How to Wear Romance Was Born Prints

A Romance Was Born print is not a background detail. It is the whole proposition, drawn by hand before the garment was cut. That makes styling it simpler than people expect, because most of the decisions have already been made for you.

Wear one print, not two

The single most useful rule: one printed piece, worn alone, reads longer and calmer than the same print split across a top and a skirt. The full circle dress in the poppy polka print does more for your proportion than the blouse and the trousers worn together, even though it is the same artwork. If you want the pair, break them with a plain layer.

Let the rest of the look go quiet

Keep the shoe simple and the jewellery small. A flat sandal by day and a slim heel after dark will carry almost everything in the range. The house already put the drama in the cloth, so a competing shoe just splits the attention.

Dressing a print down

Denim is the honest answer. The printed chiffon top over indigo reads as an outfit rather than an occasion, which is how most of these pieces actually get worn. A fine knit layered over a printed dress does the same job when the weather turns, and it crops the print into something quieter without hiding it.

Dressing a print up

For a wedding, a gallery opening, a summer party: keep the styling spare and let one accessory do the work. A drop earring and a slim heel are enough beside a taffeta piece, and the same beside tulle. Look for the pieces with real construction in them, the ruffle dresses and the tiered skirts, where the shape is doing as much as the artwork.

Reading the shapes

A long line carries a large scale print without chopping it up, so the midi and maxi lengths suit the bolder artwork. A high waist and a clean shoulder hold the proportion on shorter frames. If you are between two ideas, the relaxed cuts are the forgiving ones: several of the dresses are cut full through the body with an elasticated waist and simply do not need to be fought.

Getting the size right

Romance Was Born is cut to Australian sizing, which runs level with UK sizing. An Australian 10 is a UK 10 and a US 6, an EU 40 and a Japanese 11. Order your usual UK number.

Three looks that work

Print with denim: the Green Bananas Shirt open over a plain tee, sleeves pushed back. Print alone: the Persimmon Garden Dress with a flat sandal and nothing else competing. Print for evening: the Taffeta Balloon Skirt with a plain top, so the volume is the whole statement.

Start with the dresses and the tops, then browse the full Romance Was Born collection. For the background, read the story behind the house.