5 Tips For Mixing Patterns So You Can Nail Summer's Most Playful Trend

Living in Brooklyn, my eyes are constantly greeted with drool-worthy looks every time I leave my apartment. It seems like half of New York City has mastered every styling skill around, including the art of how to mix and match patterns like a total pro. I can't tell you how many times I've encountered someone in the street who's wearing an outfit composed of two pieces that shouldn't match but somehow magically just do. Fashion wizards are real, but unlike in Harry Potter , anyone can become one if they follow a few easy rules.

Of course, style is first and foremost about personal creativity, so as long as you like the outfit you've crafted that's all that really matters. But if you want to want play around with prints by taking a cue from bloggers, stylists, and the like, there are some guidelines that can help. They're relatively intuitive, affordable to follow at any price point, and will definitely kick your summer style up a handful of notches. Read through them below and buy all of the animal print and floral pieces you've been eyeing — you'll be the girl on the street that leaves passersby stunned at her mastery of mixing in no time.

Treat leopard print like a neutral.

This is hands down one of the easiest and most fun pointers, seeing as leopard print is absolutely everywhere and is a little wild by nature. Like denim, it can pair with pretty much everything thanks to the fact that it's become a mainstay within fashion and therefore defies trends. The leopard print midi-skirt seems to be the trend of summer 2018, so snag one of your own and match it fearlessly.

Mix similar prints in different scales.

Whether you're into gingham or floral, checkers or houndstooth, you can rock your favorite print on the double. Just make sure you choose pieces featuring your preferred pattern in noticeably different size in order to break your look up, and you'll be good to go.

Mix lighter and darker prints in the same color palette.

Stick with the same tonal range and you can match even the most opposite of prints with ease. Color is a major vehicle for cohesiveness, so pick a few of your favorite hues and search for pieces in them to pair with one another.

Think of stripes as a neutral.

Just like leopard, stripes can also be treated as a neutral — and I don't just mean pinstripes, either. Zebra stripes, tiger stripes, or any other linear patterns are fair game, but stick with those only featuring two colors.

Choose prints with inverted colors.

If you're rocking a top that's mainly green with a small blue pattern on it, pair it with a bottom that's mainly green and boasts a less dominant blue pattern on it. This color inversion will allow any two prints to look made for each other, no matter how far out they might be.