Beautiful in Batik: a Shopping Guide to Summer’s Prettiest Print

I spent several years hearing the phrase “batik print” without fully realizing what it meant. I knew batik print clothing existed, and I mostly understood what it looked like; you could put a piece of patterned clothing in front of me, and with some certainty, I’d be able to tell you whether or not it looked like a batik print. (I also knew I tended to really like batik print clothing.)

But when our friends at Pinterest tipped us off to the fact that batik prints are trending—Pinterest users are saving photos of “batik prints” 404 percent more frequently this year than they were last year—I knew it was time to study up.

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After a little digging, I discovered this: Batik print clothing is the result of a dyeing technique called—you guessed it—batik. Artisans apply wax to cloth, dye the cloth and remove the wax, leaving behind intricate, organic-looking prints.

So it’s the technique, not the print, that determines whether something’s a batik. And though you can often identify a batik print just by looking at it, you can always check a clothing item’s listing online to find out for sure. (Spoiler alert: If it doesn’t have the word “batik” in its product description, it might not be a batik print.)

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Since they’re made from a wax-resist dyeing method, batik prints often feel softer than some of the more graphic prints on the market—and their palettes tend to feature deeper, richer tones. These elements make batik print clothing a great addition to any late-summer wardrobe; as fall approaches, I find myself more drawn away from the brighter, punchier looks of early summer and toward the darker, flowier pieces in my closet.

Ahead, you’ll find 13 beautiful batik print pieces that will carry you through the end of summer.