Spring Trend Watch

Clashing patterns are turning into a huge style trend this spring: from Dolce &Gabbana’s Milan Fashion Week show to Irregular Choice shoes, this fun “mix ‘n’ match” style with a vintage feel sets a perfect tone for the season.

Irregular Choice Shoes

This is a great style to play around with, because you probably don’t have to buy any new clothing to make it work! Most of us have patterned scarves, blouses, and handbags sitting around, not being used because the color or pattern doesn’t go with our current wardrobe. It’s time to get them back out! If you’re one of those lucky ones who don’t have a bunch of unused patterned accessories lying around the house, charity shops/thrift stores are full of good finds.

I’ve put together a few suggestions for ways you could make this trend work for you, because, let’s face it, we probably don’t want to look like we just stepped off the catwalk!

http://labellease.com/blog/?p=66

1. Mix clashed patterns with a classic piece of clothing to give an edge without being crazy.

[Dress: JC Penneys, All accessories: Liberty of London]

 

2. Be subtle. Very few people can pull off an entire outfit of clashed patterns (and very few people would WANT to pull that off!)

 

3. Try clashing the patterns of your accessories, while keeping your main outfit in a solid color. If you can manage to have the main colour in your outfit match all of your accessories, it will give you a polished overall look that won’t hurt anyone’s eyes.

[Dress: Cath Kidston, Bag: Accessorize, Shoes: Irregular Choice, Umbrella: Cath Kidston, Scarf: House of Fraser]

 

 

4. Buy an outfit with the clashing patterns built in. If you don’t feel confident mixing your own patterns, let the clothing designer do all the work for you- that's their job!

[Dress and scarf: Dolce & Gabbana]

D&G Scarf at House of Fraser

5. To build your look around a patterned piece of clothing, remember to let the patterns clash and the colors mesh. This dress from Macy’s has a lot of possibilities: the pattern is subtle and the colors are present but not too bold, making it perfect for tying the accessories together without making you look like you’re in costume.

I had so much fun “shopping” for these outfits! I absolutely love this style trend and am currently working on making a collection of jewellery based on it- more on that in my next post :)
What do you think of wearing clashing patterns?
Do you have any more suggestions for making this trend work all of us who will never set foot on a catwalk? I’d love to know what you think.

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