Pattern Mixing duh duh duh. This is one of those trends that paralyzes people! I LOVE the challenge and creativity it brings! It doesn’t have to be scary or hard. This week I’m going to share with you some tips to get you mixin’ and matchin’ (I am from the south after all). Stripes are a great way to start pattern mixing. I started styling them for the runways several months back and knew they would be a huge spring trend. Below, the first image on the left is in the February issue of Vogue and the image on the right was from a Spring 2017 trend driven show I styled in October.
When mixing patterns, you can consider a stripe as a neutral. The key is tone and balance! As long as your colors are friends, odds are, your patterns will be too. The best thing about this trend is that it has no life face. (Still don’t know yours? Click here to find out) Locate your one “jumping off” piece and let the rest of your patterns play supporting characters. If you have a multi-colored floral print, then a striped pattern in corresponding colors will play nicely. Florals and stripes are like peanut butter and jelly. When in doubt, black and white usually always works.
For example, in this look I chose the skirt first. I then chose a neutral black and white blouse and finished with a striped, solid side paneled blazer. All of the patterns are different but similar in color.
Normally at this point I would start breaking this thing down in life faces but I’m going to do a slight departure. This is one of those trends that is based on personal style and transitions all ages. Instead, I’ll break it down into three categories from minimal to bold. I hope it will help you determine where you can use this trend in your life.
MINIMAL MIXING
If you need baby steps, start with your accessories. Add a patterned sock to your heels or in this case I layered two different pairs of socks to create this look.
Try a patterned scarf with a leopard coat. Take a cue from my friend Bethany Siggins of Bethany Siggins Image Consulting. She’s paired black and gray leopard with a punch of color and patterned scarf.
Leopard is much like stripes in that it can also be considered a neutral and paired with just about anything or even together like this sassy lady below.
Scroll through some of these options for great accessories you can mix in your wardrobe.
MODERATE MIXING
This requires a little more commitment but you can do this! Try subtle colors in neutral pallets like I did below. Even though the patterns are completely different the look works because it’s unified by color.
Find this great cardigan here
This first look is very simple but adding the floral blazer took it from cute to quit it. The second look paired a striped top and floral skirt in perfectly matched colors that you almost don’t even realize they’re different patterns. By wearing a complimentary, solid colored layer like our last two friends here, you pull it all together and unify your look.
BOLD MIXING
The more pieces, patterns and colors you add the bolder your look becomes. This is usually where the Wild Card life face shines. It’s one of those looks that make you think how in the world did they come up with that?
I’ve put some outfits below together for you to try out. You might already have something similar in your closet that will inspire you. This particular trend is one of my favorites so send in your pics! I hope you were able to think about your wardrobe differently and create some whole new looks!
Blouse here Pants here
Tank here Cardigan here Skirt here
Sweater here Skirt here Blazer here
Sweater here Pants here
Blouse here Pants here Blazer here
Blouse here Skirt here Blazer here
Sweater here Pants here
Here’s a handy dandy little tool that might help you as you search through your closet. Hang it on the wall and you can refer to it when getting ready.
I would like to thank one of the most stylish and amazing women I know. My mother-in-law,Suzanne Hill, of Fort Worth, TX for sending in her pic of how she styled her black and white tee from last week. Find the post here. She layered a denim jacket with cuffed sleeves over her tee and BONUS POINTS big time for mixing patterns by adding a floral scarf before I even wrote the post! KUDOS! Love you!!!!
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