Mixing Patterns

Hi Friends! How are you? It’s been a busy week for me and I’m ready for the weekend! Before I start my weekend, though, I wanted to talk about mixing patterns. I used to be all about matching everything. In high school, I had to have my entire outfit matching, all the way down to my shoes. I wouldn’t mix my jewelry – I had to be wearing either all silver or all gold, and I had this pre-conceived notion in my mind that if something did not match perfectly – I shouldn’t be wearing it.

As I grew older, I learned to embrace mixing patterns.  I learned that by mixing patterns and colors correctly, it comes off as effortless and adds a whole new dimension or personality to your outfits. I started mixing my jewelry (my wedding rings are white gold and I love mixing them with gold jewelry) and I started mixing patterns and colors that I always thought could never go together (ex. navy and black) I  experimented with what worked and what didn’t work. I learned that I liked the tones of the colors to be in the same family if I wanted a put together feel and I also learned that certain prints can almost act as a neutral if used correctly. One of those prints is a simple stripe pattern.

When I found this striped dress, I knew I wanted to mix patterns. The dress had a simple off white and black stripe pattern and I chose to mix it with a plaid blanket scarf. Any type of scarf would look great with this dress though. You could put a floral summer scarf on (if the tones were similar)  for a springtime look or stick with plaid for a more fall/winter look. This dress is so comfortable and I can wear it with flats to work or with booties to go shopping or out to dinner. I’ve linked a few different patterned scarves I think would look great with a dress like this so check them out!

*Pictures by Horn Photography and Design

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