Prints Are Personal — Brooke Jaffe Style

“Prints are personal Brooke”. I had never heard this expression before. Wise words uttered by my kind boss Frank as he prepared me for what lay ahead. Handy adages are in abundance at Bloomingdales. They echo in the halls reverberating from the ghosts of buyers past, always readily available to be plucked from the air and repeated. Prints are personal. Boy did I learn that lesson. I would like to update the expression and go so far as to say “Prints are actually Polarizing”. I learned quickly that the same print shown to a room of buyers, fashion directors and assistants could elicit a range of emotion that can only be classified as expansive. These emotions ran the gamut from passion to deep disdain towards banal fruit prints, heart motifs, stars, stripes, palm trees and even a seemingly innocent looking summer floral. Prints are personal indeed and seem to drum up loads of memories from the unconscious nether regions of the mind.

For reasons unclear to me, leopard prints tend to have been accepted universally, conjuring fewer negative thoughts. I learned quickly that lions and tigers sell well and that buying appointments are smoother in their presence. #Roar. It might be fair to say that prints, like the smell of the cologne your high school boyfriend wore (his name was Doug), recall memories both good and bad.

When I find a good print that makes me smile, I hold on tight! Enter A.L.C. which is a brand that is always part of my wardrobe rotation. Andrea Lieberman, the designer of the line, has the unique ability to blend fashion and wearability. I think she has a particular gift for selecting prints that are modern, fresh and versatile. I’ve found that lately all I want to wear are breezy printed midi skirts with comfortable shoes like mules or sneakers. I love pairing this skirt back to an easy fitted tee shirt and a playful accessory piece. In this outfit, I feel that I could go anywhere. This skirt was the first thing I put in my suitcase for my trip to Paris. I’m writing this post from the road and it made me happy to be walk around in the City Of Light in this dark floral skirt. I consider this type of print “year round friendly”-- one of the benefits of investing in what us fashion gals call a “Moody (Dark) Floral”. This fall I will be wearing this skirt with my black over- the- knee boots and signature black turtleneck.

So for now I’m committing to this print.

As I write this, I’m reflecting on an amazing week in France. I am so inspired by all of the beautiful things I saw. I feel very lucky to be able to continue my adventures this week in Italy.

Ciao for Now.

xox

Brooke