Patterns Are Powerful

While I have always been creative with my color choices, mixing patterns has always intimidated me. Fortunately for me I have a friend who is a master at it and has done it for years. I asked her for some recommendations and here they are.

When combining your patterns you want to pair two together with similar tones and color palette. Identify your main color and then work from there. If you feel overwhelmed by “too much pattern” then you can balance it out with a neutral. If you want even more separation you can finish it off with a belt.

Stripes are the easiest pattern to pair and they can almost be used as a neutral. So can leopard for that matter. Think about scale and utilize a smaller print with a larger one. If it is your first attempt at pairing you may not want to go too crazy with two monster sized patterns.

Best of all you do not have to go shopping to try this trend - just shop your closet! When I started I followed the above guidelines and pulled patterned items out of my closet and laid them on my bed. Then I matched them together on a hanger or tried them on. This way I could determine what I liked and what I was comfortable matching. It created whole new outfits that I couldn’t even image before. Give it a try!