We live in a time of experimentation in fashion. Hipsters are doing crazy things and going places we’ve never gone before – like shopping at the Salvation Army.
This move in fashion has opened up doors for creativity, but it can be hard to tell what’s fashionable and what’s just too much. I’ve compiled a couple of rules that will help you compose a great outfit using patterns and prints.
For best results, limit the number of patterns to two or three at the most. Have three or four colors in your palette at a time.
Mix the size of the patterns, too. Have a large, bold print next to a smaller detailed print. So in our example, the paisley would be the small detailed print, because it has many colors and the lace would be your larger print because it is one color and less detailed.
Spread out the patterns, and don’t put one right next to another. Give a solid color transitional piece.
For example, separate a polka dot shirt and floral skirt with a thick solid color belt. Or maybe you’ve got an Aztec patterned shirt with blue jeans and striped shoes.
What’s important to remember is that for every outfit you want to have a “focus.” That’s where you want people’s eyes to go first when they see your concoction of clothing.
The heartbreaking fact is you may not be able to wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants and your favorite shoes, even though they’re probably all really awesome and you love them equally. It’s time to give your lesser loved articles of clothing a chance to shine, too.
Go back to the Aztec shirt. That outfit works because the Aztec pattern is crazy awesome, jeans are just jeans and there’s not really anything fabulous about them, and the shoes are a six out of 10 on the awesome scale.
Hopefully your classmates will see you and say, “I love your shirt; where did you get it? Those shoes are sweet, too. And those jeans are like the other 450 million jeans pairs of made each year.”
OK, they probably won’t say exactly that, but you get the gist. Create a chain of focus.
If you follow these rules, you should have a trendy yet practical outfit to be proud of.
