How To: Mix Stripes and Florals

A little How To post is the blog post for today and it features one of my favourite and most interesting ways to dress; the mixture of stripes and florals. Follow the jump for more pictures and some tips for embracing this quirky combination. 

I've been wanting to do this post for a while now as whenever I combine stripes and florals, I get so many compliments. It seems that this is a combination is something to be afraid of, but I disagree and think its a fantastic way to add a lot of depth and character to an outfit. It just takes a little understanding  of how to mix the two seemingly jarring aesthetics.

• Use patterns from the same color family like I did in choosing a burgundy shirt to match the burgundy and purple in the skirt
• Repeat a colour if you can't keep an outfit in the same colour family, this will help tie the look together.
• Combine patterns of different scale and density like narrow stripes with larger scaled flowers.
• Stripes can be tricky, so using stripes which are narrow and understated, help to balance the florals and work almost as a neutral piece. 
• Use your body from head to toe to space out contrasting patterns and break up the visual space
•  Accessories can also be used to break up the patterns but they should be used wisely.  Using a colored belt to break up two different patterned pieces can work really well, as can colored shoes or a neutral purse. The focus of the outfit is the pattern, not the accessories. 

I hope this encourages you to be bold and a little bit daring in your choices of prints and patterns!

S.