A Floral AFFAIR: Oriental

As much as I'm loving floral at the moment with my latest post about Bec & Bridge's Falling Poppies, what I'm loving more is Oriental. Now you may think they're pretty much the same thing but I consider Oriental prints to be more so inspired by the Japanese kimono prints or the regal and colours of Chinese Imperial Palace or dynasty designs with exotic floral prints. For now I won't be brooding on too much of the digital prints because I want to dedicate a post just for that, for a particular designer that deserves all the credit.

Below I've attached a picture photos that I took from a Chinese fashion magazine (might be Chinese Bazaar) for some inspiration and to capture how lovely Oriental prints are.

 A bit away from Oriental but the edgier, safari/jungle print is also an option considering tribal prints are becoming increasingly popular

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Especially the coat on Sarah Jessica Parker by Giambattista Valli Couture and the blazer by Malene Birger (I always have a penchant for blazers)

 A compilation of fashion bloggers rocking their Oriental prints

Local Choices:

In terms of local designers, I find that Zimmerman is a good place to start I think their prints are lovely and they come in various forms whether you're in need of swimwear, a top or pants, above I'm wearing the one skirt in a smart office look, casual and even casual-et (you should be able to tell them apart)

Shona Joy's Winters Bloom Print from their Winter Collection 2013 is another good choice (or at least it has my seal of approval) and because it was a last season item it is quite hard to find them but I do know that you can still buy the jeans from Jade & Belle and The Iconic here & here.

ASOS options:

Mango Oriental Print Chiffon Blouse

Link to Buy

Warehouse Oriental Print Playsuit

Link to Buy 

In Australian Shops:

Forever New

Papper Scissors

Finally, a few of my own Oriental pieces

Blazer: Vintage Valentino- Miss V

'Celine Me Alone' Top: no brand

Pants: Cameo 'Poison Tree'

Bag: Vintage Gucci

Don't ask about the picture on the left, felt like taking a selfie but I tend to pout a lot. A lot.

Personally when I wear this blazer in particular I tend to wear it on top a neutral base or a softer black and white pairing because that way the blazer gets all the attention (as it should) with all the colour coming really from it and it alone. I would also recommend a few pops of colour such as adding a pair of red heels or a different coloured bag, for me I continued the black-white scheme as I wanted to direct all the attention to my Valentino blazer.

Blazer: Vintage Mink Pink (material- velvet)

Top: Ralph Lauren

Pants: Zimmermann

Bag: Salvatore Ferragamo

This time I went for the neutral base to accentuate the contrast that the blazer brings and even though it's made of velvet you can hardly tell from the pictures (it surprised me as well when it came in the mail). And because this look stems from a neutral base, accessories including the bag should also be softer in colour in this case pastel or whites would work well. Also instead of belts, I find that Summer lends itself more towards 'belting' by using ties, ribbons or just some fabric instead to exude a more careful vibe that attaches to my image of Summer whereas the belt is more reserved for colour blocking or adding something heavy for Winter.

Lastly, I wonder if anyone has caught on to my trend of wearing lots of white because I'm finding it popular in both hemispheres at the moment with the Winter Whites of the North versus the Summer Whites with pops of colour.