Spring has well and truly sprung here in London! With the spring equinox on Friday and the blossom out in St James’ Park, our minds are turning to tea dresses, mac coats and wedge sandals for that classic seasonal style.
If there’s one thing that never goes out of style year after year, it’s florals. We don’t know about you but even though it’s been done time and time again, there’s something about the longer days and the flourishing nature around us that just makes us want to wear them head to toe. There’s nothing more beautiful than nature itself so it’s no surprise that designers across the decades have turned to it for inspiration.
We’ve dug into the archives to pick out some of our favourites that range from feminine and fancy to groovy and garish, proving everyone loves a floral print!
Liberty, 1939
How could we not include something from Liberty, the masters of floral print since the 1920s? This print is called Delilah Cavendish and was originally designed in 1939 for the department store. It has been revived as one of the most popular prints that also really captures the spirit of the 1930s and is still sold at the store today.
Celia Birtwell, 1968
This is just one of the many prints Celia Birtwell designed for Ossie Clark in the 1960s. Ossie’s chiffon shirts were originally designed by men, and loved by a lot of male celebrities at the time but eventually their popularity spread to womenswear as well. This particular print is called Candy Flower and the black, white and pink swirls and stripes have a sweet shop vibe!
Horrockses, 1957
A trailblazer of good quality fashion that was available off-the-peg, Horrockses was an aspirational brand to many stylish women across Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. This stunning blue rose print looks just as glamorous now as it must have done back then and this particular dress is currently part of the V&A’s archives as a classic example from the label.
Granny Takes a Trip, 1967
This is a wonderful example of how the popularity of floral prints has never died. This jacket was made by King’s Road boutique Granny Takes a Trip in the 1960s but uses a classic William Morris print. The boutique made many variations of these flowery jackets and it transcended the print from Pre-Raphaelite romanticism to sixties psychadelia. John Lennon and Dennis Hopper were fans of these jackets and we think many of today’s rock stars would look dashing in them too!