How to wear a floral dress

a floral dress with possible matching  accessories on a clothing rail.

Floral patterns are a timeless fashion staple. While the style and cut of dresses come and go as fashion trends evolve, the floral patterns used to create these items of clothing always seem to stand the test of time. However, while floral dresses have the advantage of being highly versatile, knowing how best to style and accessories them is not always the easiest task.   

From the density of the floral pattern in question and the colour you opt for to what accessories and shoes best complement the humble floral dress, in this blog Chums provides some helpful tips to make sure you know what it really takes to pull off this enduring fashion classic. 

How to style a floral dress?

No matter what style of floral dress you want to wear, from a floaty maxi dress to a slim-fitting panel dress, finding the perfect shoes, jewellery and accessories to properly style your outfit for a certain occasion is the key to looking great.   

The most important thing to remember when deciding what to wear with a floral dress is that less is very often more. Typically filled with intricate flower-inspired patterns and vibrant colours, floral dresses usually won’t require much help in the way of statement-making accessories. In fact, in many instances, over-acessorising could take away from your dress and detract from the look you are trying to achieve. Simply by adding the right accent accessories that provide a contrasting dazzle - perhaps in the form of a thick-cut belt or a pair of dangly earrings - as well as selecting the perfect pair of shoes, is often all you need to style a floral dress-based outfit. Carry on reading for our top tips when it comes to accessorising a floral dress. 

How to accessorise a floral dress

Picking out and buying a dress that you like is the easy part - knowing when to wear it and what to wear with it is where you can start to question yourself, especially when it comes to floral dresses. Fortunately, depending on the style and cut of dress you go for, many floral numbers are highly versatile and can be worn for both casual and formal events, as well as in cold weather and when temperatures start to rise. So, whether you’re wearing your favourite floral dress to brighten up a gloomy autumn or winter day, or you’ve bought a new nature-inspired garment that will keep you cool in summer, these evergreen items of clothing can be worn for practically any occasion.   

However, accessorising a floral dress can still be tricky. As we have discussed above, the key to achieving a stylish and balanced floral outfit is to remember that less is often more and solid colours that don’t detract from your statement floral dress are the way to go. With this in mind, try to stick to just three main areas when accessorising:   

 ●     Jewellery 

 ●     Handbags 

 ●     Footwear  

What kind of jewellery to wear with a floral dress

Jewellery is a great place to start when styling up your floral outfit. As touched upon above, when looking for the best items to complement a bright and vibrant floral dress, contrasts work best. This is to say, if your floral dress features a particularly busy and intricate pattern made up of bold colours, simple jewellery is likely to look great with it. Opt for a pair of chunky or dangly costume earrings with a matching necklace, for example.   

Alternatively, if the floral pattern on your dress is a little more subtle or features neutral colours, go for traditional gold or silver jewellery. Shiny, more dainty, earrings, necklaces and bracelets can add a little bit of sparkle to a floral dress that is made up of neutral colours, making for a perfectly balanced outfit. 

What kind of handbag to use with a floral dress

Just as when picking the perfect jewellery to pair with your floral dress, selecting the ideal handbag to complement your overall look is all about creating a balance. When it comes to style, if your dress is a floaty summer number, you can’t go wrong with a leather crossbody handbag, while a simple clutch may better suit your floral dress if it is a little more fitted.   

When it comes to colour, the safest option to help you achieve a balanced style is to go for a colour that matches the most prominent colour on your dress. If, however, your dress features a very bold colour and you think adding a bag in a similar shade would make your ensemble a bit too loud, a solid neutral-coloured item is a sensible choice. A simple leather handbag in black, white, nude or brown could be the perfection option.   

Conversely, if your floral dress features two strong colours, it could be worth considering picking a handbag in a completely contrasting colour. For example, if your floral dress features a lot of red and green, a solid blue bag can finish your outfit off beautifully. 

What shoes with a floral dress

Once again, when you come to choose shoes to go with your floral dress, don’t be scared to go for an understated pair. Subtle shoes in a neutral colour allow your dress and other accessories to do the talking and complete the balanced look you want. Depending on the weather, we would suggest pairing your dress with a simple pair of leather ankle boots or loafers during winter or a classic pair of strappy sandals or flat pumps during the warming months

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