How to wear modern florals without looking like granny's eiderdown

Telegraph

16-05-2025

As hemlines continue to shift apace and micro-trends flash before our eyes, one could assume something as classic as a floral print would be a perma-trend, immune from fashion's fickleness. Yet even though florals' appearance in fashion dates back to Ancient Greek and Egyptian civilisations, they're not exempt from fashion's eternally mercurial mood…
In more recent times, those wishing to look even vaguely contemporary knew flowery prints would not gain plaudits. Over the last decade, the fashion pack deemed florals unspeakably twee and better suited to soft coverings than clothes. Combined with rope-soled wedge espadrilles, a floral frock became the epitome of unfashionable dress (ahem).
We can chart the downfall of florals was certainly linked to a moment of cinematic contempt, when Meryl Streep's character in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) deadpans, 'Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.' But it wasn't only Miranda Priestley's fictional disdain that tipped florals into decline. In 2016, John Lewis noted a rise in searches and sales of striped tees, solidifying the fall of the ubiquitous floral top as an essential in British women's wardrobes. Since then, Breton tops became the shortcut to chic. The allure of insouciant French stripes usurped fussy, English country garden florals for several seasons hence.
However, as surely as hardy perennials will bloom, fashion is reliably cyclical. As stripes are now every grandma's go-to, the stylish set banished the basic Breton and are welcoming florals again.
Joy Montgomery, Shopping Editor at Vogue, has been tracking the trend's re-emergence. 'Florals were ripe for disruption,' she believes. She cites the brand Balenciaga as making her reconsider florals: 'Seeing Kim Kardashian in the brand's autumn/winter 2022 campaign, head-to-toe in granny-ish florals that had been subverted via sculptural stretch fabric.' Likewise, Dries Van Noten's spring/summer 2023 collection advanced the burgeoning trend for blooms. Montgomery says, 'It stood out for its intellectual take on florals, reworking the print in unexpected ways. Cool girls world-over swooned.'
For spring/summer 2025 Jonathan Anderson's interpretation of florals at Loewe is blazing a trail. Actors Ambika Mod, Ayo Edebiri and Gal Gadot all wore the standout creations on the red carpet, making florals look modern again. In contrast to Loewe's edgy interpretation, Madonna was seen in a far more traditional floral frock in New York last month. The ditsy design, demure midi length – and accompanying sensible cardigan – looked more dated than daring, although the addition of boyish flat shoes evidenced a clever styling twist.
Read on for the key updates and styling tricks that will elevate your floral staples and stop any comparisons to cushions, curtains – or indeed the cutting garden.
The Sharp Floral Dress
While a floral tea dress once reigned supreme as the most charming option for those attending Chelsea Flower Show (opening in a couple of days on May 20). This year, why not opt for bolder silhouettes and prints instead? Magda Butrym has created a niche as one of the most exciting fashion talents of her generation, consistently using rose motifs on her body-conscious silhouettes.
This spring Butrym collaborated on a sell-out collection with H&M, the star of which was a jersey minidress covered with red roses printed on a black background. Worn by Chloe Sevigny (herself no wallflower when it comes to edgy trends) Butrym says, 'I feel that the rose is bold and delicate and always so protective, because of the form and the layers of petals. It's not just about the look of the flowers, or wearing the flower, it's more the idea that you can bloom from inside.' And what use is fashion if not to align our inner selves with how we appear on the outside?
However, if you're not ready to take such a stylistically progressive step black-backed floral print, asymmetric detail or abbreviated hemline looks fresh.
Alternatively Joy Montgomery offers excellent advice for styling more traditional floral dresses. 'Shoes are your first port of call: I would recommend looking to Loewe's SS25 collection, where floral dresses were grounded with preppy boat shoes, boxing sneakers and masculine loafers.' So, Madonna got it right! Montgomery continues, 'Emilia Wickstead took a similar approach, styling her traditionally girly floral dresses with wide-strapped sandals and fringed leather flats. It's all about balancing out the girlishness.'
The Sexy Floral Shirt
As we edge into hotter weather a floral top will add edge to simple staples on sunny days. The most successful and oft-repeated styling tricks either rely on consistency (which is why The Princess of Wales always looks immaculate in similarly toned separates) or by choosing contrasting elements in one outfit – stylists call this 'The High/Low mix'.
Kay Barron, Fashion Director at Net-a-Porter suggests adding in contradictory elements when styling florals. 'A floral shirt paired with a great pair of jeans is a good option for everyday wear,' she opines, 'while a draped top [as created by Victoria Beckham ] combined with linen trousers is ideal for the summer months.'
Neat, soft-toned floral patterns have a traditional look, which feels dated for 2025, so try searching out more exuberant blooms, in genetically-modified colours, instead. These nod to the modern incarnation of the floral trend. The mix of a surprisingly large print un-natural shade will turn something as seemingly simple as a floral shirt into a bold statement miles away from the look and connotations of a blowsy floral blouse. Beyond your basic blue jeans, choose one colour from the print and then repeat it on your bottom half (whether trousers, shorts or skirt) for a more coherent and polished look which suits particularly smart events.
The Slick Floral Suit
Kay Barron points out: 'For spring summer 2025, diaphanous floral dresses were a standout trend on the catwalk, with many of the big designers embracing delicate, floaty silhouettes with soft florals.' But beyond a one-and-done dress, a co-ord or trouser suit is as easy to wear as a fancy frock but comes with the added benefits of a stronger silhouette the element of surprise.
Trouser suits have the reputation of being slick, sharp and no-nonsense, particularly when they come in the expected options of standard pinstripe, Prince of Wales check or tweed. However, when decorated with blossom the combined effect of strict silhouette and voluptuous print actually seems wildly subversive. If you are contemplating any event this season, a floral suit will certainly stand out in a sea of flowery frocks. Beyond the classic blazer and trousers combo, short suits and draped pyjama style co-ords are worthy of consideration. Florals can even make the transition to evening with a metallic finish.
On a practical note, to accompany such an efflorescent outfit, be mindful to keep your accessories minimal. A sculptural clutch bag and boyish flat shoes or barely-there sandals look most modern – along with a care-free attitude. Montgomery says: 'From the outside, certain Gen Z-coded fashion 'cores' seem to champion classic spins on the bucolic print… but it's always done with a wry, tongue-in-cheek knowingness. In this way, the floral reboot is not only about more directional renderings of the print, but also about the spirit in which you wear it.'