I’ve never been a fan of southwestern, Indian or Aztec style, whether it’s in my personal wardrobe or in my home decor. So when ikat started popping up in the last year or so as the next big thing, first for home, I wasn’t sold. The first pieces that I saw in magazines and online were made up of a big, bold pattern in powerful colors. Too strong for my liking.

But in the last few months, I’ve noticed designers putting their own spin on ikat, many making it blurred around the edges in more subtle colors. I started to take notice. Earlier this week I was at Panera grabbing lunch and I noticed a woman wearing an ikat top. It instantly caught my eye. It was flowy – not too flowy that the woman looked pregnant – but flowy enough to exude a laid-back, elegant summer style. The background color was an ivory and the ikat print was made up of soft pinks and grays, but the colors were not overdefined. You could easily call the pink a light mauve and the gray definitely towed the line along greige or even a hint of a greeny-gray.

It’s been on my mind since I spotted it and suddenly, I feel like an ikat piece would update my wardrobe. I did a little searching online and found these two tops:

The first top is from Anthropologie, ringing in at $78. The second is from JCrew, coming in at $79.50. Now, I’ll be the first to state that I believe in trying things on. Most clothing looks different on you than on the hanger, and since I’ve never worn an ikat print, it’s even more important to try before I buy. So these two pieces did not become impulse purchases. Who knows? The print may look horrible on me. But I definitely think I’ve come around on ikat and may just update my wardrobe with a piece.

And this pillow from Z Gallerie?

It may end up on my couch.

We’ll see. Ikat is definitely out of my comfort zone but sometimes, that’s a good thing.

Do you own any ikat? What do you think about this unique print?

Clothing images from ShopStyle.com; however, both can be found on their respective retailer websites, Anthropologie and JCrew. Pillow image from ZGallerie.com.