If there's one thing I don't like it's the beige dress for spring (or the grey dress for winter). Clothes should evoke a certain je ne sais quoi, not just cover us. This year I'm seeing lots of big floral prints that are fun and beautiful at the same time. What a relief from the doldrums of winter.

As a practical shopper, prints aren't always a great choice - you can't wear them over and over (people tend to notice), but when the styles are classic, you can wear them over the years. So it shouldn't be surprising to hear that it was love at first sight when I saw this dress by Giorgio Armani. So classic and classy, it would look great at a cocktail party or just thrown on for a dinner date.

For a less dressy occasion, Armani also makes this cute floral-print tank dress, which I thought was adorable until I saw the $1,285.00 price tag. This Carolina Herrera sundress is in a similar genre (but with a friendlier price). It's a classic style, but the print is completely fresh.

Basically, everyone has prints out right now, but it's the big floral prints that I'm most drawn to. They never go out of style, and are pretty and feminine. They whisper to me of spring weddings, summer nights, cocktails on the balcony… in short, they whisper of romance.

The image above is from NeimanMarcus.com.