Style Icon: Spencer Hastings

Dear Readers,

It's a sad day. It's such a sad, sad day indeed. Today, I watched the Mid-Season Finale of 'Pretty Little Liars' and my life is now as empty as my purse. I'm not kidding, especially about my purse being empty.

In order to fill the void that will permeate my existence each and every Wednesday - I watch PLL online each Wednesday since I don't have ABC grrr.. - I decided to dedicate a style icon post to each of the Pretty Little Liars over the coming weeks. I might also do a post on the HUNKS in this series. They do have some seriously handsome men on that show, my God!

I'm starting with my favourite character, hands down: Spencer Hastings. Not only is she the most interesting character on the show, she's definitely the most stylish as well. Personally, I find that Spencer's style says a lot about her upbringing and background. Spencer is an overachiever, the daughter of a very prestigious and demanding family. Therefore, Spencer grew up to be an impeccable perfectionist, and this character trait is definitely reflected in her sense of style.

Double Denim!

Spencer Hastings is Pretty Little Liars' equivalent of Blair Waldorf in 'Gossip Girl'. Like Queen B, Spencer's style is extremely preppy and put together. Spencer is not the girl next door, she's refined, polished and very, oh so very, neat. However, her style differs from Blair's quite significantly. Unlike B, Spencer wears plenty of trousers. Both Spencer and Blair like structured, tailored pieces, but Spencer incorporates male-inspired pieces in her style too. On the one hand, Blair's style is highly feminine, on the other hand, Spencer plays with feminine and masculine pieces. I personally love how she always waters down male-inspired pieces, such as boyfriend blazers, with feminine details like pretty blouses or belts. Whilst Spencer's style might initially seem very conservative - let's face it, she's always dressed as if she was going to the Country Club - she does include some 'trendier' or 'bolder' elements in her looks. Let's not forget that Spencer was the little liar who was brave enough to wear double denim and a shoulder-less shirt! To boil it down, Spencer's style is all about preppy looks, structured pieces and plenty of layering.

Layering rocks.

Okay, let's break down Spencer's style slowly. First of all, what are Spencer's wardrobe staples? Her basic items are typical preppy staples. Spencer is as mad about blazers as I am. She has hundreds of structured, clean-lined blazers that she wears to perfection. As I already highlighted, Spencer likes masculine-inspired pieces, so her boyfriend blazers are an essential item in her closet. I remember she once wore an amazing denim blazer - that is something Blair would never wear, ever! - which proves that she likes to vary her blazers too. Since Spencer is all about layering and mixing textures, she wears a lot of cardigans, tights, little belts and blouses. She also likes button-down shirts with vintage accents. Like every preppy lady, Spencer usually buttons up all her shirt. She's doesn't really do cleavage. Another staple item in Spencer's wardrobe are tight, skinny pants and jeans. I noticed that she has a thing for ankle-length trousers, and I adore her for that! Spencer does wear skirts, and when she does, they're usually fitted, bodycon skirts.

With regard to shoes, Spencer makes extremely stylish choices as well. Loafers, brogues and Oxfords are her bread and butter. We all know - or should know - that all three shoe-types are the basic preppy / geek chic shoes. In a couple of episodes, Spencer opted for equestrian, knee-high boots. She did, in fact, pair her double denim combo with such boots. Just in case  you're wondering, yes, Spencer wears flat shoes most of the time.

Before moving on to some Spencer-inspired sets I styled for you, I want to mention Spencer's choice of colours. Neutral colours are Spencer's favourites, and she frequently wears earth tones as well. Other colours like navy blue, deep red and mustard were also worn by our favourite Hastings girl.

So, as promised, these are a couple of sets inspired by Spencer Hastings style that you can use as reference. I obviously used the guidelines I described in this post to come up with the outfits. Enjoy!

-B

Vampire Moi

Dear Readers,

YSL Black Lips

Today's post is about Vampire lips: my current obsession and one of the biggest make up trends for the coming season. This is a love-it or hate-it thing, and as far as I'm concerned I'm all for it.

I'm not into Vampires. I'm one of those people - insane people, according to some - who hasn't watched or read 'Twilight'. I have no intention of doing either of them in the foreseeable future. 'The Vampire Diaries' doesn't make my 'Favourite Series' list, even though I've heard hundreds of positive comments about a handsome vampire called Damon (or Damien? I don't feel like checking). As a sidenote, this Damon guy is nothing compared to 'Angel' in Buffy. RAWR! What was I going to say? Oh yeah, there's another series about vampires I believe. It's called 'True Blood' right? I don't watch that either. Anyway, you get my point. I'm not very crazy about vampires, unless they come in the form of David Boreanaz. 

BUT that doesn't imply that I despise mysterious, dramatic, Vampy looks. There's something incredibly attractive about dramatic, dark lips. I blame movies like 'Corpse Bride' and 'The Nightmare before Christmas' for this. Tim Burton exercises a huge influence on me, enough to make me flirt with 'the darker side'.

Deep reds are also an option

The great thing about this trend is that it gives us some leeway with regard to colours. This is not the 'red lip' trend, where you're only confined to wearing red. For this trend, all dramatic, dark colours will do. This means you're free to experiment with colours like wine red, maroon, dark plum, burgundy and, for the super brave, black. I'm still quite sceptical about black though, I'm still trying to broker an agreement with the bad-ass as I write. My point is that we have a good variety of colours to choose from, and we can also change the hue with put on from time to time. Both matte and glossy colours will do. 

Unless you want to look like you're getting ready for a Halloween party, keep the rest of your make up as simple as possible. Fair-skinned ladies have an advantage here, because the contrast created by your lips and skin will favour you greatly. Focus on contouring your face, highlight your cheekbones and make sure you don't look too pale. The least thing you need is looking like you've woken up from the dead. If you're slightly more daring, I advise filling in your eyebrows to create definition and avoiding eye-liner. Some mascara won't do any harm.

I think she wants to bite you

Here comes the million dollar question, 'What should I wear this with?' I say 'Lace, plenty of lace.' The whiter, the better. I'm all about contrast, so nothing will beat the dark + light contrast in my eyes. Be careful if you want to pair black with vampire lips, it's like dancing the Macarena on thin ice. It might be too dramatic for some to pull off. Then it really depends on how daring you are, as always. Oh, and while we're at it, you'll need plenty of confidence with Vamp lips. It's mandatory. People will look at you. A lot.

I'm still hunting for the perfect Vamp shades myself, although I've spotted a couple of potential candidates in my huge lipstick palette. I'll keep you posted about my favourite shades, promise. In the meantime, think less about Damon and put more effort into finding your perfect shade.

-B

VMAs 2011: The Very Mediocre Attire Show

Dear Readers,

Yesterday evening I planned on staying up to watch the VMAs with a nice bowl of black olive crackers, but my eyes just didn't feel like it. Well, I went to sleep and woke up this morning feeling incredibly eager to see who won what, who sang what and most of all, who WORE what.

After a few minutes of research, I found out oh so many pleasing things: Beyonce is pregnant, Gaga aced her performance and Adele gave shivers to everyone. Then, it all took a bad turn when I read that Bieber won the award for Best Male Video. I thought it couldn't get worse than that. But a slight peep at the outfits worn to the VMAs made me forget all about Bieber's victory and the fact that he didn't thank his fans - MONSTER INGRATITUDE!

For example, what is Nicki Minaj trying to convey with this almost apocalyptic wreck of an outfit? Seriously, am I the only one who thinks the Minaj woman is way too overrated for the planet's well-being? Someone has to tell Nicki that if she's undecided on what to wear, she can't simply put on anything she finds in her bedroom or kitchen. I have a feeling that she used stuff from both her bedroom and her kitchen for this thing over here. To make matters worse, we're all a little bit bored of seeing people wearing soft-toys by now. This isn't how you make a statement Nicki, it's how you attract millions of negative statements about your fashion sense.

I dare you to count all the soft toys!

The next member of the 'People Dressed Horribly' table is Snooki who looked incredibly spooky (excuse the rhyme). I know many people praised her dress but somehow this outfit doesn't work out for me. Doesn't it look way to tacky for the VMAs? Oh, and her boobies are way too over the place for my tastes. Nah, she looks bad.

Spooky Snooki

Usually, rainbows bring happiness, hope and new beginnings. But sometimes, rainbows make us want to throw up. Case in point, Deena Cortese's Rainbow dress. That dress is something your average Maltese woman would buy to go to the village festa to get drunk. Does Deena Cortese have Maltese origins? Did she spend some time here in Malta without me knowing? I swear I want to cry.

I wish I was colourblind.

I don't have any good words for Busta Rhymes either. Is it me, or does he look huge in that sleeveless thingy? I've never seen Busta as a style icon, and this look has definitely vanquished any slight possibility of him making my good books.

Erm...

Ladies and gentlemen, look at Kreayshawn. Her existence was unknown to me until this morning, and to be quite honest, I wish I hadn't found out about her at all. Kreayshawn is the classic girl with an unpronounceable ghetto name who's convinced she got 'swagger', when in reality, she's got nothing but a pitiable appearance. I googled her and came across a song she released called 'Gucci Gucci'. All she does in this song is make fun of 'basic bitches' who wear 'Gucci, Gucci, Louis, Louis, Fendi Fendi, Prada', which according to her are 'shit'.  My favourite verse from this GREAT song is when she says that she's got swag 'pumping out' her 'ovaries'. Given the creative genius of her lyrics, and her immense admiration (lack of..) for designer-wear, I couldn't expect anything decent from this woman. Wake up honey, your swagger's gone on holiday.

Sneakers and glittery Disney dress, and the girl says she's got swagger...

Dear Readers, quite frankly, I'm tired of looking at deplorable outfits so I'm going to close off this post with a couple of pictures that prove that some celebrities do have a mirror at home. First up is Beyonce, who looked beyond stunning in her one-shoulder, orange frock. The dress is a perfect combination of tradition and innovation for it has quite a traditional cut but its colour is too bright to be considered 'traditional'. Her choice of jewellery is simple yet it still makes a statement, and I love how her make-up is barely visible. If this is what 'Preggers Beyonce' will look like in the coming months, we're going to see some serious glamour. Can't wait!

Awhhhhh!

Adele isn't only a very talented singer - the most talented at the moment, according to me - she's also got a good sense of style. Even though she tends to stick to one colour, namely black, she still manages to create different looks which are always the epitome of class. I am deeply in love with this young woman whose simplicity creates richness in all that she does, be it fashion or be it music. Adele, we'll never find 'someone like you'!

RAWR!

My personal favourite of the night was Selena Gomez. Damn, this young lady sure knows how to work it on the red carpet. Wearing a stunning dress by Julien MacDonald - can't believe I got to meet him! - Selena stole the show with her vampy look. What I really like about his outfit is that Selena's hair has been tied back. With such elaborate dresses, especially at the front, hairstyles should be kept as simple and minimalistic as possible.  Selena is slowly becoming one of my favourite artists, so expect a post on this lady very, very soon!

Gomez Power!

If I had to list all the outfits I hated from the show, it would take me at least a week to finish off my post. So I'm going to refrain from doing so. However, if you want to see a wider variety of pictures - and plenty of horrible ones too - there are hundreds of photos circulating online. As for me, I'm going to conclude with a picture of Joe Calderone, that is Gaga Man, because Gaga did it again! It takes a good dose of style and confidence to look hot even if you're dressed up as a man! Chapeau! 

Joe Calderone, I love you!

-B

All You Should Know About Hats.

'Fashion is a kind of communication. It's a language without words. A good hat speaks for itself.'

-Anonymous

Dear Readers,

One of the most frustrating aspects of my teenage years - apart from knowing that Billy Joel from Greenday would never marry me - was the fact that my head was always too big for hats. Whilst I could dwell extensively on my big-headed self, I refrain from doing so. Instead, I choose to focus on the charm and splendour of an accessory which can make or break an outfit: the hat.

If I had to choose my favourite type of accessory, then I'd definitely choose hats. As Martha Sliter correctly pointed out, a hat makes the difference between 'being dressed and being dressed up.' Apart from adding that extra flair to any outfit, hats are very practical too. Ever woke up with a bad hair day? Yes, obviously, we all do. What's better than a hat to hide a mane that has a mind of its own and refuses to cooperate even after the most amicable of negotiations? If that wasn't enough, hats also protect you from the elements: a good hat can block the scorching sun during Summer, and a cosy, fuzzy hat will keep your head warm during Winter. To sum it all up, you need a hat. Or rather, you need plenty of hats. It's a necessity, not a luxury.

Hats come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and while this diversity creates variety and richness, it also makes hat-hunting quite daunting, especially if you're shopping over the internet. This is why I believe we should all have basic knowledge of commonly used terms in millinery. Knowing some fancy hat words can also be useful when someone compliments your choice of hat: you can be a know-it-all and emphasize that you're wearing a fedora or a trilby and not simply a hat. 

Let's start by looking at the terms used to describe the different parts of a hat. First of all, there's the crown, which is the part of the hat that covers the top of your head. Some hats may not have a crown at all. When we say that a hat has a high crown, we are referring to the distance from the top to the bottom of the crown. If a hat has a wide/large crown, then it has a large circumference. A hat may have a projecting rim or edge all around it. This is known as the hat's brim. Some hats have a projecting edge at the front only, usually intended to shield us from the rain or the sun. That is called a visor or a peak. A puggaree / riband / hatband is a band of material attached to the bottom of the hat's crown, just above its brim. Hats might also have a sweatband on the inner circumference of the hat to protect the hat from sweat, dirt and other unsightly problems. 

As I already said, hats come in a variety of types. Knowing some basic hat types will make your life easier, trust me. You'll be able to know what to expect from that hat you ordered online and you'll also be better able to run a more efficient Google / Polyvore search to get ideas on how to style it. Since I'm a fashion nerd, I'm going to give you a basic outline of some common hat types, along with suggestions on how to style them.

First up is the beret, a hat which I tend to wear whenever I want to look French. Seriously, up to the age of 9, I believed that all French men and women wore berets. These hats have a flat crown and no brim. They're usually made of wool or felt, although acrylic fiber is frequently used nowadays too. Berets go well with artsy, French-inspired, or preppy looks. They add sophistication and class to anyone who wears them. 

Beret

Beanies are commonly mistaken for berets, and that annoys me immensely. Beanies are different from berets, in that they are firmer around your head. They're usually made from knit material and they're ideal to trap heat during Winter. Everyone should have a couple of beanies, women and men alike. I usually pop one on when it's incredibly cold. I also like wearing them when it's raining, to make sure my hair doesn't get soaked with rainwater. They go with practically everything thank God.

Beanie

Two of my favourite hat types are the boater and the bowler. The former is a hat with quite a low crown and  a small firm brim. Boaters are commonly made of straw, although they may be made out of felt as well. They usually have a riband all around their circumference. Boaters somehow remind me of sailors, so I like to use them for nautical styles. My absolute favourite way of wearing boaters is with a striped t-shirt and a pair of boat shoes or loafers. A similar hat to the boater is the Pork Pie - I thought it was called Porky lol - however, the latter normally has a lower crown. Many people use the two terms interchangeably nowadays though.

Boater

I'm dying to get a bowler hat. You know, one of those Charlie Chaplin oval hats with small, curved brims. Apparently, the Earl of Derby was a big fan of these hats, so much that they are also known as Derby hats. Bowler hats are the perfect vintage hat, ideal to spice up a plain outfit or to create a vintage-chic feel. Up until recently, black bowler hats were the only ones around. Now, there are plenty of pretty colours to choose from!

Bowler / Derby

Unfortunately, my hat collection is also missing a breton hat. The breton is a type of women's hat with a domed crown and a turned-up brim. The breton just screams sophistication, especially when paired with a stunning coat and a pair of girly gloves. Bliss!

Breton

The cloche is a hat that was so popular with women in the 1920s. Sadly for me, I can't really rock a cloche (*gets angry and stamps feet*), because it's incredibly close-fitting in the crown area. The cloche has no brim, but it may have a small flare at the hat's edge. My advice is to pair a cloche hat with a short dress-coat or a classic 1920s dress like a fringe dress. Life is a cabaret old chum, especially if you're strutting your stuff in a cloche hat.

Cloche

I believe that the most popular hat style is the fedora, which is also called trilby sometimes. This brimmed hat with a tapered, dented crown is an easily accessible hat that can be made from a million and one materials, from panama straw to felt. Fedoras are many people's go-to hats, simply because they're so versatile and practical. They're good to shield the sunlight from your face, or simply to give your outfit a more laid-back or dressed-up feel (paradox, anyone?). If you're a hat noob, the first hat you should definitively get is a fedora.

Fedora / Trilby

The comeback of the 70s in Fashion World has brought back floppy hats. Whereas many restrict their use of floppy hats simply for the beach, I'm a great pro-floppy-hats-for-non-beach-looks activist. Naturally, floppy hats look great with other 70s style pieces like flared trousers, however they also work well with a simple tee and skinny jeans. Good news for all floppy hat lovers is that the 70s trend is going to be big in Autumn and Winter too, yay! Forgot straw floppy hats during the Winter though! Get a felt one instead.

Floppy

Random fact before I move on to the Top Hat: I just bit all of my nails off. Back to the Top Hat now. These tall, cylindrical hats with a narrow brim are one of my guilty pleasures. I think it's time for me to actually buy one. The reason why I'm such a top hat lover is that they add that edgy, 'costumey' vibe to a boring look. Pair it with a bow-tie and you're bound to attract attention, I promise.

Top Hat

I hope this post was fruitful to at least some of you. Now you should understand me better when I rant about bowlers and boaters right? Oh, one final thing my dearest readers. I chose not to mention cowboy hats in my list above because I think they're hideous. Please get rid of them as soon as possible. The kinda give me nightmares :(

-B

Images via Google, ASOS.

This is what I wore, bitches.

Dear Readers,

I love adding bitches at the end of my sentences, so don't be offended, bitches.

Expletives aside, I'm here to deliver another collection of 'Outfit of the Day' posts. I'm finding it hard to fit in these outfit posts lately because there's so much to write about. It's nearly September, that's why I guess.

I think the first set of photos are from Monday. I'm not sure though. All I know is that on that particular day, I woke up with horrible hair and a ton of apathy. I didn't feel like doing my hair, I must confess. That's what led to the idea of the scarf. Oh, and ever since I saw Jennifer Lopez looking flabbergastingly awesome in her 'I'm Into You' video, I wanted to experiment with the scarf and maxi dress combination. Yes, this look is the product of a bad hair day and 100,000 views of J.Lo's video.

Dress: Peacocks

Scarf: Peacocks

Earrings: Pull and Bear

I was lucky enough to be asked to model for Kelly Dent from Kelly Dent Photography (visit her page!) last Tuesday. My sister Christa also joined to take a couple of pictures. I really like how the pictures turned out overall. The location chosen was Mdina, Malta's old capital city, otherwise known as 'The Silent City'. This city is one of my favourite places in the world. It's as if this place has been frozen in time. Its walls could tell so many stories! 

Since the city is old and very traditional, I decided to opt for an edgy look to break it up a bit. I wore an oversized blue t-shirt, a pair of ripped jeans, a porky hat, huge wedges and two watches. I like wearing two watches just to spice things up a bit. Thanks to both girls for these lovely photos, I now have a lifetime supply of display pictures! haha :)

Kelly Dent

Kelly Dent

Kelly Dent

Kelly Dent

Kelly Dent

Christa Boffa

Christa Boffa

Christa Boffa

Christa Boffa

Christa Boffa

Top: Peacocks

Jeans: Pull and Bear

Hat: Tally Weijl

Bag: Bershka

Wedges: H&M

Watches: Vintage

I wish you all a great weekend. Don't forget to order plenty of Long Island Iced-Tea! 

-B

The Boffism Guide to Double Denim.

Dear Readers,

Please look at the picture below. What's wrong with it?

The Horror, the Horror!!!!!!

Everything really. Britney and Justin look like they played 'Ex-Disney-Kids wear all the denim in da house'. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of this game. You shouldn't play it, even if you're not a Disney Kid. NO!

This picture has been haunting my memory for ages, so when I heard that 'double denim' looks were back in town, I immediately shuddered with fear. I imagined entire groups of people wearing head-to-toe denim. They took over the world. They invaded Denmark until it became a new denim-invaded country called 'Denimark'.

But then, Spencer Hastings, that incredibly stylish character from Pretty Little Liars, came along to alleviate my poor soul. Like an angel, Spencer showed me that there was a way out of this horror. In her double denim attire, the youngest Hastings daughter made me realise that the look can actually work.

Spencer Hastings <3

So, the newly converted double-denim side of me decided to experiment with this trend. I came to the conclusion that this is one hard nut to crack, definitely much harder than colour-blocking and pattern-mixing. So, caution dear readers, caution.

Both girls and boys can rock this trend if you follow a few easy tips. For example, one of the most basic things to do is to restrain yourself from including more than two denim items. Three is  a disaster. Four is apocalyptic. You get my point, two items is the rule.

Always vary the washes of your denim items. Basically choose two completely different washes/hues of denim like black and light blue, or else opt for two denim pieces that are two or three shades apart. This difference in colour creates a contrast that helps you avoid the 'cowboy look' that gives nightmares to so many of us each day. Speaking about cowboys, it is imperative to stay away from any 'Western' details like cowboy boots, or Western-inspired belts if you're in a bi-denim mood.

The last golden rule is to break up the look: you must break up the harshness of the all-denim combo. How to do that? Easy. If you're a lady, then pop in some girly accessories, something in lace, or chunky earrings. These elements will distract attention from all the denim in your outfit. Give people something else to look at basically. Both girls and guys have another option. You can break up the look by introducing a block colour. You could, for instance, wear a bright red t-shirt beneath a denim shirt and over a darker pair of denim shorts.

Moving on to some example sets now. In Set 1, I chose two completely different washes: black and blue. I decided to break it up using a bright red turban. People always look at turbans, I swear. To break it up just a tad bit more, I slipped in a floral clutch which I so would like to own!

Set 1

Example two is a daring combination that's more adequate for a night of partying and dancing. This time, I opted for two blue shades of denim, which are about 2 hues away from each other. The American Flag on the shorts helped to break up the look, but I felt like I needed to add something else to the outfit. A pair of chunky, very Rihanna-like gold earrings solved the problem. I can so see myself wearing this.

Set 2

Do you like double-denim? Or is it still a huge faux-pas for you? I think I've changed teams, I might be in love with this trend.

I apologise for this sucky post. I feel so tired but I wanted to blog anyway because I love you all :)

-B

Mix, don't Match?

Dear Readers,

I read about 23 fashion newsletters per day, which adds up to approximately 140 newsletters per week. This week, at least 60 of those newsletters focussed on pattern mixing.

I'm not a person who's usually hesitant to embrace a bold trend like pattern mixing, but for once, even Lara Boffa found it difficult to understand the inner workings of this trend. I did a lot of trial and error work, and I think that I've finally grasped the basics of pattern mixing. However, I still have a lot to learn about this trend and I feel like I'm not being bold enough as I would expect myself to be. Pattern mixing is fun and fresh, but so incredibly frustrating to master. Anyway, these are a few of the things I've learnt after hours (literally) of experimentation.

The less, the merrier

This is a case in point. I think that overdoing it is a big no-no. Don't get too enthusiastic about mixing patterns. I think that limiting yourself to two different prints is enough. As I said, I'm walking down the road of caution with this trend, so I'm not for having 345 patterns in one outfit. Two is enough.

Vary the weight

Not your physical weight obviously. I'm referring to the print's weight. If one of your items has a very heavy statement print, then combine it with a more muted printed item. For example, if your skirt has a huge flower print - so huge you could actually be mistaken for a giant bush - then don't choose another patterned statement piece to go with it.  Look at the set I found on Polyvore below. I think the entire outfit works well because one of the two patterned elements is smaller and less 'in your face' than the other. Keep this rule in mind: one dominant, one muted.

Find a common denominator

Even the two most different people can live in harmony if they find something in common with each other. That's the golden rule for pattern mixing as well. Prints seem to work better together if they have a common denominator. That common denominator is usually a specific colour or a colour family (ie. different shades of the same hue).

In this Polyvore set above I chose a grey and white striped top and paired it with a bolder black and white polka dot skirt. Black and grey are not the same colour obviously, but they do stem from the same colour family. I always recommend to keep accessories simple if you're pattern mixing, you don't want to have too much going on. In this set. I chose silver shoes and accessories because I think they look slightly simpler than gold pieces! Kudos to my sister for inspiring this set :)

Throw in a neutral colour

This is the tip that was most frequently mentioned in the articles I read recently. Neutral colours rock, they have this divine ability to water things down when things are too fiery. Rawr! Personally, this is a recommendation I fully embrace. When things start to tilt towards the 'too statement' side of the scale, then pop in a neutral colour like black, white, beige or grey.

Both prints in this set make a statement, and even though they both have a strong element of red in them, they needed to be 'calmed down'. Then the Black Flat Sisters and Mr. Handsome Black Bag came to save the day. And they all lived happily ever after, in spite of their differences. The End.

In my world, stripes are a 'neutral pattern'

I think that I'll never get over stripes, they're the answer to the 'What the F am I gonna wear today' question when I wake up looking like Shrek. If only they solved all of my life's problems in that way. Since I'm naturally inclined to throw on a striped piece every time I open my closet, I admit that I experimented with stripes mostly. And you know what? I'm glad I did because I found out that stripes (white + colour stripes) are neutral. They matched everything I paired them with: polka dots, florals, aztec and the list goes on. So, I guess that stripes are can help you tame this trend a little bit better though I do have to admit that I'm still opting out of the stripes + animal print combo.

Experiment as if your life depended on it

The above suggestions are things I learnt from experimenting with things I already had in my wardrobe. However, I suggest you all try to find what works out for you! Go to your room, put some playful music on, and start trying to mix prints and patterns!  My almost scientific experimentation of the trend made me realise that for me, the best pattern mixing look involves stripes and florals. However, I'm sure you're going to come up with some interesting combinations yourselves and I can't wait to hear all about them :)

Striped Blazer, Floral Scarf and Neutrals in Rainy Brussels <3

If you have any other suggestions please let me know! As I said, I'm still trying to master this look so any help is more than welcome!

-B