Monday, January 31, 2011

Print on... Print.

Posted by: Ashley

Lately I've seen a lot of prints mixed together. While I'm not the most adventurous person with my clothing, there are a few outfits I'd like to try. First, let's start with what a bad print on print mixture looks like:

Katy Perry

When working with prints, here are some do's and don'ts:

DO have similar colors in both prints. A pastel shirt with a neon green skirt probably isn't the best idea
DON'T wear head to toe one print a la Katy Perry
DO wear something you feel comfortable in. If you don't feel comfortable, people can tell
DON'T be afraid of what people will think. You might be pleasantly surprised with the compliments
DO look online and see what kind of mixes you like
DON'T mix too many prints together

The combination I see everywhere right now is a mix of stripes and florals and/or polka dots. Here are three outfits I put together with these prints. All images are from Forever 21 unless noted. I chose Forever 21 due to their affordable prices for trendy clothing and wide range of styles:

#1: This outfit is probably the best outfit to ease into wearing prints together. I stuck with something light and not too bold. The navy skirt will bring out the navy in the flowers on the shirt, and the scarf can be used to break up the prints even more if it makes the person wearing it feel more comfortable about the print. This is my favorite outfit out of the three. I would wear this on a date, to church, or on a warm spring beer tasting adventure. Yum.


#2: This is also not too hard of an outfit to wear. The grey in the stripes of the sweater look great with the floral print top and the two don't compete with each other. I paired it with jeans because I feel like a skirt would make the outfit TOO attention grabbing, and I paired it with grey heels because I don't want the attention being drawn to the shoes, but rather up to the shirt and face. This looks like a Saturday errands/lunch/shopping outfit to me.


#3: I see this outfit as the most daring of them all, simply because of the boldness of the colors. I do love the contrast between the skirt and sweater though. The navy coordinates with the navy in the skirt, but it definitely is not matchy-matchy. I think the cowboy boots give it an unexpected twist and the bangles add an accessory to the outfit without being overbearing. Pairing tights with this outfit would also work well! I would wear this to a concert, art gallery (not that I ever go to those), lunch and/or dinner, or who knows, maybe while sitting around watching TV.


There you have it. Mixing prints. It's a daunting task, I definitely admit that. I recommend Googling outfits with different prints and seeing which ones you like. Another option is to pair a solid color sweater/shirt over the printed shirt. That way, it breaks up the print but a hint of it still pokes through.


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