Mix It, Break It, Don't Match It!

Today I am rambling about a few styling questions that I know some struggle with. A wonderful thing that is happening with choosing outfits lately is to mix fabrics, textures, patterns, colors, etc. Although even for the most confident fashion follower, mixing plaids for instance, is a perplexing task, there are some ways to simplify; make sure color palettes are the same, do a very large window pane plaid with a very small micro-check, or use a smaller accessory like a scarf, belt, or even a shoe to pair with the dominant plaid on top. It can be tricky but can be done. The easier and more popular mixing I've seen in the past several months is mixing color combos. Almost anything goes. Red/pink, navy/black, brown/purple, orange/maroon, and lots of others. It looks hip, modern, and oh so stylish! Also, that great black suit you have and save for important meetings is not being used to it's full potential if you don't mx the blazer with a nice pair of jeans and a sharp blouse out to dinner. Or wear a beautiful lightweight short sleeve blouse with a wool pencil skirt in a herringbone pattern. Don't be shy, mix it up. And next, there are a few fashion rules you need to start breaking. One is, wear white! All year! All shades! Just a little common sense applies here, keep the weight of the fabric suitable to the season. A white seersucker jacket needs to be saved for summer and your wool white pants for winter. Cashmere in white is a gorgeous fabric to use almost all year and much lighter weight versions are everywhere. A second rule to tear into is a bit of shine for the day. Don't save your knit top with an embellished neckline or cute jacket with a gold shimmer for nighttime. Your shoes may even have some sparkle and still be fine for before five. Wear them with toned down pieces and you will be just fine. A third rule that is harder for some is to lose your overwhelming mu mus that hide your womanly shape. Contrary to what you believe, all that extra fabric does more than hide a bulge or two, it visually adds pounds. Buy clothes that fit properly and fabrics that skim the body. And finally, although a black top and bottom or a nice gray sweater, pants, and shoes can make an impressive statement, matching everything can become quite dated. In fact a big "don't" is matching shoes, belts, handbag, jewelry, etc. Matching your animal print purse, to your shoes, to your skirt and so on is just plain wrong! So, sometimes, when you're in the mood, mix it, break it, but don't be matchy matchy! As always, call me for any fashion or style needs. Have a great week!