Fashion Mashup: Mixing Bold Patterns with Confidence

One of the generally accepted rules of fashion is to not mix patterns. But is this really true? Is it the fashion equivalent to not ending your sentences in a preposition? Because now you’re totally allowed to. (See how I did that?)

I actually love to mix patterns. My outfit here is something I wear all the time, in this exact combination.

Cover your eyes if it’s too much for you. The jacket, shirt, and bow tie all have a different pattern, but here’s why I think it works. When mixing patterns, it’s all a matter of scale. I chose one pattern to be dominant – the oval paisley-like amoeba in the Topman jacket. The plaid in the shirt is secondary to the primary pattern. The checks are large, yes, but that’s why they are secondary. If the plaid were smaller and busier, there would be more of a clashing of patterns. The scale of the plaid works with the scale of the amoeba. To really mix it up, I chose a floral diamond tip bow tie. It is busy. But because the bow tie is small in comparison to the shirt and jacket, that little bit of business is a fun accent, rather than an eyesore.

Notice I do give the eye a little bit of a break with the plain jeans. This helps all the patterns going on above the waist breathe. But I do anchor the whole look with pattern at the bottom – a red tartan on my Dr. Marten brogues. (Oh, and that hint of polka dots on the socks.)

Whenever I wear this outfit, someone always says to me that all those patterns shouldn’t’ work together, but they do. It just goes to show that when it comes to rules of fashion, the rule about not mixing patterns is one I don’t necessarily agree with. (See, I did it again.)

Where I bought it:

Suit: Topman

Shirt: J. Crew

Bow tie: Tie the Knot/The Tie Bar

Jeans: The Gap

Shoes: Dr. Martens