Flowers that deliver: Floral patterns back in season

From spriggy Liberty prints to neon roses in full bloom, floral patterns are back in season. Gemma Hayward picks the best in show

You can always count on floral to be a trend for spring, with designers wanting to inject some colour and printed pizazz into their collections after a period of wintry sobriety. This time round, however, there was even more focus on flora than usual, and each brand interpreted the theme in their expert, individual way.

Dolce & Gabbana came over all romantic and gathered cream roses on ball-gowns; Nicole Fahri took the impressionist's route with diluted watercolour prints; and Luella clustered small flowers on bodices, and patch-worked her signature bright prints.

But there is more to wearing florals than looking twee. Try abstract digital prints, oversized motifs and collages. Liberty prints are not only iconic but very covetable right now, with Swedish cool kids Acne designing an exclusive dress for the store (pictured), which uses blocks of the recognisable patterns.

A word of warning though: however bold the floral you choose, don't do it head-to-toe. If your dress is printed, layer it with a block coloured cardigan or denim jacket. This applies to accessories too – don't overdo it. You can leave that to the catwalk.