When it comes to choosing casual dreses, opting for dresses in vibrant colours, eye-catching patterns and charming prints instantly lifts your look from run-of-the-mill to fabulous. So when shopping for maxi dresses and midi dresses for the coming seasons, consider making some bold choices and opt for bright hues, dazzling patterns and attractive prints.
Whether you like casual dresses with paisley print, stripes, spots, dainty flowers, large floral blooms, or patchwork patterns, you can easily find casual dresses that will express your unique personality, your mood for the day, and your style in general.
Let’s have a look at some of the popular colours, prints and patterns for casual women’s dresses in Australia.
Boho Print
Boho prints are hard to define, but you know them when you see them. Usually, they have an eastern influence, and employ popular motifs from Asian, Indian, Persian, Moroccan, Eastern European and Turkish design, to name but a few influences.
Boho prints often include nature-inspired illustrations of flowers, leaves, moons and stars, as well as geometric patterns at times.
Casual dresses in boho prints give off free-spirited, creative and youthful vibes, no matter your age. They often come in comfortable, flattering loose-fitting designs. (See our boho dresses collection if you’re wanting to buy a casual dress with a hippy vibe.)
Paisley Print
Would you believe that paisley print is thought to date back to Indo-European cultures, and has been with us for over 2000 years?! In the 16th Century, Kashmiri shawls commonly used the paisley print, and the design has been used in clothing and furniture ever since.
In the 1960s and 1970s, when counter-culture fashion was heavily influenced by Eastern cultures, paisley again became popular, and music artists like Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and members of The Beatles all wore paisley. Paisley continues to be popular today, and gives off distinctly ‘bohemium’ vibes. Indeed it has become so entrenched in fashion, that high-end fashion brands commonly use it, and seeing paisley print on casual dresses nowadays is commonplace.
What is paisley print meant to be? It’s hard to say exactly. Some say paisley looks like a teardrop, a mango, a kidney or even a flower. If you want to look a little boho this season, look out for casual dresses with all over paisley print, or with patches of paisley in their design.
Floral and Botanical Prints
Flowers have been used in design by a range of ancient cultures. After all, flowers are an integral part of life, so it’s obvious we humans have enjoyed looking at them! As embroidery developed over the centuries, florals were commonly embroidered onto fabric or in lace, making for a delicate and feminine look. Then textiles developed to such a point that florals could be part of the pattern of a dress, or printed onto a fabric. Today, floral patterns are a go-to for fashion designers. Florals tend to be thought of as romantic and feminine, and are popular on many dress styles, but floral maxi dresses are particularly in vogue.
We see plenty of casual dresses in floral prints in spring, when flowers are blooming in real life. Florals for these months tend to be in light colours that reflect the spring colours and bright light.
Florals can also work at other times of the year, with autumn and winter florals taking on a more dramatic edge. Floral casual dresses for these seasons employ richer colours and oftentimes include floral embellishments like lace sleeves or delicate lace overlays.
Similar to florals, botanical prints focus on leaves and other parts of plants, rather than just the flower. You'll often see them referred to as ‘leaf print’ dresses. Botanical print dresses offer a slightly exotic, earthy look.
Stripes
Stripes first gained popularity in fashion in the 1920s, when pinstriped suits were in style. Since then, stripes have commonly been used in uniforms, as well as in high fashion. Today, stripes are one of the most well-known patterns we see in women’s casual dresses. Casual dresses may have horizontal, vertical, or diagonal stripes, and each type offers a unique visual effect.
If you want to make a bold statement, opt for a casual dress with wide stripes. For a more understated look, a dress with very narrow stripes can look fabulous.
Abstract Prints
Abstract prints steer clear of representational designs that mimic nature and instead focus on textures, shapes, lines and colours. Casual dresses in abstract prints may feature geometric patterns, while others have more painterly, fluid structures. Others may feature bold splashes of colour. These types of prints are for those occasions where you want your dress to do the talking.
Polka Dots
Polka dots have been popular for at least a century. These evenly-sized and spaced dots offer a fun feel, that is a little girly and cute. Polka dots often include high-contrast tones and colours, like black and white, however there are no rules with polka dots, and some mix a range of colours in their print. Polka dots can be small, or very large, but their uniformity makes them pleasing to the eye.
Polka dot casual dresses are suitable for day occasions, whether it be to wear to the workplace or to a party, and are a playful inclusion in your wardrobe that’s certain to make you feel cheery.
Patchwork Patterns
Whilst patchwork originally came into being as a thrifty way to use up spare pieces of fabric (think patchwork quilts), it became popular as part of hippy fashion in the 1960s, and has stuck around over the decades, with patchwork patterns being a common element in casual dresses—especially boho dresses—for years. These days, we often see the patchwork look printed rather than patches of fabric being laboriously sewn together, and patchwork prints may be mixed with other prints, like polka dots or stripes, in the very same casual dress.
Tropical Prints
What is a tropical print? Think pineapples, coconuts, palm trees, bright blue oceans, sandy beaches and so on. Basically, tropical prints remind you of holidays, cocktails by the pool, tropical islands and laid-back beach times. Casual dresses with tropical-themed prints are trending right now, so there’s a lot of fun to be had exploring what’s out there.
Animal Print
People have gone wild over animal print for years now, so an animal print casual dress is certainly one to consider. Animal prints have a powerful, exotic quality, and are often seen in high-end fashion. If you’re looking for a playful addition to your wardrobe, grab yourself an animal print dress!
Popular Casual dress colours
When it comes to looking at what colours to look for when shopping for dresses, the world is your oyster. You can either shop for solid-coloured frocks, or for prints that use a wide variety of colours in the one dress. Whichever your preference, colours that are on-trend right now are bright orange, cobalt blue and magenta.
Coming into autumn, terracotta, warm beige and olive green will bring in those earthy, autumnal tones. Jewel tones like sapphire, ruby and emerald will be popular in winter, as well as the usual black and white. And then when spring arrives, gentle pastel hues will appear, with mint, lavender and blush being key colours in floral dresses.
Get your gorgeous casual dresses at Femme Connection!
One of the great things about shopping with Femme Connection is the access you have to casual dresses in a wide range of colours and prints. So if you love casual midi dresses and maxi dresses that catch the eye, in vibrant colours and gorgeous prints, then there’s ample supply available with us.