All girls can agree when we say that ribbons are some of the loveliest accessories we could hope for. We can wear them in our hair as bows or pins, around our collars as bow ties or even as necklaces and look as cute as a button. In addition to this, we adore incorporating ribbons for special occasions in our lives, such as logo / award medals, customized ones as wedding or baby shower favors, or to make a statement and support a cause, like sporting a cancer awareness ribbon. From a fashion point of view, ribbons are perfect for giving any outfit a girly glow and showing off your sweet sense of style. Out of all different types of ribbons, we have to agree that a printed ribbon has a charm all its own.
While ribbons in solid colors serve as discrete and tasteful accessories, they really can’t enhance an #outfitoftheday more than a printed ribbon. When it comes to choosing fabrics and patterns for printed ribbons, the options are infinite. Regarding fabrics, you can go for satin, silk, burlap, elastic or grosgrain. As far as patterns are concerned, my advice is that you let your creativity flow and play around with funky and fresh prints. If you are at a loss of inspiration, we have prepared an awesome list of popular printed ribbon patterns, ways in which you can wear them and even instructions on how to make a personalized printed ribbon at home.
Animal print ribbon
If we were to give a first place prize for a beloved printed ribbon pattern, animal prints would definitely take home the gold. Girls love wearing this pattern on any type of clothes, accessories or footwear, from cheetah and leopard to zebra and tiger fur patterns. If you really want to stand out in the crowd through originality, you can go for a giraffe or cow print ribbon to compliment your outfit. Make sure that you don’t mix too many prints, though, so your outfit won’t become tacky.
Paw print ribbon
An adorable alternative to “mainstream” animal prints is adorning a cat or dog paw print ribbon. This way you can show how much you love animals and accessorize your outfit in a truly original manner. For an extra cute effect, make a paw print ribbon collar for your kitty or pooch to match and strut your stuff together with style when you go out for walks.
Floral Vintage Printed Ribbons
One of the greatest trends recently is totally the floral vintage pattern. To put it in a nutshell, floral vintage design takes realistic-looking flowers and edits them in a soft, warm, retro fashion. Throughout last year (and this year so far), floral vintage patterns were literally seen everywhere, especially on dresses and accessories that use fabric. Get a hair bow with a floral vintage pattern and match it perfectly with your favorite flower dress.
Cute Character Printed Ribbon
Do you love Hello Kitty? How about cute cartoon owls? Perhaps Minnie Mouse? The great part about printed ribbons is that you can use your favorite characters to dazzle up your attire. You can find ribbons with basically any popular character or type of sweet cartoon printed on them, so make your outfit go from plain to pretty by wearing a character printed ribbon.
Polka Dot Printed Ribbon
How can you not love polka dots? It is impossible for any gal who loves getting in touch with her girly side to not enjoy wearing polka dots. A printed ribbon with black, red, pink or blue polka dots tied as a bow into your hair can give you the ultimate boost of cuteness. Moreover, polka dot printed ribbons are amazing for retro-inspired outfits, so match one with a swing dress and peep toe pumps for effortless glam.
Chevron Printed Grosgrain Ribbon
Whoever thought that a military pattern could become one of the most popular choices for home decor or fashion? This is where the chevron pattern kicks in; we love it for its simplicity, natural chicness and adaptability. A chevron printed grosgrain ribbon can be worn with almost any kinds of clothing, as long as you take care in matching the colors. Choose a base color and alternate it with white zig zags to for a flawless chevron pattern for your grosgrain ribbons.
Aztec Printed Ribbon
Together with floral vintage, Aztec (also known as tribal) prints have become one of the hugest trends of 2014 and 2015. We really can understand why; it’s bold, exotic and interesting, while remaining perfectly tasteful. When looking to wear an Aztec printed ribbon, you can either match it with a similar tribal pattern or with simple, solid shades.
Striped Printed Ribbon
Last but not least, striped printed ribbons are wonderful choices as accessories for both guys and girls, especially on bow ties. For men, a striped bow tie can brighten up any plain old suit, while girls can wear them with loose-fitting shirts and a school girl skirt. Furthermore, ladies can also wear them as hair ribbons for summer dresses to shine in the sun.
Yes, ladies, you can look into custom ribbon printing and make your own beautiful accessories. If you want to make a hobby out of ribbon printing for accessories, you can look into a ribbon printing machine and buy materials by yard from wholesale suppliers (which are usually cheap or on sale). However, not everybody can afford to buy printing machines, so you can experiment with drawing on plain ribbons yourself.
All you have to do is choose the fabric you want your ribbon to be from (see a few of your options at the beginning of this article) and, depending on your choice, see what types of paints and markers can resist on that particular fabric. Usually you will need to buy some fabric, textile or acrylic paint, but do some research and see which varieties won’t bleed through. After you have your supplies ready, play around and create your own unique patterns!
Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.