How to Wear Aztec Prints

The eye-catching Aztec print has been caught the fashion world by storm over the last few months. Here?s how to adapt the unique style into your wardrobe.

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Can you do it?

Aztec prints look most stylish when on a casual shirt. To make your look really snazzy, wear it buttoned all the way up, with skinny jeans or chinos and a pair of desert boots. While it is most common to find an Aztec shirt with the print uniformly over the entire garment, there are some interesting variations to be had. For a unique take on the trend, try a shirt with a block colored collar and cuffs, or vice versa- a block colored shirt with an Aztec print collar.

Aztec prints can also be found on cardigans, jumpers, and even casual blazers. For a touch of the trend without going overboard, wear an Aztec embossed leather or woven belt. As long as you keep the pattern away from your bottom half, you?re onto a winner. Aztec print shorts, or worse yet pants, are not so flattering. Aztec print shoes are also a bit on the ridiculous side- they look comical rather than edgy.

Colorful or classic black and white?

Most Aztec printed garments come in a colorful design featuring brown, burnt orange, yellow and blue. But recently, black and white Aztec-inspired clothing has been becoming more popular. The triangular print is still there, and becomes even more striking with the contrast of black and white. Black and white designs are more timeless than the colorful Aztec patterns. If you?re looking for a piece which won?t fade out of fashion within months, go with a black and white pattern.

Wear with earthy colors

You have two color options when it comes to Aztec prints: earthy colors, or black. If you?re wearing a colorful Aztec shirt, pick a color on it which is not the dominant color and wear other pieces in that color. For example, a shirt with a small amount of tan detailing looks great with a pair of tan chinos. Otherwise, black is your fall-back option. You can?t go wrong in a patterned shirt paired with fitted black jeans.

Wear accessories sparingly with an Aztec shirt, as it is such a statement piece already. Any accessories, such as a watch or a scarf, should be worn in plain black.

When to wear Aztec

Although the Aztec people existed around a thousand years ago -they?re not as ancient as most people think- Aztec prints a relatively new addition to fashion. First making an appearance a few years ago and not going mainstream until 2011/2012, there just hasn?t been time to make rules about when it is appropriate to wear Aztec prints. While an Aztec print goes well during the day, if you want to wear it out clubbing at night, that?s perfectly acceptable too. However, as it is a lively print which is often found on cotton garments, trying to pass off an Aztec shirt as anything more than smart casual will not work.