Hello everyone and welcome to part two from my White Hot OOTD! After finally getting my hair done, I wanted to take all of the pictures and my sweet blog husband delivered. I had SO many great options and locations to pick from that I couldn’t cram it all into one post. Rather, we will be doing four! Tomorrow, you can tune in to see my final set of pictures and don’t forget to check out the blooper reel the following day. 😀

As promised, we will be discussing the art of mixing and matching patterns in this post so peep some brand new pics and let’s get to it:

Mixing and matching patterns might seem like a daunting challenge when it comes to assembling an OOTD. It is not as difficult as you think, however, as long as you follow some simple rules:

Start Small:

If you have never mixed and matched patterns before, then the best place to start is through your accessories. I recommend a handbag and shoes as your introduction. This way, you will still have a strong neutral base (which we will talk about more) to assist you. Some examples you could try would be a floral embroidered bag with a floral patterned shoe. This works because it’s a like pattern. Or, you could do a black and white polka dot bag with a black and white snake skin shoe – this works because it’s a like color palette.

Assembling An Outfit:

Once you have had some practice with accessories, you can move onto incorporating mixing and matching into your clothes. This Goddess Style OOTD by yours truly is a really good example of mix and match. Just remember to follow these tips:

Have One Neutral Piece:

Before diving into the deep end with a whole mix and match outfit, it helps to have a strong neutral piece in your OOTD. Black, white, taupe, and navy are all good places to start. Note in my White Hot OOTD that my tank top acted as the neutral to make the mix and match skirt and shoes pop. With one neutral piece in your outfit, it limits the pieces you can mix and match and makes the process less overwhelming.

Create Space Between Mix & Match Pieces:

Having one mix and match piece on top of the other is fairly advanced and it really does require the perfect pieces of clothing to make the outfit cohesive. This is why creating space between your M&M pieces will help you out when you are a beginner. In my White Hot OOTD, it wouldn’t have mattered so much if my shoes and skirt weren’t a one hundred percent match in color or pattern. The skirt gave me negative space between each piece and that assisted in its cohesiveness. You can try this out with a patterned top and shoe!

Color Coordination:

It is so crucial in mix and match OOTDs to have a like color linking your different patterns. For example, this orange patterned Zac & Rachel skort paired with my floral Scotch & Soda blazer. Looking at these pieces individually, you would think that it wouldn’t work together. But, that is far from the case! Each component has orange, black, and green which links the patterns into something that works in tandem. Remember, it is easier to mix and match patterns when each piece heavily features a similar color.

Be Mindful Of Pattern Sizes:

Let’s use the skort and blazer as an example again. What do you notice about each one? If you answered that the oranges are bold and the flowers are delicate, then you are spot on! It is so important to be mindful of pattern sizes and boldness when mixing and matching. You do not want two super bold or dainty patterns right on top of the other because it makes it difficult to differentiate the two. Go for opposites in terms of pattern size or boldness in your choices to really make your mix and match pop.

When you first begin mixing and matching – try and try again because clothes are meant to be tried on and played with! Remember these tips and you will be a pro in no time. ❤

Do you have any questions about mixing and matching? Do you have any pro tips of your own for M&M styling? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah