Why Curvy Girls Can Wear... Prints

Firstly, apologies for the long absence! Dissertations, essays, and general final-term-of-university stress has got the better of me recently, leaving me with very little blogging time.

Lack of writing hasn't been the only consequence of third year woes-- my bank-balance has also been reeling from the sporadic bursts of retail therapy motivating me through hours in the library. A spate of summer outfits have steadily streaming my wardrobe in anticipation of mythical, post-hand in sun drenched days.

With the greyness of both the university study spaces and the current weather weighing on my mood, my reaction has been to invest in cheering, increasingly gaudy prints. Splurged with colour, my new staple outfits are a rainbow of cartoons and printed cupcakes. As a lover of stand-out pieces, the creativity of prints currently available is perfect for stamping individuality, especially with the quirky cartoon prints of spring setting a trend for stylishly brazen outfits.

However, as every curvy girl will know, prints can be a worse enemy. A veritable minefield, patterns have the unfortunate effect of distorting the figure, the effect of your curves on the design highlighting every lump and bump. With the age-old ferocious warning against stripes ringing in every curvy girl's ears, the motto 'black is slimming' has sent me scurrying for a nice plain dress on many an occasion.

However, the thinking curvy girl can be worry free with jumping on the print-painted bandwagon. The simple tip for achieving a beautiful, flattering look is to avoid all over, busy prints. Teaming a patterned skirt or leggings with a plain top is a perfect way to get in on the trend, making sure any 'worry areas' are covered my a plain item of clothing, offsetting the busy-ness of the print, and solving the problem of nightmarish stretched prints over curves.

I recently purchased these pop-art print leggings from ebay. Garish and over-the-top, they require teaming with a plain top. I chose a long, black vest top to cover up the print around my mid section.

My other great print purchase lately has been this gorgeous skirt from Cameo Rose at New Look. Having lusted after its bodycon counterpart, regretfully acknowledging that I simply can't carry off tight prints, I was delighted to discover a skater skirt version. Flared out, the effect of prints on my shape isn't a problem, and it's nipped in waist is ultimately flattering. Furthermore, the skirt is truly gorgeous, and incredibly elaborate.

So here's a few of my recommendations for carrying off a curvy print look:

1. For an all-over print, go for one that is simple, sparse and non-geometric; busy prints will show off any lumps and bumps A black background is perfect to create a more streamlined shape. This Boohoo cartoon print dress, worn with spanx, would be perfect.

April cartoon print bodycon dress, £12, Boohoo

2. Geometric prints are ultimately unflattering, but you can still get in on the monochrome trend for checks and stripes. Choose a skater skirt which will flare out over your curves, or accentuate the curves you want to show off with a crop top and plain, high waisted skirt (don't forget to check out my earlier blog for more crop-top advice! http://what-katieb-did.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/why-curvy-girls-can-wear-crop-tops.html )

Geometric Print Skater Skirt, £28, River Island

Ellin vertical stripe monochrome crop top, ASOS, £8.99

3. For the more adventurous fashionista, wide-leg trousers are a good way to get on board with the craze for global prints. Hiding a multitude of sins, these should be worn with a plain, fairly tight top to avoid looking frumpy.

Eastern Print wide-leg trousers, Topshop, £48