Mixing prints- 3 ways!

I was saving this for tomorrow but I couldn't wait! I really like combining prints so I've been experimenting a little and wanted to show you some looks I've come up with. I don't like silly fashion rules and I see no reason to not wear prints together.



This is the first experiment. Really subtle. I kept to the same aqua color palette which I think really worked. It hardly looks mixed at all. I wore this to a lunch out with Mom.




The button up skirt had aqua and black THIN stripes on a white background. The aqua/gold brocade jacket over top has a more open, wide print. I think staying on the same color (aqua) and mixing large and tiny prints makes this work. I kept the rest of the outfit really simple with grey pants.




Outfit details: aqua brocade jacket (H&M); aqua strip shirt (aerpostle); grey skinny pants (urban outfitters); cream maryjane heels (target).


Experiment no# 2. Stripes and plaid. These prints are in a similair porportion but I toned down the mixed print effect by having the purple of the dress surrounded by a lot of black.

This is a strapless dress overtop a striped tee. I wore this to a friend's house for summer weather Coronas.



Outfit details: purple plaid dress (grass); striped tee (H&M)l black tights (hue); black maryjanes (zappos.com)



Experiment no# 3 loud and wild! an geometric art deco print dress with a polka dot jacket. This was completely over the top but the only one of the three I was complimented on, so go figure.


The blue, white, and yellow(lining) of the jacket were repeated in the dress, along with a few other colors. Again, I used neutrals,( in this case brown tights and boots) to tone down the jarring prints. I think i got away with this one only because the jacket was viewed as a warmth-giver, not an outfit-maker.
Outfit details: art deco dress (BGBG); blue polka dot jacket (charter club); brown tights (hue); tall brown boots.


I think this last one was my favorite only because I loved the dress and the way it fit so much.

Mixing prints- plaid and floral

I've been playing around again mixing prints, this time with a plaid and a floral. The funny thing is that I used to really fear mixing prints and I really hated florals but now I've learned to love florals and I especially love mixing them with other prints. In a previous post I mixed a floral skirt with a blouse with tiny polka dots.



I think this blouse works with my cropped plaid trousers for a few reasons. The first is that I played itsafe again sticking to a color palette. This time pink, white, and grey. The second is that from even across the room, my pants appear to be a solid grey. The third reason is the portion of the prints vary. The plaid is small and tight while the flowers are large and loose, like paint strokes.

I paired the outfit with my palest grey tights and my black heeled mary janes with the ivory piping.

Here's a close up of the way the prints play together.

Outift details: grey modesty tank-express; sheer floral blouse-Kensie; plaid cropped pants-hand me down; grey tights-Hue; maryjanes- payless, of course.

How do you mix prints? Have you ever tried mixing different plaids together?

Mixing prints-dots and florals

I tend to get stressed out very easily (veeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy easily, as in jumping out of bed panicking because my husband cleaned off his desk and now I'm not sure where my camera disk is). I also spend all week at a job I don't enjoy for all sorts of reasons (not the vintage shop I love that!) and so I tend to be crabby all week.

So I'm trying to really enjoy my weekends (when I don't have to work at the vintage shop--which I do love) because I don't get to see my husband very much during the week. he works 10-12 hour days, sometimes six days a week. and no he's not a doctor or a grad student, he's a cook in one of those fancy pants restaurants for rich people. Well, upwardly mobile upper middle class people. Not us.



So anyway....

We decided to go out Saturday night for a date. We don't go out much in a nightlife sorta way because we're old and tired and nobody likes us and we don't like anybody ;) But when we do it's usually to one of the local bars in our area. But i suggested we go to a new place I had remembered him telling me about called Embury. A fancy place.

I had heard it had a speak easy vibe but this place was gorgeous and amazing. It was small, probably no more than 20 capacity so it felt exclusive. It was all soft chandelier lighting and wood paneling. There were book shelves! And one of those shelves pulled out to reveal a bathroom. it kinda reminded me of the Anne Frank house, but, uh, not depressing.



the bartenders wore rolled up shirt sleeves, vests, and little caps. so cute.

We got there at nine and there were only a few people. In Pittsburgh people don't go for cocktails until at least eleven. I like it that the andy warhol vampires take so long to flat iron their hair. I like getting a chair to sit in and the bartender's attention.

So they have a list of cocktails on a giant gilt framed chalkboard. The drinks don't list what spirit is in them, just the flavor and style. such as the drinks I had "light and floral" and "crisp and spicy" --that one was made with muddled jalapeno! A girl ordered absinthe and I got to watch the long ritualistic process of the drink. very cool. I love this place!!!
I took these pictures in my living room before we left. I like mixing prints and this is one of my favorite outfits. I don't know how it hadn't made the blog yet. I think this experiment works because i stayed to two colors, brown and aqua. i also varied the scale of the prints, tiny dots and large flowers. then my tights and boots were just plain brown so as not to compete. people go nuts when I wear this; I should make it my uniform but the blouse buttons always pop open!

details: blouse-thrifted, skirt-thrifted, tights--Jessica Simpson, boots --Franco Sarto