So here's the thing. When you (successfully) mix color and pattern into your outfit, you up the fashion-able-ness and cool-factor of said outfit. But it's pretty hard to mix color and pattern well. There's big reward if you get it right and big risk along the way (when you're wrong with cheetah print and bright florals, you're really wrong).
Here's my cheat: black and white. Take virtually any print with any amount of color and layer it with black and white. Not black OR white, but specifically the mix of black AND white together in a graphic tee, print, stripe, or polka dot. I'm not sure of the science behind it - I can't explain WHY it happens, I just know that it indeed DOES. Take a walk with me:
that awesome blanket scarf/poncho that doesn't quite go with anything? BLACK AND WHITE
that leopard-print skirt you can't figure out what to pair with? BLACK AND WHITE
(that hot pink lace jacket in size 5T? BLACK AND WHITE)
and what about that awesome, hand-beaded cap you just bought. (You fell in love with the brightly colored, slightly outlandish one and now are thinking "do I have enough to wear with it?") BLACK AND WHITE
I even use this trick in my house. In the dining room, my 10 year old ikea rug sets off my mom's antique buffet perfectly.
In the tasting room (aka formal living room); the buffalo check drapes that I made out of fabric that I carried home from San Francisco on my lap, make the thrifted sofa and cheetah print carpet sing.
Have an epic day, friends! Take a stroll through your closet, and check out the couple of pieces you love but don't wear often. Look at them with new eyes. If they are a bright color or print - is there a way you can layer them with black and white to make them more wearable?
And by the way, If you need to add some black and white to your wardrobe, literally every shirt I sell and probably will ever design, is black and white, so I totally have you covered.
XO
Mrs. Emily
P.S. I put together a smattering of other black and white combos here, if you want some further inspiration!