10 Colorful Print Skirt Outfit Ideas for Spring/Summer

Following up on my recent posts about creating outfits starting with a print and using color formulas with a print, today I am sharing ideas and examples of styling print skirts for the warm spring and summer seasons. Now that "skirts with bare legs" season in Minnesota is underway, I'm excited to pull out lightweight tops and layering pieces and cute shoes that are not boots to finish off outfits featuring colorful print skirts. I hope you'll find some inspiration from this print skirt outfit formula round-up.

#1: Print Skirt + Solid Top + Colorful Solid Scarf

This lightweight 100% cotton 3/4 sleeve sweater gets a lot of use in the spring season before the summer heat arrives, and with the light teal and white marl knit, it has the ease of pairing that a solid top would but with a bit more interest. The light teal is not a precise match to a color in the print skirt, but it definitely sits "in the span" of the various blue-green shades.

I took advantage of the last of the not-yet-warm weather to add a long scarf in a rich pink color that relates well to the various pink-to-red tones in the skirt. For warmer climates, a silk scarf or a gauzy/open weave summer scarf would be an easy substitution. I liked that this combination provided color contrast without having that high value contrast (very dark with very light) than can be overpowering for my own coloring.

My ballet flats in a darker shade of teal create a bookend effect with the sweater; this matching top and shoes color formula is one of my favorites for spring and summer, and I find it easy to execute because bright, colorful shoes are a warm-weather must-have for me. But the technique is also effective with more muted accent colors and neutrals.

I can't believe I forgot to photograph myself wearing my new memory wire bracelet made to coordinate with this skirt, but you can see it in all its exuberant colorful glory below. My earrings of the day are an easy DIY stack style drawing on three colors from the print. Even though the scarf is a dark pink and the earrings feature red, which might give you clashing vibes in your mind, I think they work just fine together in practice.

#2: Print Skirt + Solid Top + Multi-color Necklace

This outfit pairs a dark teal loose blouse with a pleated floral print skirt. I wore the same bright teal ballet flats as in the previous outfit, picking up some of the lighter blue-green tones in the skirt. I jazzed up my plain top with a very colorful necklace with baubles in various colors, textures, shapes, and sizes. Of course you couldn't go wrong layering a longer necklace with this one for some extra interest; even a very simple long pendant can work well to break up an expanse of solid fabric.

#3: Print Skirt + White Top + Simple Print Scarf (Print Mix)

A loose textured tunic pairs well with a slim cut skirt in a plant/floral print, and I like how the white adds some seasonally-appropriate lightness to the deep teal color of the skirt. I picked up on the small bits of white and blue in the skirt's print to throw on a lightweight scarf in similar colors to create a low key print mix with the skirt. For fun, I added a bold bib statement necklace that peeks out from under the scarf, toning down its impact. I finished the look with a pair of grey leopard print wedges that match the richness, if not the precise colors, of the skirt (but animal print is a neutral so it's all good).

#4: Print Dress + Solid Top/Topper Mimics a Skirt Look

If you have a print dress, you can mimic the look of a skirt by adding another top or topper layering piece over it. This is fairly common in the cold seasons when a sweater is added over a dress for warmth, but if your layering piece is lightweight, it can work well in warmer seasons too. Here I have a sleeveless chambray dress with a t-shirt knit jacket over it, zipped up to mimic a top. I've styled it with my short-scarf-plus-long-necklace duo and "metallic denim" colored snakeskin flats to create an easy 3 way print mix.

#5: Print Skirt + Modern Twin Set + Layered Necklace

The precise dark aqua tones of my lace tank and cotton cardigan do not match, but I think they coordinate well enough to create a twin set effect with some contrast to the predominantly light colors of the knit skirt. I paired multiple silver chain necklaces in graduated lengths (they came together as a layering set, which was convenient) with a longer cord and bead necklace to create a layered necklace that is on the more minimalist side. I did have fun with a colorful DIY bracelet stack featuring paper, glass, and gemstone beads in light colors that coordinate with the skirt. My nude-to-me shoes (another spring/summer workhorse) are a simple, elegant way to finish the look.

#6: Print Skirt + Denim/Chambray Top + Solid Cardigan

A lightweight denim or chambray top in a blue shade you like is another pairing option with a print skirt that is just about foolproof. (No doubt someone could come up with a creative way to make it not work but I never have!) I wore the same dark aqua cardigan as in the previous outfit, which creates a low-contrast, pseudo-twin set look with the chambray sleeveless top. When the Thrifty Six featured Double Denim looks last month, I forgot about this subtle way I like to wear it in spring/summer using my matching top and shoes color formula: chambray top with chambray ballet flats! I am wearing the minimalist necklace + bold bracelet stack combination again in this look too.

#7: Print Skirt + Matching Solid Top (Inner Column) + Solid Cardigan + Colorful Necklace

As I mentioned in my rabbit blouse post, you can repeat the background color from your print in the other piece to build a print version of the column of color. Here a solid navy blouse creates an inner column with the predominantly navy skirt. I picked out the emerald green and orange colors from my skirt to finish off the outfit with a very cohesive color palette. Repeating the orange in the necklace and the ballet flats is another way to do a bookended look. A simple long gold necklace would look really great against the dark navy blouse.

#8: Print Skirt + Matching Solid Top (Inner Column) + Solid Cardigan + Print Scarf (Print Mix)

Although the prototypical column of color is a neutral, there is no reason to limit this useful color formula to any particular set of colors. It also looks great in accent colors, like the blush pink long-sleeved T and skirt in this outfit. It's hard to see, but the blush T has a very subtle gold star print on it, so technically, I have created an inner column using two print pieces. If you had a matching set or a dress/jumpsuit, obviously that would make a column (solid or print) too. I extended the column down my pinkish bare legs and the soft pink bow flats (which are almost a nude-to-me tone). The lightweight olive cardigan ties back to the various green colors in the skirt, and the small scale burgundy geometric print scarf creates an effective print mix with the large scale floral pattern of the skirt.

#9: Print Skirt + White Top + Solid Cardigan (Colorblock) + Print Scarf (Print Mix)

Another dark print skirt is lightened and brightened for the spring/summer season with a white t-shirt and bright accent color cardigan. The dominant colors of navy, white, and bright blue create a colorblock look that is softened with the addition of a light blue print scarf. But of course you could skip the scarf (and the print mix) entirely for a more optic and contrasting colorblock effect. I wore the "metallic denim" snakeskin flats again for a print mixed bookending variation with the scarf (which contains both the light blue and silver tones of the flats).

#10: Print Skirt + White Top + Solid Cardigan + Colorful Necklace

My first take on this combination of white lace top with the pleated floral skirt and emerald cardigan (both of which we saw in earlier outfits) is that it was a colorblock of white, green, and a magenta-purple-orchid color. But arguably, the white in the skirt is prominent enough that it creates a bit of an inner column with the white top. Either way, the white top is a slam dunk choice here, and the green cardigan brings out one of the minor accent colors from the skirt. The fun multi-color necklace makes another appearance in this look (and of course it could be layered with a longer necklace very easily). I finished the outfit with ballet flats in the dominant accent color of the skirt's print.

Do you have any print skirts in your wardrobe? What is your favorite way to style them?

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