Spot a perfect balance of colour and print

One of my favourite things to wear and style is a print and luckily for us AW25 is the season of the print with quite literally something to suit everyone’s taste.

From neutral animal prints, casual plaids and vibrant stripes and florals you can ramp up the maximalism and go for print clashes or give a nod to your favourite print with a well-placed accessory.

I’ve been guilty in the past of being completely taken with prints and filling my wardrobe with them while then having no neutral pieces to wear with them, but I feel like now I’ve struck the perfect balance of print, block colours and neutrals which has completely expanded my wardrobe. There are so many ways to wear a print making it a surprisingly versatile piece and if you change up the way you wear it then you’ll be able to get more wear out of your favourite print pieces.

Of course, the easiest way to style a print is to wear just one print on its own. I love a leopard or animal print pair of jeans or trousers and I think they work very well as the standout piece in your outfit.

Keep it simple and style with black or cream neutral t-shirt, pop on a blazer and wear with heels, ballet pumps or a pair of trainers. It’s a look I’ve even worn to the office and then switched up my accessories for a more dressy evening look.

You can also dial the print up or down as you wish, and leopard print is perfect for this. Add a leopard top to the jeans but still keep it somewhat understated with a simple black blazer over the top and add a belt to complete the look.

If you want to really dial it up as leopard printer lovers are known to do then pop another leopard print item over the top or add a leopard print neckerchief.

I’m also loving the Dunnes Stores leopard print dress which is perfect for now with trainers or worn in the winter with tights and boots. It’s a piece you’ll be able to style in several ways.

I’m also a big fan of a print clash and while it can be a little bit trickier to get right when you do it creates a really interesting look. Plaid and leopard print can look really well together as can two classics like stripes and polka dots which can look very fresh.

As a rule of thumb to make this work keep the colour palette similar. Animal print is quite neutral, so it does work quite well in most print clash situations. You can also use print to your advantage to distract from other areas.

Pair loose fitting, wide leg printed trousers with a fitted top for a flattering look that works well for any social occasion. For the season ahead I’m loving the richness of plaid and I’ll be pulling out a red and green plaid wool jacket with fringing that I bought many moons ago in Miss Daisy Blue vintage shop and is a statement piece in my wardrobe every winter. I’ve worn it over denim and over knit dresses and it never dates.

I’m also partial to a stripe and for AW25 the stripe is getting a makeover with bold and colourful colour combinations being a big trend while also featuring on rugby style shirts that are so easy to wear.

If you want to start introducing print into your wardrobe, take small steps by using scarves or other accessories to see if you like the print and if it suits what you have in your wardrobe already.