Some people are born with the ability to mix patterns and not look like a mess. Others, like myself, have to dip their toe in before jumping into the water. Since one of my goals has been to start mixing patterns for a while now, I decided to dip my toe in the water this month. I secretly envy all of the girls pictured at NYFW, MFW, LFW, and PFW that mix both gorgeous and kooky patterns so effortlessly! I’m starting off first by mixing prints that are in the same color family. The easiest starting point for me was the most basic colors – grey, white, and black.
I found this grey/black/white plaid blouse on sale at Zara, and I almost didn’t buy it because I already have two tops in the ruched sleeve/tie waist style. But there was something just calling out to me about the greyscale color palette of the blouse, so I decided to get it. The classic plaid pattern makes it work and play appropriate; the color scheme was a bonus. My mind automatically went to pairing the blouse with more black. I soon figured out, though, that there is such thing as too much black when I’m not going for an all-black look.
How did I tackle this potential problem?
I added my marble heeled booties I got from Topshop back in 2015. The boots were pricey, but I’ve gotten great use out of them, and they still look new! The marble accent heel on the booties was the perfect pairing for my Zara plaid top. The marble is black and a bony shade of white, making the outfit stand out in a good way. I might be able to pull the same look off with white skinny jeans, too.
So, fellow fashionistas, my advice to you is to take baby steps.
Stick with neutral patterns until you get better at gauging what type of patterns look good together. Start with more classic pieces you can keep on rotation for a couple of years, then pair them with trendy pieces. My current favorite patterns are plaid, stars, and stripes; two classic patterns and one trendy pattern. I’ll get around to taking my own advice and mixing them soon.
If you have any tips for mixing patterns, or if you have favorite patterns, feel free to share them in the comments below!
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