mixology 101 // prints

Today we are talking all about patterns! Every image on this post can be viewed in its original color when you hover your mouse over it. It is essential to look at the patterns without color to distract, but more often than not you will see how impactful color is to the success of wearing multiple patterns at one time. Today I will talk about combining patterns themselves, and tomorrow we will focus on both colors and patterns. Be sure to check out yesterday's post on mixing colors here.

The topic of patterns is a bit harder, not only because patterns include color, but also because there isn't as much of a science involved with patterns. But today we will focus on the patterns themselves.

When I was younger, I wanted to be an interior designer when I grew up. Even though I probably won't do that for a living, many things from interior design coincide with creating outfits. In fact, I don't think there's anything that isn't related between the two. This is a great article about mixing prints that you should definitely read (it's short!), and I will translate a few them to the clothing world.

A lot of people are nervous to mix prints together, and for good reasons. There's a fine line between a good mix and a bad one. One good thing to keep in mind is that like colors, there are neutral patterns. Polka dots and stripes are the two most basic patterns, and can be combined with any other pattern, including other neutral patterns. They are also great geometric patterns and work excellently with organic patterns like florals. Jo of Lost in the Haze (left) and Keiko of Keiko Lynn (right) both show this idea of neutrals. The stripes and polka dots don't compete with each other. Even the bolder stripes on the bottom of Keiko's dress don't immediately draw your eye. Mixing these two prints are an easy way to incorporate mixing patterns into your outfit without fear of going overboard.

Liz of Delightfully Tacky takes this idea one step further by instead using hearts as a neutral pattern. These are neutral because they are very similar to polka dots. Generally, any repeating pattern could be considered a neutral pattern. Also since both of these patterns are the same height, one doesn't outshine the other. If the hearts were smaller, then the stripes would be the focal point, and vice versa, which certainly isn't a bad thing.

Size of the pattern does play a part, and I've always heard that you shouldn't mix two big, bold prints together, or two small prints together, but instead have one big pattern and one small pattern. A lot of time, however, I've found this not to be accurate. Patterns are similar to colors in that similar patterns often mix well, as well as opposite patterns. A good example of similar patterns mixing comes from Jana of Bekleidet. Both of these patterns are big, but they have a lot of similarities. They are both pretty geometric, with circles and straight lines. In fact, the lines and circles in the pattern on the bag play off of the neutral stripe and polka dot idea. That's the great thing about patterns, most of them link back to their hue, if you will, of stripes or dots. And that's the reason every print works with every other print--because of its origin (where people go wrong is with the color of the prints, but we will discuss that tomorrow). You may also notice that her boots have a pattern on them. Even though this isn't a fabric print, it still affects the overall look. But because the pattern also has geometric lines like the other two, it works well for the entire outfit.

Ali of The Drawing Mannequin shows how a neutral print on her socks works with the big print of her dress. The pattern on her shoes also works because the organic shape matches that of her dress. Olivia of La Voyageuse utilizes the lace texture of her shirt to act as a print alongside the neutral polka dots on her pants.

In my own outfit, I have a leopard print shirt, a floral dress (as a skirt), as well as polka dot tights. Floral is an organic print as well as animal prints, so they both work well together. Also, and I will give more examples of this tomorrow, since my leopard print shirt is in a neutral color, it automatically goes with my floral print. While it is necessary to look at the patterns in black and white to see how they respond to one another, if every print were in black and white, no one would have trouble mixing them. It's because of the color that gets people hung up. takeaways: 1. Polka dots and stripes are neutrals. They go with any other print, including other neutrals. 2. Prints that are similar (two organics or two geometrics) go together, as well as prints that are opposite. 3. Basically, any print goes with any other print. Where people fail is in the color of the prints. 4. To slowly incorporate more prints in your outfit, wear either two neutral prints or one neutral print with a big print.

I do realize that this post basically gave no help because I said that all prints go with all prints, but as far as I know it's true. If you have any questions about this post or anything about mixing prints, please don't hesitate to contact me! I would even be more than willing to help you pair prints together in your own outfits and give advice where I can.

Tomorrow we will be looking at how color affects prints, which will be like the finishing touch on this post. I'm also going to talk a little bit about different types of fabric and how that affects outfits as well, so stay tuned!

Have a great day. :)

mixology 101 // color

First of all, I must begin by saying that these are just my opinions and may or may not be textbook accurate. But from what I know and have experimented they are true and they work for me, so I hope they work for you!

Second of all, get rid of all notions that one color doesn't match with another, because it's not true. Because colors exist in nature, they are all harmonious with one another. Where people go wrong is in the amount of combinations of colors they wear. Today I'll be showing you some examples (a lot actually, because I couldn't bear to not include some of my favorite bloggers) of colors you may not think work well that actually do.

When it comes to color, there's a vast amount of knowledge about the subject. You can read all about color on the internet, but one website I find especially helpful is this one. For now, we will start with the basic color wheel. These are the most basic colors, or hues, and from them come every color you see. Tints are the lightening of the twelve basic colors (think pastel colors). Tints are achieved by adding white to colors. Shades of colors are achieved when you add black (generally) to the twelve basic colors. (In painting, instead of adding black, you add the opposite color on the color wheel, i.e. add red to green to make the red darker, to not compromise the vibrancy of the red, but that's a different topic.) A tone is when you add grey to a color (think muted colors). Now remember, all colors go together. You can mix (and I mean mix in the sense of pairing two different pieces of clothing together) a tone with a shade with a tint, of any color, with any color. There are plenty of examples below where people have done this successfully. The general rule, however, is that a color in close relation to another will compliment it. For example, colors next to each other on the color wheel (called analogous), or those opposite each other (complementary) fit well together. But now let's look at some examples to see the colors in action.

Connie from K is for Kani is the perfect contendor to begin with. I've long been a huge fan of her fun colors and she has an amazing knack to match things together. In this outfit specifically, you can see how she used complementary colors to her advantage. Her two main colors are both tones of red and green, opposites on the color wheel. She uses the yellow-orange tone as an accent color, which is in between both the red and green on the color wheel. Because she stuck with two main colors and an accent color, and because they were all tones, this color combination worked.

Question: How can I add more colors into my outfits easily?

Olivia of La Voyageuse is a great example of incorporating many different colors into an outfit. If you're nervous about adding a lot of color to your wardrobe, start with one piece at a time. In this ourfit, Olivia had a multicolored scarf with greens and pinks and blues. For this outfit specifically, she chose to add to the pinks of the scarf with (a shade of) red shorts and (a tint of) red sweater, allowing the blue and green (which are analogous colors) to be her accent colors.

Similarily, Katie of Alaskan Weredork (left) used her scarf as the main focal point, pulling from the greens in the scarf to match her shirt. A way she could remix this scarf would be to pair it with a yellow or blue piece of clothing, since both tints are also in the scarf. Lauren of Someone like You used her neutral daisy romper as the main focal point, and a dark green as an accent color. This also brings up a good point about neutrals. Neutrals consist of browns, blacks (to include greys), white, and navys, and they go with any color (be it tints, shades, or hues) including other neutrals. (Whoever told you that brown and black don't go together was lying to you.) Because Lauren's romper consists of neutrals, she can pair any colored cardigan with it. Perhaps a red orange cardigan with a blue green belt (complementary colors)?

Hannah from Styles by Hannah Riles does an excellent job of showing how to pair shades of colors together. A beautiful maroon color next to a deep teal blue color is one of my personal favorite color pairings. In this case, because maroon is the most prominent color, the blue acts as a compliment. The tone of red also works because it is related to the maroon color. Even though they are two separate colors, they can be classified as one since they share the same hue: red.

If you hold your mouse over the left image, you can see how perfectly the two reds relate to each other. One is more of a tone, one is slightly closer to purple on the color wheel, but they both share the same shade (both have the same amount of black in them). It's important as a general rule to keep your outfit to one or two main colors with one accent color.

Elanor of Missing Lovebirds (left) has the perfect outfit to showcase this rule. Her main color is this tone of green, with one accent color of red. The swatches of red that I have highlighted, of course, are in various tones and slightly different positions on the color wheel (some leaning towards red, and some leaning towards orange, but they are all derived from the hue red. Plus, it's easy to combine these reds because they are already together in one skirt. Elana of Room 334 (right) also has a similar skirt to showcase this concept. She took the tint of blue in the skirt, and went straight to its hue in the pairing of her necklace.

Some more examples include Annika of The Pineneedle Collective (middle), pairing neutrals with a tone of yellow and her pastel pink hair; Kaylah of The Dainty Squid with a beautiful earth toned (ie browns, greens) outfit with a yellow cardigan (which plays off of the yellow-orange in her neutral browns); and Jessi of Haircut and General Attitude in bright analogous colors of red (pink), orange, and yellow.

Despite what this post suggests, this isn't an exact science. You can't go around with an eyedropper tool to sample every color you come by, though that would be incredibly cool. I learned everything I know from trial and error, and mostly from just instinctively seeing what looks good together and what doesn't. It was only in preparing this post that I saw how refined color mixing actually is. But that doesn't mean you have to make it refined. In fact, I want you to break all the rules I just gave you and wear whatever colors you want! That's the joy about personal style: you wear what makes you happy. But as far as I know, these are the best guidelines to mix colors together for one cohesive, stylish look.

takeaways:

1. All colors go together. Some just happen to go together better than others.
2. Neutrals are your friend. Browns, blacks, whites, and navys go with any color, including other neutrals.
3. If you're looking to slowly incorporate color mixing into your outfit, go with a piece of clothing that features many colors.
4. Above all, experiment. Always keep an open mind to color. Some combinations may surprise you!

If you have any further questions on color or need clarification on anything I've talked about, please don't hesitate to ask! I will be happy to answer your questions and give you more examples and help you mix color in your own outfits.

Tomorrow we will be looking at patterns and how to mix them, so be sure to check back soon.

Have a great day!

mixology 101 // intro

After many emails and inquiries about how I mix colors and prints together, I'm here to give you not one, not two, but a full week's worth of posts all about creating an awesome pattern and color mixing style!

Today is the introduction and question day. If you guys have any questions about mixing, be sure to leave a comment below or shoot me an email. Throughout the week I'll be answering your questions, as well as providing examples (from some of my favorite bloggers) and tips to become a remixing wizard!

Tomorrow we will be focusing on color--different types and how to match colors together into one cohesive look.

Wednesday we will then turn to patterns--what types go together and when to know when you're going too far (because I know I've done it).

Thursday we will pair color and pattern together and see how they play off of each other.

Friday you will get a virtual tour of my closet and will be able to put your skills to the test, mixing pieces from my own wardrobe!

Saturday (and possibly Sunday) we will get to see the results of the closet chaos and how successful you were at mixing pieces together (which I know you will be because I'll teach you all my secrets and you will be a master).

So get ready for a really exciting week! Ask away!

my week in instagram #49

cute animals // shooting at the range // follow @impulsings

Well it's been a pretty uneventful week for the most part, filled with hot days and kitty cats, according to my instagram. Today (saturday) was really fun though. I got to go with Matt and my friends Jacob and Paul to the shooting range, and after my initial fear because I haven't shot a gun in years, it was a ton of fun to pretend to be a spy, shooting down the bad guys. One day that dream shall become a reality!

Hope you all had a great week!