So I got a bug up my butt to do some pattern combining - and in this case, the title of the post inspired the outfit!
I was meeting some friends for lunch in the city, and I hadn't worn my favorite summer blazer recently. The day was dreary so I wanted to wear jeans, but I didn't want the outfit to get too navy or too boring. The remedy for that - add some color and combine some patterns!
Pattern mixing isn't too difficult, as long as you keep a few simple ideas in mind:
1. Use different scale patterns. The blazer is a large scale windowpane plaid, the shirt is a medium scale, and the pocket square is a small gingham check.
2. It's easiest to keep the different patterns in the same color family. Here, everything is in a range of blues (big surprise!), except for the pop of color in the orange pocket square. If you want to use different colors, find patterns that have at least one main color in common (for example, combining a navy and grey plaid jacket with a navy and red striped shirt).
3. Let there be a "star" and some supporting players. The largest scale pattern will usually be the focus, while the one or two other ones won't steal the spotlight.
3. Two patterns is pretty easy, three requires some skill, four is challenging - so if you're hesitant, stick to two!
Ok, so one more surprise in the socks - another check, and another pop of orange. Sometimes it's good to break the rules!
Navy windowpane blazer by Franco Uomo. Blue plaid shirt, medium blue cardigan by Banana Republic. Orange gingham pocket square, brown belt by J Crew. Dark rinse jeans by Gap. Check socks by Duchamp. Suede lace-ups by John Varvatos. Eyeglass frames by Tom Ford.
