Details in Floral Prints at Stine Goya

Details in Floral Prints at Stine Goya PF19 - The Cutting Class.
Stine Goya, Pre Fall 2019.

There are a whole host of designers who create dresses, blouses and trousers in a variety of prints and colours. The fact that many of these styles feel approachable and wearable, gives them an easy-breezy commercial quality that can easily hide how difficult they are to design. On a minimal monochrome look, it can be easy to appreciate the razor-sharp cut of the tailoring, or the considered placement of a dart. But it’s all too easy for a ditsy print to hide the careful placement of a seam line that has taken the style from prissy to cool.

Stine Goya is one such label that knows how to tread the line. The Pre Fall 2019 collection featured printed garments that were carefully designed (and styled) to retain a slouchy sensibility amongst the fields of floral prints. Here is a label that knows when to layer up floral prints in different variations and colourways, and when to slice through with a block colour or a bold bias-cut stripe. Essentially it’s all about allowing the prints to work their buoyant magic without trying too hard, and ideally allowing the wearer to look just the right amount of dishevelled in the process.

In tangible terms, designing this feel into the garments isn’t just good luck. This collection perfectly highlights the fact that there a number of garment construction details that can be used successfully to increase the layered feel of prints without making the design become too busy.

The following are some examples of techniques that can be used to add layers or break up prints:

Gathering and ruching
Ruffles and flounces
Drawstring details
Elasticated details
Self-fabric belts and waist ties
Variations in print scale

In essence, these examples are details that add to the texture of the fabric, rather than adding in a contrasting detail. For example, when using a waist tie cut in the self fabric, this will have the effect of ‘shattering’ the print and adding an extra layering detail. Whereas, if you were to add in a waist tie in a contrast colour, this would cut across the print and create a different visual effect. Depending on the garment or the collection, there isn’t one right answer for this, it just depends on the effect you are aiming for.

The same is also true of allowing some details to fall into the background. For example, the shirt in the Stine Goya collection features a concealed placket so that there are no distracting buttons to clash with the daisy print on the design. Similarly, the thread colour across the collection tends to just be a neutral colour for each garment that will blend into the print rather than acting as a contrasting detail. For example, often where the ground of the print is white, then the thread used is also white.

Ultimately, garments like these will also require a fair share of dedicated fitting time. As soon as ruffles, flounces and gathering start to come out to play, there is going to need to be time to get the proportions and volumes right so that they strike the right note. Similarly, the proportions of the overall garments will also be important. The length of a sleeve or hem may make the difference between revealing just enough skin to give the garment breathing space, or when misjudged, can be the detail that makes the wearer look as though they were swallowed whole by a bouquet.

Details in Floral Prints at Stine Goya PF19 - The Cutting Class. Layered floral garments with pink jacket.

Aside from the floral prints at Stine Goya, it is worth noting some of the details on the block colour styles. For example, these mulberry coloured trousers featured contrast topstitching to emphasise the shape of the darts.

Details in Floral Prints at Stine Goya PF19 - The Cutting Class. Pale blue dress with daisy print.