DVF’s Jonathan Saunders Tells Us How to Wear Mixed Prints Like a Pro (Plus More Style Secrets)
"Women don't want to play it safe."
Spring is here—and nothing says warm weather dressing like colour and prints.
Jonathan Saunders would agree. As the first ever chief creative officer at Diane von Furstenberg (he took the helm in 2016), the designer’s signature print mixing is a perfect fit with the storied brand. “Diane has an incredible heritage for print and colour and that’s obviously something that resonates with me,” says Saunders. “Every print we put out into the world is designed by us in house.” From Freida Pinto to Camilla Belle, it’s clear that celebs are loving his bold takes on pattern play.
When it comes to mixing prints into your own wardrobe, Saunders encourages women to experiment. “I love the effect of pairing a floral print with something more graphic such as our Ferma dot or the Borel stripes,” he says, referring to several prints featured in the ready-to-wear label’s spring 2017 collection. “I encourage people to mix the prints in different separates, but sometimes I combine two or three into one key dress.”
Besides mixed prints, asymmetric looks are also trending at DVF this spring. “Many of the dresses are cut on the bias, which means the grain of the fabric falls on the diagonal and naturally skims the body,” he says. “It’s extremely flattering and allows for a sense of stretch and movement—even in non-stretch fabrics like pure silk.” One of the hottest must-haves this season is the Asymmetric Scarf Hem dress, created from two giant colourful silk scarves. “It’s great to wear by itself on a warm day, or with a skinny rib knit layered under it,” he says. From sketch to finished product, you can see this effortlessly cool piece come to life in The Art of Scarves here.
You can shop the scarf dress and a curated selection of other DVF spring 2017 pieces at Saks Fifth Avenue’s Queen Street location in Toronto. The pop-up runs until Sunday, April 16.
“Women might want pieces that are easy to wear but that doesn’t mean they want to compromise on fashion,” says Saunders. “They don’t want to play it safe; they still want to get excited by what they put on in the morning.” Amen to that.
We’re rounded up five DVF spring looks (available at Saks in Toronto) that we can’t wait to slip into this spring. Check out the gallery below.