When it comes to prints by season, I have found that people definitely have a specific preference. The custom color palettes that I provide my clients always include a swatch of prints with the distinct characteristics of the season. When I look at prints by season, I honestly only like the six Spring versions. Due to this, I used to worry when I showed my clients their prints that they would hate the swatch, but to a person, every client has liked the prints of their season. Before my color analysis, I didn’t have very many prints as I never felt that comfortable in them. The problem wasn’t prints, but rather the prints I was choosing. I love prints now that I know what to look for and you can to, so read on to find out what prints to look for in each season. All examples are from Ann Taylor Loft as they are having a great sale right now and it’s rare to be able to find examples of all four seasons in one store!

Prints by Season – Spring

Springs are often the “girl next door’ type and can be described as light, bright, and radiant. The key to their colors is clarity, so they should look for colors that are clear and patterns that are light and bright. The prints they look best in are floral or impressionistic, but there needs to be space in the print and the flowers should be distinct rather than blended – this can be seen in all three pictures below. They are also the only season who can wear whimsical prints like little birds, bows, or other such details. Picture 2 has florals and a bird while Picture 3 has a crane print.

Prints by Season – Summer

Summers are blended, diffused, and restful and their prints should match this quality. Like Springs, Summers look great in floral prints; however, their flowers should be more indistinct to gain the softness that is key to Summer colors. Blended prints without a lot of space also provide the complexity that Summers wear well. In addition to florals, Summers look beautiful in paisley. The first shirt pictured is a beautiful example in real life of a blended floral, but it’s hard to see the quality of it in the picture. It was so cute that I tried it on hoping I could make a Summer print work, but alas, no. The second print is another great example of a blended floral, but for a darker Summer. The last tunic is a good example of a Summer paisley print.

Prints by Season – Autumn

Like Summers, Autumns are complex, so they don’t need much space in their prints  and they look good in paisley along with nature prints and animal prints. Autumns are vivid, dynamic, and intense while the key to their colors is tonation, so there should be a toasted quality to the colors they choose. The first blouse is a beautiful example of an Autumn paisley. The second and third blouses are also all around great Autumn prints with nature and paisley details.  Since I was only using one store, I wasn’t able to add tribal/ethnic or animal prints, which are also wonderful choices for Autumns. 

Prints by Season – Winter

Winters are elegant, dramatic and striking; and therefore, they actually don’t wear prints very often. When they do, they often have contrast as that is the key to their colors. The prints that work best for them have a simple design and are uncluttered. There should be some space in the print – abstract and geometric often work well for Winters. The first example provides the contrast that works well for Winters and is more of a pattern than a print. The second is actually a print, but also provides some nice contrast and drama. Lastly, the third top illustrates that Winters can handle both contrast and some drama, but there still needs to be simplicity to the design. 

I would love to hear how you feel about prints in the comments.

All of the items pictured are from Ann Taylor Loft and many are 40-50% off! Here are the links:

Spring shirt #1  | Spring shirt #2  | Spring shirt #3

Summer print 1  | Summer print 2  | Summer print 3

Autumn print 1 | Autumn print 2 | Autumn. print 3

Winter print 1  | Winter print 2 | Winter print 3

Please note that I do get a small commission for anything purchased through the above links. The links are provided for convenience and are not meant to be a sales tool.