How to Wear Prints

Print shirts are a fun and interesting way to expand your style options, to stand apart from the crowd and express a bit of individuality.

Retro confetti print shirt with classic navy stretch shorts

Prints come in a wide variety of shapes, patterns and colors. The more popular of these are floral patterns, nautical (think sailboats and anchors) and bird patterns. Within just these few categories there are a veritable kaleidoscope of styles and colors, and by following a few simple rules you’ll be able to make them work for you.

Indigo bloom floral print shirt

It’s best with print shirts to ensure the main colors work well with your existing pants and shorts. Pink and yellow will be much tougher to match, while light blues, reds, darker blues, blacks and shirts with a white base will go well with most of the pants in your closet (i.e., navy, grey, black and denim).

Azure bloom floral print shirt with stormy blue linen shorts

Print shirts are almost always casual and should be fit as such. A relatively loose fit through the body is preferable, a look that can be pulled off both tucked or untucked.

Match your print shirt to solid colors whenever possible - solid navy pants, solid black shorts, etc. This allows the print to be the main feature of a given outfit, not to be outshined by patterned trousers or blazers.

Falling leaves print shirt with blue sky linen suit.

To add a bit of interest to a casual suit, focus on smaller prints rather than larger, bolder prints. This will ensure a bit of versatility that will make the shirt a better accent piece rather than the focal point of the suit.