Loose, lightweight and colourful, the slouchy short with split pockets is an Asos buy that spells spring, easy days and holidays. We love it.
The ethnic-inspired look has already made its mark in recent seasons, and it's clearly back in the mix again this spring. Colourful, cheerful, bright and playful, nothing gives a piece that boho-fashion feel quite like it. With a great ethnic-inspired piece you don't have to think too hard: keep everything else plain and it lights up an outfit all on its own. Fancy working ethnic-inspired prints into your wardrobe? Here's a small edit of lovely pieces to send your look somewhere sunny.
A total weakness for the gorgeous scarves from Zara, an easy way to add an ethnic-inspired touch to a plain jacket, a simple floaty top or a spring dress.
Cinching dresses and tops with a properly boho belt embroidered with multicoloured fabric, silver coins and coloured beads is what Free People offers with this Eastern-inspired belt.
Jute and wool meet softly on this thoroughly boho ethnic-inspired bag, trimmed with pom-poms and shaded in cream, green and apricot. This lovely piece, with its cool vintage feel, is by Zara — clearly a lot of good finds at Zara this season.
Embroidered crimson cotton for this seriously bright boho blouse. A V-neck front and back, puff sleeves, a cool loose shape that never looks shapeless — we love this lovely piece, perfect for warmer days. Available at Free People.
Relaxed and ethnic-inspired, this faded-effect short from Ralph Lauren has a denim-blue print on a beige background. Loose, stylish and nicely sharp, wear it with a white loose tee and a pair of flat sandals — for example. Ralph Lauren short, at Asos.
A nice bit of attitude for the ethnic-meets-military jacket from River Island, which stitches jacquard panels onto khaki cotton. It's available at Asos and right on trend.
A delicate, colourful print for this light playsuit, mostly in pink. We love the soft tones, the V-neck with a teardrop opening and the drawstring at the waist so you can wear it loose or bloused. Zara.
A little beauty to bring some softness to a hard world. This skater dress comes from Asos, with pink, cream and gold beads embroidered onto a style with a dancer-style neckline, empire waist and a bare back.
We'll finish with this gorgeous cardigan from Free People. With its hood, its fiery colours led by red, its flared sleeves and a little press stud under the bust to fasten it, it's just perfect.
What to expect to pay
Price-wise, it all depends on the weave, the embroidery and the fabric. A printed scarf is easy to find for around £15 to £40, an embroidered belt for £20 to £60. For a top or a blouse, expect roughly £30 to £90; for a playsuit or a dress, more like £40 to £120. A cardigan or a wool jacket climbs quickly to between £60 and £150, while a jute or canvas bag, pom-poms included, stays affordable at £25 to £60. So what pushes the price up? Natural fibres over synthetic ones, hand-finished embroidery, a well-known label. Good news: on the second-hand market and in charity shops these prints cross the decades without dating, often for next to nothing.
Before you buy, turn the piece over and look at the reverse: hand-done embroidery keeps its irregularities and threads that breathe, whereas a print applied to a very fine weave marks quickly and can't be fixed. The feel tells you a lot too — cotton, wool or jute are obvious at once, while a synthetic weave stays cold and slippery.
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