Complimentary Prints: Guidelines for mixing patterns in the same outfit

Mixing patterns used to scare me. But I’ve been feeling brave lately. I’ve come to realize mixing prints is as easy to pull off as it is to mess up. (That’s supposed to be comforting, by the way.) I’m by no means an expert, but I can tell you a few rules guidelines to follow for creating an outfit made up of the perfect, complimentary prints.

Three reasons you should try mixing prints:
1) It’ll allow you to look at your existing collection of clothing in a different way, opening up countless outfit opportunities.
2) It’ll help keep you out of a style rut, where all your outfits look the same and you’re constantly uninspired by your closet.
3) It’ll make your old clothes feel new again.

Okay, now that you’re convinced…

♥Animal prints are neutral, meaning they can be made to compliment (almost) every other type of pattern. So think about investing in a few animal print accents – such as an animal print skinny belt, clutch, scarf and/or shoes (like mine!)

♥Stripes, polka dots, and plaids are also neutral, by the way. So they’re good patterns to own sweaters and blouses in.

♥Choose a base color. This should be a color that can be found somewhere in each print in the outfit. This will make your mix of patterns cohesive. Tip: If you’re just starting out with pattern mixing, choose a neutral base color like navy or black and look for two items of printed clothing that both have the base color in them.

♥Balance a larger pattern with a smaller one. For example, if you’re wearing a skirt with big, well-spaced flowers on it, offset the skirt with a shirt that has thin, close-together stripes.

♥ Mix fabrics of different textures and weights. For example, try a light, silk patterned blouse under an argyle sweater vest. Or a floral tweed pencil skirt with a cashmere polka dot sweater.

♥ Break up two or more non-neutrual patterns with a solid. For example, if you have a patterned skirt, and a patterned sweater, break them up with a neutral, solid-colored shirt.

Remember, there’s no exact science when it comes to pattern mixing. Following these guidelines will help, but in the end it’s all about experimentation and figuring out what you’re comfortable with!

Here are some more lovely photos of my subtle pattern mixing today… Notice the cohesive color in both my patterns: black. I know these photos don’t show the most daring pattern mixture that you’ve ever seen – but they were enough to inspire this post. Stay tuned for more outfit photos that showcase pattern and print mixing.