PATTERNS AND PRINTS
- Characteristics of Patterns and Prints
- Different types of patterns
- Different types of prints
- How to wear patterns and prints
DENSITY
The density of the pattern means the amount of coverage versus negative space. It ranges between low to high depending on the negative space between the elements.
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
SCALE
The scale of the pattern defines the size of the pattern. The smaller the pattern, the easier it is to wear. Generally larger patterns are recommended for taller individuals, or they can be placed the areas that you might need volume.
SMALL
MEDIUM
LARGE
CONTRAST
The contrast is a result of combining dark and light colours or colours that are far away on the colour wheel. The greater the difference between the colours, the high is the value of contrast in that pattern. Low contrast patterns and prints are easier to wear and mix rather than high contrast ones. A strong contrast makes the area appear larger. If you naturally have high contrast in your features, than you can use higher contrast patterns and prints.
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
ORDER/LAYOUT
The order/layout of the pattern determines if the pattern is orderly arranged/structured or loosely/randomly across the garment.
IN ORDER
SEMI ORDER
RANDOM
SATURATION
Saturation defines the intensity or purity of the colors used in that particular pattern. The scale is between muted/soft and bright/clear.
BRIGHT
MEDIUM
MUTED
PLACEMENT
All-over patterns have no negative space; the entire garment is covered with patterns such as plaids, stripes,dots and checks.
PARTLY
ALL OVER
PATTERN VS PRINT
Often the terms PATTERN and PRINT are used incorrectly but they are not the same. Printed patterns are actually very different from woven patterns.
A PATTERN is any repeated design, such as a floral, geometric, medallion, etc. It can be woven into a fabric or printed on top.
A PRINT is a pattern, however it is not woven into the fabric but applied to the top with dye by various methods such as digital printing or screen printing.
Try flipping the fabric over to the backside, if you can no longer see the pattern, it is probably a print.
When in doubt, refer to fabrics with a design as a pattern, because ALL prints are patterns, but not all patterns are prints!.
TYPES OF PATTERNS
Stripes
Hairline
Very thin stripes close to each other, the name refers to the width of the hair.
Pencil/Dress
Thin stripes as wide as drawn by a pencil.
Pin
Thin stripes spaced wide apart, the space between stripes are always much wider than the stripes
Candy
Medium scale stripes which are about 1/8 inches from each other, similar to the candy stick stripes
Regency/Bengal/Tiger
Same width stripes arranged in alternating light and dark colors. They are smaller than awning stripes but wider than candy stripes.
Awning
Very wide vertical stripes of solid color on a lighter background. It resembles to pattern of awning fabrics.
Barcode
Vertical lines of varying width which resembles the barcode.
Bayadere
Colorful horizontal stripes of varying width.The name is derived from the dancers of India.
Chevron/Herringbone
Stripes laid out in a zigzag layout.They can have either a broadening or a narrowing effect on the figure depending on the way it is positioned.
Regimental
Diagonally placed stripes that have colors associated with the regiment’s uniforms and flags. It is mostly seen in neckwear.
Roman
Bright, multicolored contrasting vertical stripes.
Chalk
Similar but wider than the pin stripes, it is a fainter line with some discontinuity at regular intervals, like it was drawn by a tailor's chalk.
Shadow
Stripes have lines adjacent to them looking almost like shadows.
Breton
Horizontally placed Bengal stripes with light and dark colour combination.
Checks
Argyle
Diagonally arranged diamond or lozenges shapes consist of two to three different colours. Mostly used on knitted fabrics.
Buffalo
Big squares formed by the intersection of two different colored yarns, usually red and black.
Checkerboard
Equal sized checks of two different colours as you see on the checkerboard game-board.
Dog’s tooth/ Hound’s tooth
Formed by broken or uneven checks or abstract four pointed shapes that resemble a dog’s tooth.
Dupplin
Formed by a combination of simple checks, usually dog’s tooth and windowpane checks.
Gingham
Regular bright colored checks made by overlapping stripes of the color of the same width combined with white thread.
Glen/Prince of wales
Combination of large and small checks creating a pattern of irregular checks.
Graph
Evenly shaped checks formed by thin bands of a single colour on a white background looking just like a graph paper.
Madras
Uneven checks formed by bands of vibrant colours with varying thickness crossing each other.
Pin
One or two yarns thick pin-sized stripes crossing each other to form small checks which look like dots from a distance.
Plaid
Colourful stripes with different width crisscrossing each other to form symmetrically placed checks. The pattern of the vertical stripe does not necessarily have to match the pattern of the horizontal stripe.
Tartan
Similar with Plaid. The pattern of the stripes running vertically is duplicated EXACTLY on the horizontal axis. Where the different colors overlap, new colors are created.
Shepherd
Similar to gingham checks, small, even sized checks of two colours which are usually black and white.
Tattersall
Regularly spaced, small checks made on white background by thin, evenly coloured bands.
Gun Club
Alternating bands in two or more colors intersect on a light background creating checks.
Windowpane
Thin, light coloured bands forming checks on a contrasting solid colored background which resemble window panes.
Harlequin
Repeating pattern of contracting diamonds.There is a tiny dot where the diamonds meet.
Mini
Small even sized checks on a solid colour sized between the Pin check and the Gingham check.
TYPES OF PRINTS
Animal Prints
Leopard
Horse shoe shapes with thick edged circles on light background.
Zebra
Irregular, long, wavy black stripes with different thickness on white background.
Giraffe
Rectangular uneven shapes on light background.
Cheetah
Thick solid black spots on lighter background.
Peacock
Consist of colourful peacock feathers.
Cow
Irregular black rectangles on white background.
Tiger
Long, wavy, irregular stripes on lighter background.
Snake
Pattern that resembles the skin of the snake. Commonly used on accessories.
Jaguar
Rosette spots with thick edged circles with black dots in the middle on light background.
Crocodile
Irregular small squares aligned in a graph mode.
Hyena
Irregular roundish shapes on tan background.
Tortoise Shell
Dark brown spots on yellow background. Commonly used for accessories especially sun glasses.
Floral Prints
Acanthus
Resemble leaves from the Mediterranean species. Most common plant forms to make foliage ornament and decoration.
Liberty
All over, stylish, small flower design named by a retail store in London called Liberty & Co.
Anthemion
Based on a stylized honeysuckle plant of fan shaped palm leaf design originated from Ancient Greece.
Mandala
Originated from Central Asia, consists different size and colour motifs that resembles flowers.
Art Nouveau
Emerged from 19th century, has rhythmic curves and harmonic repetitions.
Paisley
Curved teardrop shape originated from Kashmir and named after a town in Scotland.
Abstract
Combination of lines, shapes and colours that represents a floral scene.
Quatrefoil
Symmetrical shape created by overlapping four circles resembles a clover leaf.
Botanical
Plants, leaves and flowers drawn in a realistic way based on botanical illustrations.
Retro
Flowers drawn with muted tones and saturated colours in geometric style.
Calico
Small scale, dense, all over flower shapes in bright colours, originated from India.
Toule de Jouy
Scenic, pastoral, or floral theme of French countryside, mostly one colour prints on a white back ground.
Damask
An ornamental design with one or two colours with a repetitive pattern of abstract flowers.
Vintage
Decorative, detailed, mostly oil painted, loosely arranged flowers in feminine colours
Ditsy
High density pattern with very small scaled flowers.
Western
Mostly seen on men's attire or carved in leather or metal.
Fleur de Lis
Stylish lily flower in abstract and repetitive way, originated from France.
Wreath
Ring shaped intertwined garlands of flowers or leaves.
Chinoiserie
Similar to toile, this features Asian-inspired motifs of people and environment.
Jacobean
17th centruy British desing with branches ornamented in color with fruits, flowers, and/or birds, commonly used for upholstery or window treatments.
Trefoil
Consist of stylized three petal flowers or leaves with three leaflets.
Suzani
A traditional Middle Eastern pattern, large-scale design with sun and moon disk (medallion), floral, and vine motifs, popular for bedding and window treatments.
Arabesque
Elaborate ornamental design of intertwined floral or geometric motifs that originated from Islamic art.
Baroque
Emerging in the 17th century, stylish floral design in high contrast arrangement.
Other Patterns&Prints
Polka Dots
Consists of equally spaced dots all over the fabric surface in a consistent design.
Pin Dots
Very small dots approximately size of a pin head.
Ogee
An arc that formed at the connection of two mirror image, elongated S shapes that resembles an onion as well, often used in bedding and rugs.
Ikat
Ikat refers to a dyeing and weaving method rather than the pattern itself.This method gives ikat fabrics their signature blurred edges.
Greek Key
An interlocking rectangular pattern constructed from one continuous line, based in ancient Greek history.
Southwestern
Features bold desert-like colors and repeating geometric shapes or stripes, originated from Southwest America.
Flamestitch
A bold, colorful zigzag pattern involves four threads in four different colors.
Abstract
Modern pattern consist of lines, shapes and colors that represent ideas than any physical object.
Tribal
Natural motif with vibrant patterns and vivid colors that represents African tribal culture.
Basketwave
Pattern resembles the surface of a woven basket.
Water-colour
Pattern looks like a water colour painting technique with those light transparent brush strokes and a gradation effect.
Bird's eye
Formed by a special fabric weave, with 4 small diamond shapes with a dot or space in the center prints looking like the eye of a bird.
Lane's Net
Diamonds that are filled with thin lines radiating from the opposing ends and rotated by 45 and 90 degrees.
Trellis
Supporting structure of interwoven pieces of wood or metal, adorned with climbing vines and flowers
Celtic Knot
Knots formed by interfaced ribbons lead seamlessly into one another.
Zellige
Geometric mosaic tile-work created from sets of characteristic shapes.
Camouflage
Specially designed pattern that blends in with the surrounding, mostly used by military personnel.
Bull's eye
Consists of concentric circles or oval shapes.
Geometric/Network
Repetitive patterns with geometric shapes.
Bohemian
Use of right brilliant colours reminiscent of the hippie movement of the 1960s.
Vintage
Historical decorative patterns.
Scroll
Consist of lots of spiral shapes and curves that resembles rolled scroll of paper.
Scales
Repeating pattern with motifs resembling clam shells.
Lattice
Interconnected in a crisscross pattern with square or diamond-shapes or holes in the junctions.
HOW TO WEAR PATTERNS&PRINTS
There are different ways to use patterns and prints in your combinations. If you are not a big fan of using them, you can add some accessories with patterns to start with, or you can choose one low density, small scale classic pattern for your top. You can always combine printed garment with plain, neutral colour fabrics. If you'd like to wear more than one printed item in your combination, than there are some basic rules in order to mix and match different patterns and prints.
Simple Start..
Less..
More..
Mix..
Pattern mixing seems like that scary realm that only fashion bloggers, celebrities, and models can enter. But wearing only solid colours is easy, the hard but the fun part is throwing more colours to your outfit by using and mixing patterns. To give you a better idea of where to start, check out these pattern mixing combinations guidelines:
Match the colours first
If the colors look good together, more often the prints will look good together too.
Dominant Colour
You can choose two different prints that share at least one dominant colour.
Two Neutrals
Pair two neutral colour prints. That combination style is a good alternative if you prefer calmer look.
Invert
If you want to use the same pattern, you can invert the colours.
Bright and Neutral
Pair bright prints with neutral colour prints.
Opposite Colours
Pair same print with different colour. For bold combination, choose the ones that contrast each other.
Dominant and Accent
Choose one print to dominate and one as an accent.
Mix same prints; different scales
Different Density
Use two different density types of the same pattern.
Different Scale
Use the same pattern with different scales, like large on the top small on the bottom.
Simpler graphic prints are easier to mix
Plaid/Tartan
Easy way to pair plaids is to combine opposites. A large, simple plaid looks perfect when paired with a smaller, busier, more colorful plaid. Or you can pair it with other patterns as you like.
Stripes
Stripes, especially black and white stripes, go with everything. They're so simple, they're pretty much the neutral of prints.
Go Graphics
Graphic prints go great with each other and with more complex or organic prints like floral or animal prints.
Polka Dots
Mixing a polka dot print with another contrasting one with larger or smaller dots is very popular in pattern mixing. Try a larger polka dot on top and pair with a small polka dot print skirt on the bottom.
Distribute them nicely
* Try distributing your prints more evenly by doing one on the top and one on the bottom, that way your outfit would be less busy
* Spread your prints out across your outfit
* Break up the look with solids. If print-on-print-on-print is too much for you, you can layer in some solid-colored clothes and accessories like belts to calm things down and ground your look
