The Trend:

Are you ready for spring? I sure am! Spring just might be my favorite season of the year.

If you’ll recall, this past fall / winter season, we saw a lot of “matchy-matchy” prints in fashion. That is, tops and bottoms in the same print were paired together, both on the runways and on the streets. However, that’s going to change this spring! We are seeing a return to the fun practice of mixing different prints. This look is going to be big this spring!

If you want to try this print-mixing trend, here are three tips to consider:

1. Start slowly with stripes.

If you are nervous about trying this trend, dip your toe in the water by using a classic stripe as one of your prints. You can almost never go wrong with a stripe!

2. Color makes it cohesive.

The easiest way to tie it all together is with a common color. A common color can unify even the most disparate patterns.

3. Pairs are perfect.

In general, stick with two patterns. If you try to throw a third in the mix, you risk making the look too busy. If the look is too busy, the eye doesn’t know where to rest and the impact of the print mixing is obscured.

Is this a trend you might try? If so, here are some pieces to get you started.

(And there are more details below on my look…)

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The Look:

Here, I’ve matched two of my favorite prints: stripes and florals. This is a relatively easy mix to make, as the stripes act almost as a neutral against the garden-like floral skirt. Note that while my shoes are printed as well, they too employ a black and white pattern. So the common thread of black runs throughout the pieces.

Tibi striped cropped top (here and here) | Tibi tattoo printed full skirt (here, here, and here) | 3.1 Phillip Lim striped martini mid heel (here and here) | J.Crew triangle necklace (on deep sale here!) | Anita Ko gold stud earrings (here) | Jennifer Fisher north-south ring (here) |  Chanel vintage single flap bag (similar Chanel bag here; similar look for much less here) | Thierry Lasry lively sunglasses (here) | Nars scarlet empress lipstick (here) | Deborah Lippmann stormy weather nail polish (on sale here)

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Photos by Ashley Beatrice