Good News for Novelty Prints

Extra, extra!  Read all about it!  Novelty prints are in!

All silly newsboy references aside, novelty prints aren't acutally new.  They have been around and pretty stylish for quite a while now and I'm glad they are here to stay.  FemmeLuxe is not typically they sort of brand that I think of when I think of novelty prints.  When I think of FemmeLuxe's prints, I think of haute prints like snakeskin, but being the quirky, whimsical sort of fashionista that I am, I was pleased to find their playful side with this Slinky Newspaper Print Dress--Patrica to try out in this month's collaboration with FemmeLuxe.  

Each month, FemmeLuxe gives me the opportunity to flex my creative and fashion muscles and while I definitely have my favorite styles, I also love to try new things.  I can't think of anything I've worn from FemmeLuxe that hasn't been fun, flirty, and flattering.  Right now, the world is in such a state that we're all reaching for our Joggers, T-shirts, and Loungewear, and FemmeLuxe has a lot of those sorts of great styles that are also comfortable.  For me, my favorite thing to try will always be pretty dresses.  And, a pretty dress with a great novelty print is perhaps my favorite of all.

What is it I love so much about a novelty print?  It's hard to put into words really, but I think what I love is the fashion forwardness of it, it's the boss-level of prints, if you will.  Solids are simple; they go with everything.  Prints take a little more skill, especially if you're mixing prints.  And a well chosen, well styled novelty print says to the world, "Yeah, I'm good at this and I know it."  

Last year I styled a high neck slinky midi dress for FemmeLuxe in  a snakeskin print.  It was outside my comfort zone, not because of the print but because of my own body insecurities.  Thanks to that little dress and how amazing it made me look, I was able to drop those insecurities.  There was no hesitation in trying this Slinky Newspaper Print High Neck Dress at all.  I knew I could trust FemmeLuxe to make me look great.  Plus, I jumped at the chance to wear this newspaper print.  It reminds me of some of my favorite fashion forward looks of the 1990s.

All my favorite sitcoms featured some spunky girl in the city who wore envy-inspiring outfits that were seemingly only available in New York.  I scoured magazines and the newly available internet to try to find out where all my style icons were getting their clothes, but it was not easy.  When I finally tracked down the name of one brand I had been desperate to find information on, moments later I saw that they only had a brick and mortar store in NYC.  

Without a catalog, or even a website (told ya the internet was still pretty new) my only option was to call their phone number and attempt to order that way.  I got permission from my mom, placed an expensive long distance phone call, and still somehow couldn't get them to send me one of those cute babydoll tops with a funky print that all my tv faves were wearing.  Fortunately we've come a long way since then and FemmeLuxe makes it super easy to look stylish.

I accessorized this look with shiny black patent peep toe heels and a shiny black patent leather belt at the narrowest part of my waist.  If you have been blessed with an hourglass figure, you may not need to accessorize much, because an hourglass figure speaks pretty well for itself. I, however, do not have such a shape. My form needs a little assistance, so for pretty much all slinky dresses I wear a belt at the narrowest part of my waist.  

Something in a contrasting color is a great way to draw attention to that area and break up the form, but for this particular dress with its dynamic print, I kept it basic with black. I'd love to try a few pops of neon color though, just for fun, so I may have to revisit this outfit with some tweaks down the road.

Shopping Info:  White Slinky Newspaper Print High Neck Midi Dress - Patrica from FemmeLuxeFinery.co.uk