Many people are a bit scared of prints, as they’ve been told that prints will make them look larger. This is not always the case, it really depends on the type of print.
There are two main types of prints, sparse and dense.
Density of Prints by imogenl featuring a print bodycon dress
Sparse prints have the elements spread further apart, these are the ‘fattening’ prints as your eye is drawn individually to each element of the print.
Dense prints have the elements closely packed together, so there is no obvious start or stop so they eye scans over the print but doesn’t stop and look at any one element. These are the slimming prints and are fabulous for hiding details and areas of your body where want the eye to skim over rather than focus upon
Also notice if the print has a focal point.
These focal points will draw your attention. If you’re not sure, shut your eyes and then open them, see where your gaze is drawn. That will be the focal point of the print. Is it on a body part you’re not keen on people noticing (for example, in the dress on the left, the pink leopard, the focal point is on the thighs, not a great place if you are an A, 8 or X shape).
And then there is the negative space. That’s the area between the print. Sometimes it’s not the print that becomes the focal point, but the negative space.
So again, it’s always wise to do the blink test, as described above to see where it makes you want to look.
