Guest Blogger: Bri from Work Clothes, I Suppose

Today I have Bri from Work Clothes, I Suppose guesting blogging for me.
                                                                                                                                 

Hi Pink & Pretty readers! I’m Bri Marie and I blog over at Work Clothes, I Suppose. I’m super excited to be guest posting for Megan while she is out of town. For those of you who don’t read my blog, I work in a technology startup in Seattle and spend a lot of time traveling for work. I started my blog to force myself to try a little bit harder when I am in the office, and not just wear slacks and a tank/cardigan combo every day. And it has worked—before this blog, I never would have purchased red pants. I would never have worn my hair in a giant sockless bun on top of my head. And I definitely never would have worn stripes with a floral pattern.

Slacks: LOFT

Shirt: J. Crew Factory

Scarf: Forever 21

Flats: Banana Republic (similar)

Watch: Vince Camuto

For those of you still unsure about pattern mixing, here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

-       Ensure a similar color palette. While the floral scarf I’m wearing doesn’t actually have any blue in it, all of the colors complement each other without causing a lot of extra noise. I eased my way in with black and camel, and have worked up to brighter colors.

-       Break it up with a solid. In this case, I’m wearing solid pants to give a basic look to the bottom half of my outfit. Pattern-mixing without a solid as one of the pieces is definitely more of a challenge. Even here, I wore solid tights and boots to create a solid foundation.

-       Mix up the pattern sizes. Don’t go with two overly bold prints, or two tiny prints – try to contrast them with each other. I find that a small floral or animal print often goes well with a larger striped pattern. In this outfit, the animal print is busier and bolder, and the stripes have more white space to contrast.
                                                                                                          

Great look Bri!

Thanks again :)

xo, Megan