“Flowers? For spring? Groundbreaking.” That’s what she said. I mean, Miranda Priestly from Devil Wears Prada. Probably one of the best and most remarkable lines of the 21^st century if you ask me. Immortal. The thing is, doing floral prints in the spring is a cliché and that’s why the line resonates. Because it is not groundbreaking in the slightest.

Every year in the fall they try to sell us plaid and then when spring comes they want to sell us the classic floral print. Well guess what I don’t like to be told what to wear nor do I like to look like everyone else. Besides, we probably already own at least ten of these floral dresses and shirts in our closet. Am I right? And they scream fairy princess. Are we digging the fairy princess look? I personally am not. Are we desperately in need of a n o t h e r floral dress? No.

Florals and femininity 

As much as the fashion industry is often regarded as the purveyor of fresh new takes on dress, there’s a routine that it works behind. For one, fashion trends are cyclical and always come back, albeit in a different form. Furthermore, no trend is as ubiquitous as florals for spring. It is actually not even a trend anymore, by now their existence is just part of fashion’s seasonal cycle. Sure, you’d be able to find floral prints all-year, but there is so much more about florals that brings to mind the season. Part of it is that there’s the general consensus that a majority of flowers go into full bloom this time of the year, signaling the start of new beginnings. And that after a season of drab, gloomy weather (especially amidst a pandemic), jolts of colors are needed to awaken the senses again and feel feminine.

But let me tell you what I think. You don’t have to wear florals all the time to feel feminine. Sweet reminder: anything can be feminine, it has nothing to do with a print. Feminine is movement, proportion, color! Feminine is draping, patchwork and frills and it might not even be any of those things. You decide. You could even choose to wear something moodier, edgier and defy the usual meaning of spring dressing. Let’s face it, every brand puts forth floral prints because we expect it to and they expect us to want to wear them. But do we really want to fit in that box of what is expected of us, of what is predictable?

How do you want your clothes to make you feel?

There is nothing even remotely groundbreaking about floral prints for the spring/summer season. However, the ways that fashion brands rework how the motif is used and fit the narrative of their collections can also be celebrated. Look at the Hawaiian florals at Gucci, for example. It’s not enough to just slap on a simple printed image of a flower anymore; it’s HOW floral prints are being done and interpreted that can be groundbreaking. So, if you’re someone naturally blooming with confidence and femininity (pun intended sorry), know that you don’t have to wear florals to reflect that. But if they make you happy, go for it. After all, isn’t that how we want our clothes to make us feel anyway?