While watching my daughter (attempt to) dress herself this morning, unabashedly layering pattern upon pattern; it reminded me of the number one question I get from my clients… How do I successfully mix patterns? Pattern play is one of my favorite ways to give an outfit a little edge and there are a few ways to do it. The first way would be to pick two patterns with the same color palette. Try navy and white florals with navy and white pinstripes or black and white polka dots and black and white stripes.
 
Another option is to mix different versions of the same pattern- plaids, florals, polka dots and stripes are the easiest prints to pair. The key here is to play with different sizes and colors to make it look like the mixing was intentional, not a bad accident:-)

And now, for my final and golden rule for mixing prints… when all else fails, opt for leopard. Leopard print lends itself to any pattern play. Floral and leopard to me is heavenly; just the right balance of sweet vs. minx. It also compliments plaid perfectly for Fall.
 
The good news is, it’s kind of hard to make mistakes when mixing patterns right now. Just open any high-end glossy and you will see up to 5 different prints per look! If all this is too much, start slowly and add pops of print via accessories. Belts, bags and and scarves are a great baby step into this crazy mixed up trend! And now a quick shout -out to my muse for this post…