lower in contrast. When their hair color is part of the print, they can move up to medium contrast. So, when in doubt, these two seasons should choose a more blended print.
Autumn prints stay in the medium contrast range to express more energy. Only Winters can successfully wear high-contrast prints. If you are not yet sure of your season, our guide to seasonal color analysis explains all four.
2. Match the Busyness to Your Complexity
The more shapes, patterns, colors or details a print contains, the more complex it is. For example, stripes and polka dots are low-complexity prints. Tapestry, paisley and animal prints, by contrast, range from medium to extreme complexity.
Your natural level of complexity should match the busyness of your prints. Look at your hair, skin and features, and also at the way you move and speak. A lively, animated person can carry more pattern than someone who is quiet and methodical.
3. Measure for Scale and Spacing
Next, find your scale. The size of your head relative to your body, and of your features relative to your face, determines the size of your prints. Then take three measurements:
- Top of your forehead to the center of your eyebrow.
- Center of your eyebrow to the corner of your mouth.
- Corner of your mouth to your chin.
Compact features usually show three to five inches of spacing. More widely spaced features look best with five to six inches. So if you buy a plaid or a stripe, keep the space between lines no wider than your widest measurement and no closer than your smallest.
A larger face with smaller features is a special case. Here you can wear a larger print with smaller inner detail, such as a paisley with fine design within it.
4. Repeat the Shapes of Your Features
The shapes of your face and features should appear in your prints. For instance, a round face looks wonderful with prints that contain circular elements. Also repeat the shapes of your eyes, brows, lips and nose. Almond eyes might suggest almond-like shapes, while round eyes welcome polka dots and scalloped edges.
5. Choose Fabrics for Your Texture and Visual Weight
Finally, consider the fabric that carries the print. If you have low or smooth texture, silk or satin may work well. If you have rugged texture and need heavier visual weight, choose a richly textured fabric instead. As a rule of thumb, Springs and Summers require lighter visual weight, while Autumns and Winters wear heavier visual weight.
Print Ideas by Seasonal Essence
Every palette is unique, but each Seasonal Essence has natural affinities. Use these as starting points for how to choose prints in your own colors.
| Season | Prints that echo the essence |
|---|---|
| Spring | Impressionistic and tropical florals, polka dots, cheerful prints |
| Summer | Muted, soft prints; flowing feathers, flowers and leaves |
| Autumn | Animal prints in your colors; textured prints with movement |
| Winter | Geometric, architectural and abstract prints |
My Own Prints
Let me share my own example. I have a small face for my height, and my features are compact and small to medium in size. Therefore, my ideal prints are small and close together, with the high contrast that fits my Winter essence. When I choose prints that are too large or spaced too far apart, they overpower me completely.
Once you know your print, wear it with the rest of your palette. These tips on how to start wearing your colors will help you build outfits around it.
What to Do Next
- Measure your face. Record your three measurements and keep them on your phone for shopping.
- Audit your prints. Hold each printed piece up to your face and ask what you see first.
- Look for your shapes. Name the shapes of your eyes and mouth, then notice them in prints.
- Start with one piece. A scarf in your ideal print is an easy, low-risk first purchase.
Your first step today: measure from the center of your eyebrow to the corner of your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a print is too big for me?
Hold it up to your face in a mirror. If the print overpowers you and people would notice it before your face, the scale or spacing is too large for your features.
Can Springs and Summers wear high-contrast prints?
Usually not. These seasons do best with lower-contrast, blended prints, although they can move to medium contrast when their hair color is part of the print.
What is the easiest print to start with?
Stripes and polka dots are low in complexity, so they are simple to wear. Just make sure the spacing matches your face measurements.
Let Your Prints Speak Your Essence
Your colors are not a fashion choice. They are who you are.
The right print begins with knowing who you are. Take the quiz and discover your Seasonal Essence.
