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Executive Styling 101: A Quick Guide To Matching Prints

For a long time I stayed away from matching prints because my initial reaction to it was ‘This is crazy and way too risky’.  Don’t be quick to judge me, my fashion orientation at that time was heavily influenced by the ladies around me who were already into the matchy matchy trend. Talk about safe fashion; match gold purse on gold shoes,  black accessories go with everything believe system… I’m sure you get the drift. So embracing a fashion style that’s about pairing a print skirt with a separate print top was a no no.
While I’m not criticizing anyone that still holds on to those fashion dogmas, I’m making a case for fashion freedom because fashion is all about creativity and you can’t be creative when you lock yourself in a box. The way I see it, matching different sets of prints is not just one of those passing trend , it’s more of a fashion statement and a way of letting the world into one’s  creativity, so the world can see fashion the way one sees it; colourful without borders.
Despite how awesome the thoughts behind matching prints seem to be, it is important to follow a few guidelines when matching prints so you end up hitting the slay and not the miss button. Check them out below

Stay within the same colour framework/palette

You’ve probably heard this before but still don’t know why, sticking to the same/similar colours go easy on the eye and makes your outfit stand a better chance of being appreciated for its aesthetics. Having a uniformed colour combo helps you navigate the colour complexity without falling into the easy trap of being a colour riot clown

Keep your accessories in one colour

Accessorising with one colour is one way to avoid any fashion mishaps with your colour coordinates.  Adding too much colour to an already colourful outfit might end up being the extra salt that makes an already tasty outfit tasteless

Don’t over accessorize  (Especially the neck region)

A rule of thumb while accessoring prints especially on the upper body is to stay as simple as possible to project that elegant look and not the tacky/ cheap look that comes from pairing heavy or statement pieces with print tops. The look is already colourful and popping, trust me  this is one time you don’t want to be known as the king of pop (pun intended hehehe)

Allow either Top or Bottom print colour to dominate

Simply put, match neutral prints with colourful prints.  The key here is to make one part of the print outfit dominate as you do with plain colour styling. So the print on top can be vibrant while the print skirt/trouser is subtle or neutral

Contrast bold patterns with bold prints

The best print match I’ve ever seen is still that of Rihanna rocking leopard print top and skirt in different bold shades.  If you want to go bold and make an impression,  try contrasting your prints. The key is to make them have something in common like the type of print or shape.

P.S: Rocking print is cool chic and fashion forward,  it’s not for the faint hearted and definitely worth experimenting but if you want to pull it off, you have to put in the work.  The key is in the details!

Written by Mary Lawrence

Creative junkie, Blogger, Fashion Enthusiast and Personal shopper.

Email: [email protected]

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