Monday, January 16, 2012

How do I mix patterns?

I love pattern mixing, as I have attested to many times. It's fun and playful, and it expands your closet by...approximately a thousand percent.
Striped blouse - Express, (flipped up in the front, oops) Sweater - Banana Republic, Skirt - Anthropologie, Boots - Frye
I've read lots of tutorials online on how to pattern-mix, but I don't usually think too much about those helpful hints or rules. Here's all I think about: Find similar colors, put them together, then throw in a solid color belt/cardigan/sweater/etc. to pull it together/mute the craziness.
Exhibit A.
I noticed the other day how this very colorful striped shirt and this fun skirt shared similar oranges, pinks, and muddy browns. I put them together, then softened the look with this sweater in the same shade of brown.
See? And ignore my hair; it was the end of a long day.
Usually I like to put the solid color between the mixed patterns, which is why a belt is so helpful for pattern mixing, but on this day, I let the top peek out from the top and bottom of the sweater. I love pattern mixing, to the point I should have created a whole blog section on it, but please feel free to look through some of my faves:
And then give pattern mixing a try yourself!

2 comments:

  1. great outfit, I love the skirt and great brown sweater!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It isn't my favorite pattern mixing example, but I thought it would be a good time to post about it.

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