Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Craze: Putting the pep back into patterns

The Craze is a trend report bringing you the latest (and, duh, the greatest) in beauty and style.

If weather trends hold, we are looking at two more months of winter. It will be a long time before we can shamelessly rock jersey sundresses and denim cutoffs bare-legged, but that doesn't mean we have to match the Syracuse skies with dull attire. 

One of the easiest ways to perk up your winter neutrals is to throw some prints into the mix. Plaid is a simple, reliable bet, like vanilla ice cream, but as the folks at Doo. Ri and Prada show us, the spectrum of winter print possibilities is endless.

 
Doo. Ri pre-fall 2010


Prada pre-fall 2010

Feeling extra daring? Or extra bored with your current wardrobe? Try layering patterns on patterns. Mixing patterns successfully can feel like an intuitive art, but there are a couple of hard and fast rules to make the process less daunting.

 
Proenza Schouler pre-fall 2010
 


Matthew Williamson pre-fall 2010

Mix prints of different scales to avoid overwhelming your figure: say a narrow pinstripe skirt with an oversized floral print blouse. Wearing different patterns in monochromatic or muted shades can also keep the look from entering Lady Gaga territory (unless that’s the direction you’re headed in).

- by Emily Montgomery

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