Floral Print

If a car can wear floral print why can't a fully grown man?  A fair question you'll agree and one that Trend The Consequences is keen to answer once and for all...  for this season at least.  

Unfortunately while preparing this piece we happened across a number of people wearing leopard print, in the Spring of 2014!  What are they playing at?  Clearly the Spring isn't Winter 13/14 so while it is encouraging (and dare I say it flattering) to see people clearly influenced by our Winter posts, when Winter is over you have to be ready to move on.  

Stop it, it's Spring\Summer now!

Admittedly this could be partially due to the incredibly late release for the majority of our Winter series but we shouldn't blame ourselves we should blame the people who made the mistake; seeing as we once again are late in our postings.

So floral print, it is an interesting style and one which will probably be too much for many men.  An article in The Guardian posed the same question and got us fired up with the confidence to not only buy some impressively flowery shirts but also wear them in a public area. 

Two florally clad men rocking the catwalk

I also read in the Sunday Times a summer style guide by Tinie Tempah where he recommended big print shirts, specifically bright botanicals (which must mean flowers!).  

Could we look this good?  Find out below

Before we continue, please remember when specing and purchasing your floral prints; Hawaiian shirts don't count; if we wanted to look like stupid Americans on holiday, then we would have simply doubled our bodyweight then walked slowly around London and shouted loudly so we inconvenienced everyone else in our vicinity.

Don't ruin a sweet cap by pairing it with a Hawaiian shirt

After a long hot shopping trip we eventually settled on classic fit Peacocks shirts and, having found it difficult to locate any floral trousers, some sumptuous H&M shorts.  As the evening drew nearer and I tried on my petalled delights I realised the walk to town was going to be long and lonely.  To think a year ago slipping into my first  Deep V felt incredibly outrageous.

Stepping outside and taking the first nervous steps towards town things felt OK, light comfy clothing and bold style, but most importantly nobody in sight.  Once on a busy road I encountered the first reactions when two cars pulled up to a traffic light with necks heavily craned my way.  Crossing the road near Wetherspoons a group of ladies were coming my way, as I disappeared down the alley I heard "fashion!" shouted my way, I found this an encouraging sign as she was wearing overly tight/graphic floral leggings and clearly was happy we shared the same style.  Yet, now three lads were coming towards me, one of them seemed to notice my fetching get up, I looked back to see if he was starring and saw him open mouthed and unable to contain his shock which is too rude to type here. 

Finally meeting Rob we settled in, had some drinks and felt under the radar again.  At bar level we looked like we were just wearing floral shirts and probably jeans.  Feeling this was too comfortable we knew it was time to get to Floyds. 

It probably makes sense now

Floyds turned out to be a real treat.  Having been begged to come in with the promise of free drinks, we knew floral was the savvy Spring choice to get respect in the Cardiff Underbelly.  Featuring a dance floor with a UV blacklight light, Floyds only highlighted how great we looked.  Uniquely for the night we weren't pointed or anything like that, just a few subtle comments and impressed looks.  The stage ebbed and flowed as people came and left, much as though our floral prints were attracting them like bees, and once they had had their fill of top end fashion they slunk off to the bar.  We were getting positive looks, yet with nothing but favour coming our way, we felt that Floyds was being too positive, and as ever we wanted a view of a broader spectrum of society.  Off to Livelounge it was.

It seems UV highlights the best parts of an outfit, here being the floral delight

A purple hue to a floral masterpiece

Once in LiveLounge we were surrounded by the normal of society, and it is usually here that we find our trendy get ups given a thorough looking over.  Both Rob and I had walked to the bar, eyes taking a second glance when the first hadn't provided a full enough treat.  We ordered drinks at the bar, with the bar staff giving wry smiles (albeit the situation was a great one, they required time to realise this). Throughout the night, we kept heading back to the bar, and each time the staff were feeling more comfortable with the outfit, and dare I say envious of it.

Once the band had finished, the stage was slowly cleared by the roadies, who were wearing the untrendiest of black clothing. Whilst still on the main dancefloor, a small group of ladies were scouting the floor for alpha males from the higher vantage point of the stage. Once they gazed upon the two trendy boys in the centre of the dancefloor, their eyes widened and the coefficient of friction of the stage dropped by 50%. They vigorously beckoned us over and up to their level. They simply couldn't get enough of the floral, questions on where we obtained the clothes, what inspired us to wear it and many more were asked. Whilst flattered by the impact our choice of trendy attire had caused, the positive feedback was noted and we slid off.

Top button done up making a short and most probably unnecessary appearance

Whilst dancing on the stage, we were approached by two blokes who were loving the floral combinations. They regaled us with a short tale of their friend's upcoming stag do, and how a floral combination would really give the stag a enjoyable evening.  In fact it was agreed they would enforce floral upon the do in question.  The groom-to-be eventually appeared from nowhere, and was also impressed by the floral print. He discussed how it would definitely brighten up any stag do (including his own) and through some dialogue learnt that Rob and I are high end fashion bloggers. He told us that he was also a blogger, something to do with music, and said he was getting about 500 hits a day. This was clearly a lie, as how could a lame music blog ever capture a larger reader base than an exciting fashion blog tailored for the common man? I tell you how, in opposite land. We dismissed this chap pretty quickly and went on with our evening.

 

We spent the rest of the night bumping back into these guys, and every time they were more enthused with the outfits.  At one point they forced us into a group photo under the guise of banter, thankfully with a cameraman and not an outstretched arm.  As we moved away the potnetial groom quietly and then repeatedly told our personal cameraman/assistant that we were extremely handsome men, though it is likely he would have said this even if we were wearing Hawaiian shirts.  Clearly he was excited for his upcoming wedding to a woman.

The night went on, and strangers kept bumping into us with feedback that was all positive. Our night ended, and we both felt as though we had not received any bad 'reviews'. Floral is clearly a hit with all those that see it, friendship forming, maybe sometimes inducing envy but you can be sure the encounter always begins wide eyed and open mouthed.

Floral Print: Seasonally apt, inviting and enjoyed by all.