Embroidery is one of the ancient art forms that’s still practised today. It comes from the French word ‘broderie,’ meaning ‘embellishment.’ For many cultures worldwide, each stitch and pattern may also tell a legend or a community’s story. Besides that, embroidery served as designs for various clothes, be it a blouse, skirt, or accessories.
Fast forward to today, clothes with embroidered designs are becoming popular. Fashionistas purchase their own garments with embroidery or sift through thrift shops or their grandmothers’ closets for vintage pieces. Modern stitching tools and methods also make it faster for people to have their own embroidered clothing.
Wearing and styling clothes with embroidery isn’t as challenging as you think. You need a good, creative eye and a few tips to guide you. Fortunately, this article will show you how to do it.
1. Custom-Designed Tops And Accessories
If you’re not too keen on getting your clothing with vintage embroidery patterns, you can start with making a custom piece. Your unique embroidered design can be on a plain shirt you rarely wear or an accessory, like a cap. That way, you’re likelier to wear the item proudly if it bears a unique design you enjoy.
Consider a reputable business to do all the needlework on your clothes. For example, companies like Shop Strange Boise embroidery services can apply custom embroidered patterns on any clothing. Just show them your design, and they’ll do the job.
A professional service embroidering the pattern is ideal for getting in on the trend without regrets. You could try stitching your design, but if you’re inexperienced, you may end up with more misses than hits.
2. Plain Bases
One of the best ways to bring attention to embroidered patterns is to pair them with discreet clothing. The idea is to balance out the boldness of the designs with something less noticeable. For instance, wear a neutral-coloured cardigan or a pair of plain pants if you have a blouse with intricate embroidery on the front. The muted shades will emphasize the colorful design of the embroidery, leading people’s eyes to the beautiful stitching.
Any complex pattern always looks significantly better when paired with plainer pieces. However, if you enjoy making a bold statement using fashion, you can do the reverse of this technique. Instead of wearing more muted clothing, wear a plain top, such as a white shirt. Then layer it with an embroidered jean jacket and pants. Passersby will be compelled to look at the embroidery while the unadorned top balances the whole outfit.
3. Sweaters, Jackets, And Cardigans
Thick cover-ups will always stay in fashion as long as cold weather still exists. And it’s common to see coats, knit sweaters, and cardigans with fanciful stitching. So, it’s not tricky to style embroidered jackets since it’s easy to spot people wearing them during fall or winter.
Like the previous point, embroidered sweaters, cardigans, or jackets look amazing with undesigned tops and bottoms. Plain denim jeans and wool pants in neutral colors will lead people’s eyes to the intricate embroidery on your sweater. Jean jackets with colorful stitched patterns are still very much in style today. They’ll look fantastic paired with slim-cut pants, flouncy skirts, and leather boots.
If you love bold colors, you can still match your bottoms with your top. Consider a pair of red sweatpants for the holidays to partner with your festive embroidered red sweater. It’s comfy and a little ‘out there’ but a fashionable, eye-catching combination nonetheless.
4. Shirts And Blouses
It can’t always be fall or winter every day of the year. So, a light top will do just fine when you can’t wear your embroidered cardigan outside. Thankfully, many shirts and blouses in breathable fabrics with embroidered patterns are available almost anywhere. You’re bound to find a piece that suits your style.
Shirts with embroidery are the perfect pieces for your spring and summer outfits. They can boost your warm-weather fashion with less effort. They also go well with shorts and sandals. Add in some bangles, earrings, and a statement necklace to amplify the energy of your outfit.
You can also wear embroidered tops in more formal settings and occasions, such as the workplace. When everyone on the team’s wearing the usual black, white, and navy, a neutral-colored blouse with colorful stitching can break the monotony. Pair your loose embroidered blouse with slim-fitting trousers or tuck it in a pencil skirt to highlight the stitched patterns.
5. Pants And Trousers
Consider wearing embroidered pants instead if you prefer tops and jackets with simple designs or solid colors. They’re an excellent breakaway from the usual blue or black denim most people wear. Jeans with embroidery can also make your casual outfits pop with more color.
Many embroidered designs on pants often involve floral patterns, which amps femininity in any outfit. But you don’t have to settle for roses and daisies all the time. Other designs use fruits, animals, or abstract patterns as their basis.
Some outfit ideas you could try include:
- A plain white T-shirt, denim jeans with hem embroidery, and black pumps.
- Light-colored ruffled blouse and black linen trousers with flora or fauna embroidery.
- Blue denim top and white cropped pants with red embroidery.
Your office pants could also do well with some colored stitching or two. High-waisted trousers are one of the latest fashion trends suitable for the workplace and the streets. So, take it to the next level by wearing a pair with embroidery on the side or hems to keep your outfits from looking too uninteresting.
6. Skirts
When thinking of embroidered clothing, skirts may pop into your head first. Nearly every culture and country have traditional skirts with the most beautiful, handmade stitching for designs. So, it’s no surprise that embroidered skirts have found their way into modern fashion.
Styling a skirt with embroidery is remarkably easy since you can pair one with any top. Embroidered skirts work best with plain shirts or blouses, as mentioned previously. However, you can go the extra mile by skipping the neutrals and wearing daring tops in bolder colors.
For some outfit inspirations, consider these examples:
- A cropped off-shoulder blouse and an embroidered maxi skirt
- A turtleneck and an abstract-patterned embroidered high waist mini skirt
- A pinstripe button-down and a black A-line skirt with multicolored embroidery
As long as your skirt—no matter the design—is comfortable, you can style it with anything you have. Feel free to experiment with different tops of various cuts and colors to see which outfits complement your body shape.
7. Dresses
Second to skirts, dresses are one of the most common clothing pieces to have embroidered designs. If you think mixing and matching your clothes wastes your time, a dress can solve that issue.
The best part about styling embroidered dresses is that you can go as minimal or excessive as you wish. The dress itself is already a statement with its details and stitched patterns. So, you can leave the dress as is, put on a pair of shoes, and you’re good to go. You could also accessorize with complementary jewelry, layer on a discreet blazer, wear your statement heels, and head to work.
An embroidered dress is perfect for newbie fashionistas or anyone who wants to look amazing with the least effort. It won’t disappoint you as long as it’s a good fit and you feel comfortable wearing it.
8. Footwear
Embroidery on shoes used to be a common thing in several ancient cultures around the globe. But now, you can find modern sneakers with lovely and detailed embroidered designs. Shoes made of canvas materials are often the bearers of stitched patterns.
It can be daunting to style embroidered shoes when the rest of your outfit is already bold and colorful. But fashion is more than just the basics. One of the most recent trends involves footwear in outrageous designs. But a reliable pair of sneakers will do if you’re not into that. You can buy them or have an embroidery business custom-make your desired pattern on your existing canvas shoes.
People who prefer the tried-and-tested shirt-and-jeans combo may enjoy boosting their outfits with embroidered sneakers. They’re not as conspicuous as tops or pants with embroidery. So, you can still maintain a level of invisibility with them until someone notices and compliments your shoes.
9. Bags
Bags make great accessories when you’re not in the mood to wear jewellery. Embroidered purses are available in many bag stores and vintage thrift shops. And if you have something unadorned, like a plain tote, you can also design it with embroidery to give it some personality.
A purse with embroidery can amplify your simplest outfits in a snap. So, when it’s one of those days you want to go out in jeans and a shirt, bring your embroidered bag. It’ll make you appear more put-together as if you’ve taken time to plan your outfit.
Final Thoughts
One mustn’t be intimidated by the complex yet stunning patterns of an embroidered piece of clothing. They may require more care when washing and ironing, but other than that, they’re surprisingly easy to style with other clothes if you have the creativity and courage to experiment.