Anupama Dayal teams fluid fabrics like this silk skirt with diamond-shaped prints with a striped georgette shirt

The print-solid colour combine is passé. This season go bold with the print-on-print look instead — which is all the rage in fashion circles. Top designers have flooded their racks with prints in a huge range of ensembles. Which means you won’t be making a fashion gaffe by teaming printed trousers/skirts with printed tops or even printed saris with printed blouses.

The variety of prints to choose from is mindboggling. Go with classic florals and geometric prints or even chic checks and stripes. But if you want to stand out, then check out quirky prints of birds, fishbowls and even teakettles. Everything goes.

The Abraham & Thakore line includes saris and shirts in menswear-inspired herringbone prints

“We’ve paired a printed silver chiffon sari with a sheer silver shirt (which replaces the blouse) in charcoal herringbone prints,” says David Abraham of Abraham & Thakore. The two pieces can be in contrasting colours or in the same colours for a harmonious look. Other prints in the Abraham & Thakore label for women, starting at Rs 19,000, are based on classic menswear patterns like the houndstooth weave and the Prince of Wales checks. Apart from saris there are also printed kurtas with long printed skirts.

Stay in quirky mode with Small Shop by Jason and Anshu. The designers have stepped in with out-of-the-box prints of everyday objects like glasses, lamps, kettles and teapots. “For instance, we’ve teamed a shirt-blouse with fishbowl print and trousers printed with stars and dots. A jacket printed with hearts, stars and dots completes the ensemble,” says Jason. Small Shop creations range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000.

Jason and Anshu keep their creations quirky with prints of fishbowls and stars

In its latest line, It’s Raining Prints, dev r nil teams geometrical prints with fun pop art like motorcycles and Che Guevara portraits. These are splashed on tops, shirts, jackets, trousers, dresses and tunics. “We team unusual prints to create a juxtaposition of textures,” says Dev of dev r nil. The ready-to-wear pieces are priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 8,000 each.

But if quirky is not your style, stick to classic feminine designs with Anupama Dayal’s label, Anupamaa. Dayal’s outfits come in fluid fabrics with oversized Mughal blooms and geometric patterns. “I’ve teamed a silk skirt with a georgette shirt,” says Dayal. The skirt could have ‘barfi’ or diamond-shaped patterns while the striped shirt, bordered with frills, could flaunt flower prints and geometric shapes. Dayal, whose creations are priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, has also used her signature oversized blooms in a mango-hued ensemble — a cape with blooms worn over a crepe tunic and a micro skirt. “The rooster prints on the tunic add an element of fun,” says Dayal.

Vivid blue, teal, emerald green and coral pink blend with tones of grey in the dev r nil collection

Prints are also being paired with embroidery for those who prefer a touch of the traditional. Kavita Bhartia, for instance, combines prints with embroidery and texturing. Bhartia’s silk chiffon jumpsuit with floral and geometric prints can be worn with an embroidered silk and velvet gilet (a sleeveless jacket that resembles a waistcoat). “I’ve also designed long dresses in a mix of florals and paisley prints,” she says. These are priced between Rs 23,000 and Rs 33,000.

Bhartia’s colour palette includes shades of brown, rust, beige and bright hues like magenta and royal blue. She is all for silks for her print-on-print line. “I’ve used pure silk, silk georgettes and silk chiffons,” says Bhartia. David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore on the other hand work with fabrics like silk and cotton as well as tussar, polyester and viscose. The colour selection is all about contrasts. “There’s lots of black-and-white with hits of gold, silver and a bright red that we call ‘mirchi’ teamed with shade of chartreuse we call ‘amla’,” says Abraham.

Kavita Bhartia embellishes her prints with traditional embroidery

It’s bright-meets-dull in the dev r nil collection as lively hues like blues, teals, emerald greens, coral pinks and burnt orange combine with tones of grey. The creations come in stretch cottons and cotton silks as well as fabrics like Habotai silk (fine tight-woven Chinese silk), denim cotton and georgettes.

Jason and Anshu have homed in on crepe de chine, satin and Lycra in their prints. The colour story here runs from soft hues like powder green, blue, pink and lilac to deeper tones like fuchsia, purple and grey. “We’ve used pink prints in outfits with a grey base to create a contrast,” says Jason.

Dayal has opted for striking colours like acid orange and pink, and fluorescent and parrot greens in her print- on-print range. “I prefer to use organic fabrics like cotton, chanderis and silk,” says Dayal.

“Ultimately it’s all about having an eye for the quirky and the story which is conveyed through the prints,” says Nil.