Barbara Tfank & Reimagined Antique Print Dresses!

Its no secret.  I'm a huge sucker for print dresses.  I LOVE them.  I don't know why.  Clothes shouldn't be boring; flowers make me happy.  One of the designers who constantly delivers some of the coolest print dresses is Barbara Tfank.

Barbara Tfank is a Los Angeles-based designer.  She got her start in fashion as a costume designer in Hollywood and then started her own line in 2001.  And, I think she does amazing stuff with print fabric!

One of my favorite pieces from her Spring Summer 2011 collection is the floral dress on the right.  The cut is absolutely classic--all at once femme fatale Art Deco but also somehow 1960s flower child.  What makes it really modern is the pleating at the neck that's so hot right now.  Also, the cute little cap sleeves are ADORABLE!

The print of the fabric looks like redone antique flower lithographs--classic and beautiful but unique.  You don't see it every day, probably because its easy to make that kind of print look like you stole your grandmother's curtains and made a toga.  What makes this print work is that the dress cut is so modern and wearable that it balances out the possible stuffy-ness of the print.

Sure, its the height of winter but I can't stop thinking about how nice it would be to sit in a garden full of tulips and wear this dress!

Dress picture from style.com, antique flower print from Collectors Prints

You may be interested in reading my prior post about Barbara Tfank

Prints for the Pretty

One of the most disappointing things about winter is that everything seems to be solid, dark colors.  While a plain black coat might go with everything, it just isn't all that exciting.  Print coats are so hard to find and if they do turn up, they are either in dated prints or in horribly unflattering cuts.  Ugh.

Well, the designer Barbara Tfank has stepped in and made something for us print-philes!  In her fall 2008 collection that she showed in New York, she showed a variety of super cute coats in PRINTS.  And, not just some tacky toile, but super chic oversized floral!  First, the cut of the jacket is classic, flattering and universally stylish.  And, the print is so current and feminine!  Delish!!!

One of the things that really draws me to this coat isn't just the coat--it is the styling of the whole look.  It is retro-inspired without looking dated or like the designer is trying too hard.  The whole look just comes off as so effortless and stylish!

Picture from style.com