Trend Chic: Patterns & Prints

Mixing patterns and prints gets easier the more you do it!  But an inundation of prints and patterns can cause an outfit to wear you, vice the other way around.  Two ways to tone down prints but still express a bold style is with a neutral blazer or a belt.

1a.  Old Navy -Printed Suspended Keyhole Top in Blue
1b.  GAP -Printed Perfectly Refined Shorts in Polka Dot
2.  Kmart: Attention -Women's Blazer in Optic White
3.  JCP -Skinny Leather Belt in Yellow
 

I took a risk with the ikat print tank (1a) and polka dot patterned shorts (1b) and it paid off, but the combination looked overpowering when put together, so I used a bright yellow belt (3) to break up the pattern-print overload. Remember that pairing two out of the three primary colors (the third being red) is an easy way to mix colors.  The white blazer (2), I chose because it is the background color for both the top and shorts and wearing it unbuttoned allowed for the pattern-print outfit to peek out.

1, 2, 3 Chic!

1, 2, 3 Chic!

1, 2, 3 Chic!

 How I Styled It?

Today's 1, 2, 3 Styling was truly an experiment in pattern-print mixing; still fairly new to this concept, I was hesitant about how jarring the tank and shorts would be on my day out and about, so I used the belt and blazer to tone the look down.  With the addition of these key pieces, the slight color variation between the top and shorts is barely noticeable because the eye is visually drawn to the bright yellow belt and the optic white blazer!

How I Styled It?