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So I’m going to be 100% honest. After Rebecca reposted the Pinspiration rules the other day, I kind of feel like I have been cheating. I have most definitely been shopping, and I have been trolling Pinterest looking for outfits similar to things I wear already. Since admitting you have a problem is the first step, I, Stephanie Cook, am a Pinspiration cheater.
I decided to approach today with the original intent of this project in mind and really stretch my fashion comfort zone. A trend that has been out for a while, but I have yet to tackle is mixing patterns. In fact, going through my closet trying to put my outfit together I found a decided lack of patterned clothing (something I intend to rectify come November).
My Pinspiration outfit demonstrated a couple of rules I came up with to help ease my way into pattern mixing.
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Keep the color palette of the top and bottom the same. The Pinspiration went with blue and white. I went with black and off-white.
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Use different types of patterns in the different pieces. Horizontal stripes on top with vertical stripes on the bottom would just look way overwhelming. I think the polka dots with plaid in the Pinspiration are adorable. I didn’t have anything similar, so I paired a horizontal striped skirt with a sheer blouse with little stars on it.
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Use one large pattern with one small pattern. Mixing large patterns is not for beginners. It can be done, but I’m definitely not there yet. I am on the short side, so I kept the small pattern on top since I think that works better on a small frame (kind of how a petite shouldn’t wear an all-over large patterned dress).
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Break up the two patterns with a belt or wide solid colored waist band. Since the color palette of the two pieces is the same, it helped to break the outfit up into two distinct pieces.
I am kind of in love with the outfit! Honestly probably my favorite one so far. I can’t wait until November when I can add some more patterned pieces to my wardrobe!
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Blouse – Loft
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Skirt – Loft
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Belt – Loft (I told y’all Day 1 that there would be a lot of Loft this month)
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Camisole – The Limited
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Shoes – Ivanka Trump
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Jewelry – Citizen watch and Sapphire studs
I think it looks awesome too! Way to go out of your comfort zone and look amazing!