Elementary Print Mixing Starting with your Shoes
Print shoes make print mixing a little easier. If you’re anything like me, then you may be shy with the idea of mixing in too many prints in your outfits. Maybe this stems from our upbringing? Maybe it’s a lack of confidence in how to do it “right.” But after posting an entire theme on it last year here, here & here, I decided it was really more fun than anything. And I’m here to try to convert all of you too–baby step by baby step.
Quote of the day: “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Anonymous
Our goal with this series is to show different items that could be used as your second (or third) item of print in an outfit!!
You should definitely sign up for the emails below. Besides the free eBook, my email family gets personal tidbits of what’s going on in my life along with other happenings, sales, information, giveaways, extra photos, and interesting articles.
There’s so much to be said for mixing our prints in our outfits. This concept is used quite often in home decorating, and I think our clothing choices shouldn’t be much different. We could call it body decorating!!
As the first step in this adventure, the 3 of us wore a pair of print shoes with another print in our outfit!! Then we used a scarf, and finally a print purse. Heck, even Lesley has shown this idea before with the shoes.
Here’s another example with snakeskin boots.
Come on…you can do it, too!!
Jodie’s (50’s) Outfit: My print booties are basically a polka dot, yet kinda an animal print. Since they are black & white, they could be considered pretty neutral and easy to pair with many other prints!
The other print in my outfit was meant to be my blazer!! The reason I say, meant to be, is because I notice that my scarf is also a print. I really meant to keep it more simple and only show 2 prints. But I did warn you earlier that I’ve found that print mixing is quite addictive!
This blazer is one I used to wear to work a lot. To me, the idea of adding in another print with a print “workpiece” would be one great way to make it more fun & less serious.
One of the newer trends for spring is the embroidery detailing on everything. That’s one of the reasons I pulled out this blazer! It has all kinds of embroidery and even some sparkle all over it.
But check out how I DIYed it and changed it up years later.
Now for those of you that like more of the details, I thought I’d show you my accessories and the lining of this blazer!
First the earrings. I bet out of all my earrings, blue is the most recurring theme you’d see in my jewelry box. But I think one of the reasons I like this pair so much, is they have gold & pewter colors in them too, so they look good with a multitude of outfits.
As for the lining of this jacket, I always forget how inspiring it is until I go to put it on! It’s funny how the inside of your blazer can make you feel so special! It’s almost like a constant hug throughout the day. Either that or I’m just weird..haha!
My scarf was a precious gift to me from Sherry! I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to make new friends by blogging, whether they be readers or other bloggers! And Sherry knows me well enough to have sent me this beautiful scarf that I end up wearing a ton!
You can see when I take off the blazer that I have on my arm warmers. My post about how to DIY your own is here! It really is quite easy.
I wore the arm warmers because I wanted a bright shirt under this blazer, and none of my long sleeve shirts seemed right. And I thought I’d be just fine with the short sleeves. However, after getting all ready, I realized I needed another layer for warmth. By then I was too lazy to remove everything to add another shirt under this yellow one. That’s where the arm warmers can be a lifesaver —at least for me!
Everything else about this outfit is basic in my mind. These jeans are more of boyfriend jeans only in a lighter wash. I know we’ve all heard that the darker washes of jeans are more flattering, but is anyone else a little tired of them? That’s why I thought some variety would be fun!
Yellow is really one of those colors that can add some sass to the basics.
Jeans: Pilcro (similar here)~~Blazer: Paparazzi ~~Top: Sofia–thrifted (similar here)~~Boots: Dolce Vita-thrifted (similar here)~~Arm Warmers: DIYed (similar here)~~Earrings: (similar here)~~Scarf: (similar here)
Nancy’s (60’s) Outfit: Now onto Nancy’s print shoes and her print mixing. I grabbed her leopard shoes to start the ball rolling. It may be unlikely that you start choosing your outfit by picking out your shoes first, but why not? I find this especially true when we are traveling because you need your “walking” shoes and you are more limited with shoe selections since they take up the most space in the luggage.
So let’s talk for a minute about leopard shoes! They are really one of the most versatile shoes available. If you don’t already have a pair, I highly recommend adding them to your shoe collection. The 3 of us put together a series about this same topic here, here & here.
I really wanted to make this an outfit that all of you could easily recreate. That’s why I picked Nancy’s brown jeans! I thought that most of us would feel like the brown jeans matched nicely with the leopard shoes.
Brown jeans may not be as popular as black or blue, but they are neutral and can go with so many other colors. Nancy’s jeans are a coated variety. I can’t tell you how fabulous they are if you happen to have pets because the fur doesn’t stick to them as much!
Then to add in Nancy’s other print, we picked out this blouse. I wanted a color that didn’t “match” the shoes, but one that many of you would feel safe in wearing! So the olive green print blouse won out!!
This shirt is a wrap blouse, which is very flattering on Nancy. These kinds of shirts are easy to wear especially when it had an interesting hem like this one.
The only drawback of this kind of blouse is it can flash too much skin when leaning over. Therefore Nancy wore a white, lace camisole under this to prevent that from happening! If you hate the idea that you have to wear another shirt under a blouse, then the style with the mock neck could fix that issue! Either that or just make sure you have on a sexy bra!!
But if you see the advantage of wearing a cami at times, then finding one that is reversible is truly smart.
Of course, our outfit wouldn’t be complete without some accessories. Nancy and I chose 2 gold necklaces, so we could fill in the neckline and have a long line too.
Since I am an accessory junkie, I love the idea of layering our necklaces (and bracelets for that matter)! Really, I bet you have many different-length necklaces in your own wardrobe, right? Just pile on a bunch and then selectively take them off until they add up to a great look! It’s a thought for a future video, don’t you think?
Don’t let me forget to thank Jude for the brown pendant that Nancy is wearing! Jude is a longtime reader who has been so helpful when I blog about some of our issues. We had been discussing the fact that one of Nancy’s necklaces seems to gravitate towards one side instead of staying in the middle of her chest! And lo and behold, Jude sent this pendant to help with the problem!! Tell me that isn’t the sweetest thing ever.
Pants: Liverpool (similar here)~~Top: Pleione (similar here)~~Cami: Chicos (similar here)~~Shoes: Franco Sarto (similar here)~~Necklace: (similar here)
Charlotte’s (70’s) Outfit: For our last example of adding print shoes with another print, my mom went with matching colors. This shouldn’t surprise any of you, but I’ve been telling mom that I still get veto power when she chooses her outfits!! LOL!
Mom’s leopard shoes aren’t a ton different than Nancy’s which goes to show how classic they are.
I would bet that if you are new to print mixing, this example would be your first choice. Matching the colors of the two prints seems very cohesive for most people!
Mom’s sweater is not super heavy, but to make it more relevant for springtime.
My mom does say that I style her in jeans more than she would usually wear. This may be true, but I consider jeans a staple in everyone’s closet. And as much as I want to show off all of mom’s fabulous clothing, I also want to make her outfits relatable!
With all of the different varieties out there in blue jeans, what is more fun than the moto-style jeans? I’m showing you that no matter what your size, there are fabulous clothes for you!
The last point about my mom’s outfit that I’ll get into, is that I chose a pink shirt and scarf to break up the monotony of the browns a little.
I really think you could choose many different colors that would look nice under this cardigan, don’t you agree? I went with pink only because pink would stand out against brown. And then the scarf came into the picture because my mom still likes to cover her chest when it’s exposed like this. I know this is her habit, but she really has the nicest skin, and I try to keep telling her that she doesn’t need to cover it all of the time. But I let her wear her scarf…I just had her put the bulk of it in the back!
Jeans: DG2-thrifted (similar here)~~Cardigan: Cheryl Nash (similar here)~~Top: Charter Club (similar here)~~Shoes: LifeStride (similar here)~~Scarf: (similar here)
I really hope that each and every one of you will try this print mixing by adding a print pair of shoes to a print top! One of the reasons that I’d consider this an elementary version is because the two prints are far away and separated by another piece! What do you think?
I have another example of print shoes and a fair isle sweater that might be winter inspiration for you.
Thanks to one and all of you for your support. It means more than you know!
The Facts
Even if you wouldn’t consider purchasing your clothing online, it can be helpful to look through my links to see what is available! It certainly doesn’t hurt my feelings, if you click on them but don’t like them. Just so you know, one of the ways I make money from this blog is through these linked items.
What this means is that when you click on a linked item, I receive a couple of cents. Those couple of cents can certainly add up! So I appreciate it if you keep clicking to help support Jodie’s Touch of Style!
Keeping in Touch
Are you registered for my email reminders to let you know when a post goes live? I’d certainly love it if you take the time to sign up and make sure all your friends sign up too!! There are other ways to follow my blog. Facebook readers can see my posts by liking my page. Or my Pinterest page has all of our outfits in a nutshell!
And if you’re new to the party, you can always see our outfits organized by categories, here! Don’t forget to check out the deals & discounts too, on this page!
