East meets West and points in-between with this spring's abundance of graphic prints. Indonesian batiks and Uzbheki ikats comingle with Kenyan tribal patterns that mix it up with Chinese florals. Central to this mash-up of cultures and color is the art of pattern mixing and nowhere was the look more vibrant than at Dries Van Noten and Duro Olowu whose collections offer a master class in how it's done.
The old rules say that when you combine two or three different prints in one outfit the colors and scale of each must be the same. Wearing an outsized plaid with a tiny floral print will look jangly. A classic combination might combine a stripe of two colors with a floral of the same two colors plus a third color as an accent. But that's the kind of look that can read as a bit pre-coordinated.
So, let's take on the new rules which say mix with abandon and forget about the old rules- but this enthusiasm should come with a warning label. I have seen a few attempts at pattern mixing lately that looked, well, crazy. If you love the look and want to give it a try with your own things here are tips for mixing prints to look confident, not certifiable:
Two images of Dries Van Noten's spring runway (from style.com). On the left: the unifying color is black but the ivory in the jacket is also visible in the black leaves on the pants. Both pieces have pattern placed on the diagonal so although the scale of the jacket is a bit larger, the mix is harmonious.
On the right: The quick take- the blouse appears hot and yellow and the skirt appears cool and blue. But each has the unifying- and visible- colors blue, yellow, red and black. The scale of both prints is the same so the mixture of horizontal and vertical prints looks fluid.
These two looks from Duro Olowu are a beautiful blend of prints that at first glance seem unrelated.
Left: The top and bottom share a bright white ground. They also have the same scale and a similarly graphic vertical pattern. Although the print on the sleeves has different colors it shares the same scale so the look gels.
Right: What unifies these two pieces is the scale of the prints, plain and simple. That each print has only two colors further pulls the patterns together.
Now have a look at your spring and summer prints. Look for similar scale and for the same visible colors between pieces and then have some fun. I have often combined two pieces that have only a white background in common. That's an easy place to start.
Comments
georgia says... When you describe combining two or more prints with white backgrounds it sounds doable- and with a scale that is compatible - it sounds doable. I'm going up into my spring storage now.
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