Best in show: the floral boilersuit

Flower power is a growing success as overalls boasting pretty prints spring up across the capital
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Emma McCarthy21 May 2019

What would spring be without a flurry of florals?

But for every person who swoons at the sight of a sunflower-print dress, there’s another who runs a mile in the direction of the nearest antihistamine.

If you fall into the former category, then it’s likely you’ve greeted the glut of posy-pocked pleated dresses which have taken root in every shop on the high street like a long lost friend. For everyone else, it would seem that the options beyond sweating out summer in your favourite navy jumper and jeans until the cooling balm of autumn returns are limited.

But even the most fervent anti-floralist may yet become as passionate about petals as Monty Don when faced with the season’s freshest take on the trend: the floral boilersuit. Reassuringly devoid of any excess frills, fancy or fabric, the beauty of a boilersuit covered in blooms is that any overt prettiness is offset by its practicality. For those who find a flowing floral dress too twee, its all-in-one counterpart is an altogether cooler proposition.

Equally, it also offers a more stylised statement piece to those who have never managed to get beyond the garment’s “where’s your spanner?” associations.

Floral Boilersuit, £55, BDG by Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters

What’s more, we’re spoilt for choice this season. But before you start your search, know that a floral boilersuit is a very different proposition to a floral jumpsuit — particularly the clingy cut-out or bad bandeau types usually found in “occasionwear” departments or the wardrobes of Love Islanders. Instead, the best all-in-ones are cut from fabrics of substance and come with long sleeves and a bit of slack on the silhouette for a relaxed and effortless effect.

The cool corduroy incarnation from MiH Jeans, which comes in cream and is peppered with a vintage-inspired wallpaper floral, is among the finest. As perfect with chunky sandals as with an ankle boot, the style is finished simply with ring-pull zips, patch pockets and an adjustable button waistband that lets you wear it loose or slightly nipped in at the waist.

The wildflower floral boiler by Urban Outfitters’s BDG label is a similarly easy option, with its classic utilitarian button-front and tab collar, while Asos’s monochrome linear print version is cut with a boyish fit and features a tie waist to give it some shape. La DoubleJ — founded by street style star and editor JJ Martin and sold on Matchesfashion.com — also boasts a brilliant pale pink and tropical print boilersuit which takes its name, Benzinaio, from the Italian for “gas station” for its traditional workwear-inspired fit.

If you favour a softer silhouette, seek out Isabel Marant Étoile’s Lindsie style, which is cut from lightweight floral paisley-print cotton and looks ace with trainers.

Meanwhile, Monki’s bestselling wide-fitting drawstring-waist boiler now also comes in a bold green floral print which should prove irresistible whether you count yourself as green-fingered or not.

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