Pattern Mixing ~ My New Favorite

Well, I HAD a post all typed up yesterday, saved in my drafts (or so I thought), ready to publish today and when I went to retrieve it it was G-O-N-E gone!! Aaaaahhhhh!! Frustrating! Has that ever happened to you? So here I sit trying to recreate what I had created last night...

When Marion of Marionberry Style announced the Trend of the Month Challenge for August was going to be pattern mixing I was beyond excited! Pattern mixing is one of my favorite current trends. I love how something that was a fashion no-no a few years ago is now a big fashion do! Pattern mixing makes dressing more fun and interesting and it also expands your wardrobe because you can make pairings you never would have dared to before.

After scouring my closet for the right mix for today's challenge, and not coming up with anything I hadn't already blogged before, I decided to give myself another challenge. I took twenty dollars and headed out to my favorite thrift store. My self-imposed challenge? To find either a piece that would mix with something already in my closet to create a whole new look or to find totally new pieces that would mix together all while staying under twenty dollars. I spent about an hour pulling out and trying on everything and anything I thought would work and this is what I came away with...for the bargain price of $19.26! Score! Both challenges complete!

These shorts are J.Crew and still had the original tags! I love the beautiful bold floral pattern, the loose fit, the just-right length and the heavy weight of the fabric. This shirt is Gap and is the perfect thin pink stripe to mix with the pink in the shorts. My clutch, shoes and accessories are all things I pulled from my closet.

Savvy Style Tip: When mixing patterns pick one color from the more dominate patterned piece (in this case, the pink in the shorts) and match this color in your next piece. When you do this the outfit flows, even though the patterns don't "match", and makes it an outfit instead of looking like you got dressed in the dark! I did the same thing with the leopard clutch, I matched it to the brown in the shorts and even though the patterns don't "match" they go!

What do you think about the pattern mixing trend? Do you mix your patterns? If you don't, give it a try! It's really fun and it may become your favorite new trend too!

Today I'm linking up with Marionberry Style, Rolled Up Pretty and The Pleated Poppy!

Have a savvy and stylish day!

<3 Mz Savvy Style