Style Buzz: Pattern with Pattern: A How To Guide

Ideas to Inspire Your Style This Week!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The fashion house is tasked to cater to both the real person and the dream of what we would like to be, and achieve a harmonious blend between myth and reality."

-- designer Carla Zampatti

This is one of my favorite parts of clothing, style, fashion. Every time I try something on, whether it's in store or in my closet, there's an element of aspiration. This! This will make me feel great, look confident, change the world. I love the possibility that comes with an outfit and am amazed by the endless variety of clothing that's put out there. Obviously the fashion house is out to keep a business running, but that they recognize the bigger picture - they're helping us create the person we want to be while acknowledging the person we are right now - is pretty cool.

 xxx rachel

One day I'll wear her...

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CREATIVE PAIRINGS

Things are always better in pairs, and one of my favorite pairs of humans, Stacy and Clinton, are back for another series! Clinton explains in the first episode that it's a lot more fun to criticize fictional people than real ones so this time they're dissecting the fashion of pop culture in Why'd They Wear That?

Whenever they come back into my purview, I'm reminded of their rules and guidelines in What Not To Wear, and one of my favorites is wear pattern with pattern. It sounds very matchy-matchy or chaotic, but that's not the goal here. You're looking to complement one pattern with the other, not make a direct match or avant-garde clash. The two most straightforward rules of thumb are:

Match colors of different patterns OR

match the same pattern in different colors.

But there are some other things to keep in mind that will help you make some creative outfits and play with your existing clothes in a whole new way.

1. Play with scale (this is a big one) Mix a larger pattern with a smaller one so they don’t compete for attention. Two mid-sized prints can argue with each other; one bold and one subtle tend to get along beautifully.

2. Keep one pattern “quiet” Not every piece needs to be the center of attention. A fine stripe, soft texture, or low-contrast print can act almost like a neutral, giving the bolder pattern the focus.

3. Use structure to ground it Tailored or structured pieces (a blazer, a crisp shirt, a defined waistband) help anchor multiple patterns. Without that structure, the whole thing can feel a bit floaty and less intentional.

4. Repeat a visual element Even if the colors don’t match exactly, look for a shared motif, like a similar line quality (both geometric or both organic), or a repeated shape (dots, florals, checks). It creates a subtle thread that ties everything together.

5. Break it up with a solid A belt, jacket, or even a bit of skin, like at the neckline or ankle, can act as visual relief. It stops the eye from having to process everything all at once.

6. Consider proportion on the body Place busier patterns where you’re comfortable drawing attention, and calmer ones where you’d prefer less focus.

7. Confidence makes a difference Pattern mixing has a bit of attitude to it. If you look like you meant to do it, people will assume you did.

8. Texture counts as a “pattern” A cable knit, tweed, or jacquard can pair with a print in a quieter, more sophisticated way than two obvious patterns.

9. Keep the silhouette clean If the patterns are doing the talking, the shape of the outfit should be relatively simple. Volume plus pattern plus pattern can tip into overwhelm quite quickly.

These principles will help you get started so that when it's done well, it'll read as layered and creative, not “got dressed in a hurry.” It’s less about perfect coordination and more about balance with a side of playfulness. Give it a try, let me know how it goes!

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ANATOMY OF AN OUTFIT

This is a peek into my favorite outfit of the week where I break it down for you: why I've put it together and why it works, what elements could be swapped out, things to consider, etc.

I was helping out at Sip & Seams last week and someone mentioned that they're going to an event in the near future with a "pattern with pattern" theme (side note: OMG HOW FUN!) and weren't sure how to put an outfit together. It's a lot easier to demonstrate this than to just describe it, so I found pieces in the racks and put them on so she could see it in action.

Same colors, wildly different patterns. There's a geometric structure to the stripes, and the floral print is pretty bold. But they're sort of the same level of bold and one doesn't overtake the other. The white hem of the cardigan provides a little relief for the eye when taking in the whole outfit. I was already wearing pewter sandals, but any kind of neutral shoe would be perfect as long as you pay attention to the style. You wouldn't want one that's too heavy for the lightness of the outfit or draws too much attention away from the main focus - the patterns.

Because the prints are both florals, there's a natural cohesiveness to them already. The one on the skirt is a little bigger than that on the blouse, but they're surprisingly similar types of flowers. What makes this so pleasing to the eye is that the exact colors in the skirt are duplicated in the shirt, although the pairing would work even if they weren't.

Again, a neutral shoe makes sense here, as would one that draws from other colors in the blouse, like olive or a deeper red.