Pattern Mixing: Black and White Stripes

Personally, I'm a sucker for bold stripes over thin stripes, so this shirt is perfect for me. Because I wanted to go with a colorful skirt to contrast with the black and white of the shirt, I decided to go with a skirt that had a bold/chunky design to still create some unity though similar line quality with the shirt. Then to help tone it down just a bit and help tie the top and bottom more together, I threw on a hot pink blazer to match the skirt.

For accessorizing, I was lucky to have these shoes on hand because of how perfect they are by having all the colors of the clothes wrapped into one accessory. If I didn't have them, I probably would have just worn some black heels or something simple like that.

This entire outfit was brought to you by hunting through Goodwill!

Let's pattern mix stripes with stripes! With this outfit, I decided I wanted to really push the contrast between the patterns since just by both being striped that will help unite them. So, while the shirt has thin(er) stripes that vary in width and color, I went with a skirt that has bold and uniform stipes.

Since the skirt has white in it that helps link it to the shirt, I felt comfortable only using accessories that matched the blue of the skirt instead of also trying to incorporate some black or white into the jewelry or shoes. You can kind of think of it like a visual chain. As long as there is some element in every piece of clothing or accessory to connect it to another piece so that nothing is off disconnected from the outfit as a whole, you're usually good. Of course there are exceptions, like when you want to create emphasis or whatnot, but that's a post for another time.

Once again, this is another fully thrifted outfit!

So, this outfit I went I little crazy with the patterns, but I refuse to see that as a bad thing. When in doubt, add another pattern. Add two patterns. Get crazy! Add three patterns! Or not. It's always up to you and what you're comfortable with.

Part of the reason this outfit works for me is because the shade of black and white in the top and skirt perfectly match each other, while the repetition of the skirt's pattern and variety of the shirt's design still create some nice visual contrast to distinguish them from each other. Putting on the button up that's black and white but not the same shade as the rest of the outfit, is a less busy design, and is tied it at the waist almost like a belt helps visually break up the overall business of the outfit. I added strictly black accessories to maintain unity in the outfit, but put on dark purple lipstick that bordered on almost looking black to add some pop of color and drama.