Golden Rule {3 Tips For Pattern Mixing}

One of my favorite looks is pairing shorts and booties.  It works for both spring and fall.  Adding some warmer tones and fall accessories and it's a cute and casual look for the cooler temps. I got this pretty golden striped dolman top from Down East Basics and it's the perfect light weight, 3/4 sleeve top for fall.  It has a relaxed fit and is super soft.  I grabbed this camel/grey felt hat once I saw the feather details wrapped at the base. Hats are so nice for those not so great hair days, aka when even dry shampoo can't help! 

I used to be so timid about mixing patterns.  I used to thing one was all I could wear at a time.  Now I realize that couldn't be farther from the truth! I love adding stripes and polka dots or plaid.  I'm not wearing two patterns here but I absolutely love the pretty tile pattern and the stripe top together.  Stay tuned for an upcoming post where I do take stripes and pair it with a patterned scarf.  

I try to remember a few things when I pattern mix.

1. Try to have a common color found in each pattern or coordinating colors.  Colors in the same color family, ie all cool tones or all pastels, tend to blend and mix together well. 
2. Make sure to scale your patterns. The primary pattern shouldn't be more than 50% of your look and the secondary pattern shouldn't be more than 25%.   
3. Look at proportion. If you have a large scale pattern on the bottom you typically want to pair it with a small scale pattern on top otherwise it can become overwhelming. 

Remember, sometime less is not more, more is more! Have fun with it and own it!

Stripe Tee / Similar Shorts Here and Here / Hat / Booties 

I received product in exchange for this post. As always, all opinions expressed herein are my own.