Mix & Match- What's the Catch?

Mixing prints: one of the biggest fashion risks you can take.  Let's face it: if you do it wrong, it's not like wearing one brown sock and one black sock.  People will think you got dressed in the dark.  But if you do it right, you've pulled off something that seems weird by nature but can work really well on so many levels.  

It's hard to wrap your head around the concept.  It just seems ridiculous to pair stripes & florals.  But when I see someone wearing it correctly, I ask myself "why can't I do that?"  I can.  And you can. 

As you can tell from my blog so far, I am a huge Lauren Conrad fan.  This link was posted on her Facebook page today, and it's totally one of the most important pages in the Style Bible.  This link tells you how to mix prints without looking like a crazy bag lady.

http://www.laurenconrad.com/post/how-to-wear-mixed-prints

Basically, you want to start with a signature piece that you build the rest of the outfit around.  This seems pretty elementary, we do this all the time. Whether it's a pair of shoes, or a top, or a statement bracelet, I'll plan the rest of my ensemble to fit the "theme."  It's also helpful to keep the color scheme similar between the pieces.  It will help tie everything together.  I do this all the time as well, and I'm sure you do too.  But instead of pairing a pink and black polka dot blouse with black pants, you're pairing it with a leopard print skirt.  Then further tie the patterns together with a solid piece (scarf, bracelet, cardigan, pumps, etc) that runs in the same color family.  LC's link goes into more detail and gives you some examples of mixing done right, but these were the takeaways that I found particularly helpful.

Here are some of my favorite mix & match looks from Pinterest:

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City.  I love this look!  The jacket has stripes at the bottom, so it's more of a gradual, subdued mixing of the patterns.  She kept her jewelry and hair low-key, and tied the blues together from the jacket and the dress with the shoes.

This is really a fun combo.... red really pops anyhow, so why not mix it up?  She went basic on the bottom with jeans, and rolled up the patterned sleeves of the blouse over the blazer sleeves to make it all seem like one piece.  This is a great idea if you're just easing into the trend, because it's seamless.  It looks like someone else mixed the patterns for you and you bought one piece, but you can take all the credit!

Again we have the stripes, which seem to be a pretty safe component to the mixing formula.  The blouse underneath has the navy but not the red, so she's able to pair it with a red purse without going over the top.  The shoes are a nice touch as well... she could have gone solid but the two-toned style really pulls this all together.  Big fan!

I LOVE this.  I can't tell if she's wearing mint jeans (where are my glasses?) but this is my blog so yes, she is.  If that weren't cool enough, she's mixed stars and florals.  What works here is that the star blouse is very busy and close together, but the flowers on the outer layer are spaced apart, so it doesn't look like she's trying to do too much.

Admit it....after looking at these photos, you're ready to head to your closet and mix & match it up!  Still on the fence?  My challenge to you this week is to try the mix & match look for yourself!  If you're too terrified to wear it to work for the day, wear it to the grocery store, or out to dinner.  I'll do it too and post a picture of the result, whether it's a smashing success or a ridiculous failure.  By mixing & matching, you create so many more options from the wardrobe that you already have!