Playing With Patterns

And making up the rules as I go

I thought it would be fun to celebrate all the different graphics that live side by side in my closet by letting them come together to create a whole new kind of Garanimals! And for baby steps, I kept the same color palette to help things look put together through all this clashing (but keep scrolling, because other color scenarios definitely work). First, I paired a classic plaid button-down (H&M men’s from last year) with polka dot pants (old Zara), and somehow it works (for me, anyway). Here’s a good plaid shirt option from Gu (Uniqlo’s younger sibling): this and this cropped guy, too (on major sale), and here’s a new pair of chic dotty trousers, these, too. Of course, you could also do the plaid on the bottom and the dottiness on top! Shoes are Beek gold slingbacks (code: ANDREA10), and here’s my sequined pouch that I love so dearly.

A cool casual stripe-and-leopard mix out in the wild. Tee options here and here, and a good skirt here.

Here’s a fun combo: a gingham shirt over plaid pants, and classically cool accessories like Scarisso fisherman sandals (code: ANDREA20 site-wide), and a summery lady bag, to keep everything polished, which you kind of have to do in this situation.

Italian fashion editor Carlotta Oddi always knows what she’s doing, which is why her frothy floral shirt (I wish I knew who made it) and Dries Van Noten bandana-print skirt seem like they belong together (but also maybe this or this).

To (kinda sorta) copy Carlotta, I put this ba&sh hippie top with Zara’s sweet floral skirt to create a mismatched dress of sorts. I added the heels and little leather bag for good measure.

Stripes and plaid really can be the best of friends! Just look how well Dôen’s whisper-thin Jonie top (also perfect with jeans, of course) and my 6397 wrap-effect skirt are getting along—the skirt is a couple of seasons old, but here it is in fall-forward black, which would be so good with something like this to keep the same color palette going. And those are my trusty Nomasei sandals.

Another mix-n-match idea: Kule’s very French horizontal striped tee with Madewell’s vertical-striped skirt, my favorite flip-flops in marine blue (but red or brown could be fun), and a classic L.L. Bean tote.

Here, I’m mixing dots and stripes like a complete wild woman—You have to squint to see the dots, but they’re there. The silk shirt is vintage Saint Laurent from Adele’s Attic in Truckee (this is almost exactly the same), and the pants are sold-out Zara, but these and these! The mules are also old Zara, but have a look at this pair, these, too. Here’s a good Hermès belt alt, and also this.

Omg plaid-on-plaid with a little leopard-skin pillbox hat! (the song is now playing on repeat in my head) Shirt here, and back to this skirt, and some good loafers, and that hat if you dare!