Are florals smart?

[florals]

Have a nice floral shirt and was going to wear to work the other day (professional services- smart) and thought that actually I never see anyone at work wearing florals- are they just not smart? Or is it that they're so easy to dislike that people don't risk it?

Depends what you wear it with and the style. I wear them all the time.

I have lots of floral blouses that I wear with plain suits, plain blouse with pinstripe suits

Colleague was wearing a floral blouse with smart black trousers and heels yesterday- looked lovely and v smart!

I have some lovely floral stuff, but for some reason I always feel less professional in it - I think because I feel too girly. All sorts of misogynistic issues to unpack there! My workplace is quite casual, I dress more toward the feminine end of things and I'm mid thirties in a mid-level role, but I somehow feel I have more authority in other patterns, even fairly casual in jeans, than in a flowery dress or top.

The pattern "florals" is quite broad. Personally, I think either smaller prints or a modern interpretation or deconstructed floral pattern can be quite smart. There are also more contemporary versions like olive leaves or shrubbery, etc., maybe that's just my preference. I think the blousier, bigger floral prints scream English summer holidays abroad.