Remember those days when you playfully tried to stand in poise, draped in your mom’s saree? That is probably the first step to the fashion fancies of every Indian teen! Have you ever wondered how trends have changed since then? Indeed, we all have observed how the classic patialas gave way to the palazzos but what we have failed to observe is the prints on these dresses.

Neutrals and solids beautifully blend with every fabric. That is why we go on a shopping spree when it comes to stacking your wardrobe with the softer tints or the bolder hues. On the contrary, prints are more likely to stop you in your trail of striking colors. Prints ‘n’ patterns are the staple apparel to escape the mundane monotones in our closet. Matching prints can be a daunting task. But that is because you haven’t stacked the basic prints yet!

So, before you get clueless on what’s more to prints than the regular polka, here are the 7 basic patterns that you’ve definitely heard off but haven’t stopped by to picture yourself in its charm!

1) FLORALS

Once deemed to be summer’s sweetheart, floral are now gracefully making its way into our winter wardrobe essentials. The florals of the fall may be darker and a tad overcast with a neutral and a duller base pallette. But, they are no less charming than those blooming spring flowers! From the lighter tints of summer flowers on your silk maxis to your artistically embroidered jean and jackets, florals are at your service all through the year. Grab some flowered jackets and embellished jeans to go over your plain tees or a floral dress to compliment your solid jackets and when paired with other plaids/checks, remember to match your base colors for a harmonious outlook!

2) CHECKERS

The classic checkers is often mistaken for plaid and ginghams. But, all these three classics are slightly vary in the permutations of the colored stripes. Checks are the simplest and subtlest with just 2 alternating colors that beautifully blend as squares. This vintage fashion has now reinvented itself as ginghams, buffalo checks and the windowpane.

Gingham

Unlike the checks, the ginghams aren’t “patterns”; rather, they are the fabric itself. But, what classifies it as checks is the way they are woven. A single colored yarn is often chosen against a white base or a transparent variety of the same, creating checks of equal sizes.

Buffalo checks

They are timeless classic that aren’t just a part of the fashion industry but is one of the major favorites the interior designers are the vintage buffalo checks. Buffalo checks are a coherent communion of three colors of different tints to give bigger checks than the ginghams. From the covers on your sofa to the prints on your wall, the buffalo checks have now found their way to your closet as well!

Windowpane

They are simple checks where a thin strand of yarn runs over a white base forming equal squares, just like the panes of a window. The windowpane checks were a quintessential part of the retro blazers and now, they’re back in vogue, creeping into the shirt dresses of the female fashionistas!

3) PLAIDS

Predominantly found on scarves and shirts, unlike checks, plaids are a crisscross of many differently colored lines that overlap over one another, forming squares. Plaids are modernized tartans. They share the similar synergy of colors except that the horizontal and vertical lines of the plaids need not have matching tones. Plaids are the perfect picks for a shirt dress, formal attire or even a casual shirt for the evening!

4) TARTANS

All tartans are plaids, but all plaids are not tartans! Tartans are the basic version of the popular plaids with the primary constraint of repeating every block of color along the horizontal line. The vertical stripes are exactly duplicated along the horizontal line of the fabric too.

5) CHEVRON

How often have you noticed celebrities elegantly carrying of the zigzag patterns on their dresses, trousers and even on the classic sarees? This inverted ‘V’ on the fabrics is often found alternating with other shades that beautifully blend into geometric patterns, to give you a retro vibe!

6) KALAMKARI

A classic from southern India, the Kalamkari has now threaded to the international market. Contrary to every other print you’d ever known, the Kalamkaris are the beautiful handiwork of the craftsmen on cotton fabrics, using natural colors or vegetable dyes only! These Indian wardrobe staples have now crossed their geographic boundaries alluring the awe of many.

7) ABSTRACT

Abstracts vibe with your inner self! Jackets with abstract prints are the best buys to break the monotone of the solid color palette. The bright and vibrant blend of striking fluorescents will emanate energy and alters the aura of the environment you are in!