A Beginner's Guide to Wearing PRINTS | 10 RULES FOR PATTERN MIXING

[@elliejeanroyden]

Thanks again to Ritual for sponsoring this video! I love their products because they help me take care of myself a little bit better. Remember to click here ritual.com/ELLIEJ20 for 20% off during your first month!

[@RPMcMurphy33]

I read in Glamour magazine years ago that wearing cheetah print without a splash of red is just half-assed and I agree.

[@meganedandurand268]

I instinctly always put a red lipstick when wearing a cheetah/giraffe print and it all makes sense now

[@LilyoftheValeyrising]

I’ve heard cheetah print described as a neutral and to dress it accordingly. So it’s like a base you can put other colors with.

[@brandic89]

Or coral pink, or one's own version of red! Ooo, small tiger print with coral pink baseball jacket and leather ankle boots!! Or, with a pearlized leather jacket and coral/beige print ankle boots!

[@redrover2370]

Another pattern tip: buy your patterns from high quality, fashion forward places, then get colourful basics to match from cheaper stores. I get my ‘plains’ from a store that is suited to much older ladies, but I just ignore their often ghastly prints and get size inclusive basics in block colours

[@a.munroe]

They also have wonderful fabrics usually too.

[@sharrlizz]

Your passion and interest in this topic really shines through and makes this a very fun watch.

[@ChyeallaMcBride]

We find our style by finding ourselves. Best tagline yet!

[@elliejeanroyden]

Yay thank you!! I think it really encapsulates what we do here - it’s all about understanding YOU first! ♥️♥️

[@NicTC26]

This is the most comprehensive pattern-wearing video I’ve found. THANK YOU for this. I’ve been struggling on how to implement pattern in my wardrobe for years and this gives me so much to draw from!

[@elliejeanroyden]

This is fabulous to hear, that was really what I wanted to create so I’m so glad you found that

[@kellyann3292]

Ellie-Jean, I enjoyed her subtle style and how some outfits just effortlessly complimented her frame. I’d love to see after pictures too! I’m really enjoying these!

[@TheTryna99]

This was amazing!! I didn't realize how boring I was dressing lol. It will be fun to get more creative and put together an outfit that's unique. I would honestly love more videos of you breaking down other pattern outfits and why they work. I would love to see what other lilrotini outfits you were going to break down

[@A.I.M.93]

Ellie, no exaggeration, this was life changing advice for me! Thank you so much! Would love to see more videos like this 😃😃😃

[@elliejeanroyden]

Yay this amazing to hear! Thank you! ☺️

[@victoriab8057]

I watched this yesterday and learnt so much and this morning my 8yo effortlessly put together a leopard print/bright red-white polka dot dress/bright yellow tights/black trainers with a bright pink stripe/white sunnies combo and looked AMAZING 🤩

[@elliejeanroyden]

This sounds so so fun, I love that you’re sharing having fun with fashion with your child - it doesn’t need to be so heavy! It’s a great lesson to share ♥️

[@bePack07]

This video made me realize how much I miss creativity and fun in my outfits these days. I have always loved and owned patterned and colourful pieces but practicality and the trend for everything basic took over my wardrobe over the last years with everything being neutral and kind of the same. Watching this made my realize how much I was supressing my sun style root for so long. Thank you Ellie for this ❤

[@vermiliongardens]

For anyone interested in what other wardrobe color compositions might be: I'm a bright winter and my wardrobe is currently 60% black, 30% red/pink, and 10% blue (esp mid-tone or icy blues). Slowly transitioning to 60% red/pink, 30% black and white (cheating, but whatever), 10% blue. Obviously the percentages are a guess, but the 60/30/10 did feel weirdly close to reality.

[@brandic89]

Don't feel discouraged! I'm a Tawny Spring, and my wardrobe is (finally) 70% navy instead of 79% black, lol.

[@brandic89]

This is more advanced print advice than I usually hear. Thank you!

[@NewLeafDesigns]

Love this video! I wear a LOT of patterns since I make my own clothes (and while spending hours making it you want to keep yourself entertained lol). This was super helpful! Especially the "matching prints with intensity level" and looking at the size of prints was very helpful.

[@candicechruscial8885]

Thank you for making prints make sense

[@northwoodfalls1403]

I tend to stick to stripes and the odd polka dot if I have any pattern at all. I am not drawn to patterns naturally …. BUUUUUT I have been wanting to add a little more boldness to my outfits but also don’t want to go outside of the colour palette that I have established and am very happy with. This was just the inspiration I needed! A few thoughtfully placed bolder patterns will be just the thing. Thank you 😊. Also, I love it when my KZbin loves collide … I love Caroline as well. And also Trinny. Trinny is a magician. There is an American “Trinny” out there named Carla Rockmore. Oh, geez I hope I got her name right. She does fabulous shorts about how to pull outfits together and she also has a magical wardrobe to draw from like Trinny. Highly recommend her for inspo and learning about what makes an outfit go from meh to WOW.

[@Diniecita]

I watch her too. I love that shes older too. I love a lot of her stuff but some os way more bold than I would ever wear. She’s got to have some sun style roots somewhere.

[@because78...9]

“I’ve got a feeling this will be a long video” oh yeah, but you know I’m watching through all of it when I pull up the thickest bag of cheetos I can find in my household

[@elliejeanroyden]

Aww I love this!!!

[@because78...9]

@@elliejeanroyden ABSOLUTELY I love your channel so much ❤

[@kallistamorgan1349]

I’ve been thinking on your question posed to the community, and this video was a great idea! I would love to see something similar about adding final touches/accessories to create a cohesive and balanced look. Sometimes I have a good base, and then by the time I add a jacket, shoes, and bag, it gets thrown off. It could be because my “final additions” don’t all align with my color season/body type/style essence yet:).

[@Diniecita]

I know what you mean. I have a lot of my Mom’s jewelry from the 1970’s but it doesn’t always go with my clothes. I think her style roots were different than mine are. But, she passed 4 years ago and I love to wear them to think of and honor her.

[@Daymickey]

Omg I love Caroline too! I was not expecting that overlap between us! ❤

[@redrover2370]

I think the red/leopard pairing works because they are both very fire 🔥 I am ☀️ 🍄 and find the pattern sandwich works every time I also agree that finding your colour season and building your wardrobe around some key colours helps with building outfits more easily. I’m 🥉🌼 and have lots of navy, teal and tan to go with my random brights!

[@catherinetaylor3449]

This was a really fun, energized, and useful video. I would love to see more videos like these which are "how to" deep dives. :)

[@elliejeanroyden]

That’s so lovely to hear, it really was one of my favourites I’ve made in a while!

[@evam4182]

Oh my gosh I LOVE Caroline too!! I found both your channels around the same time!

[@selinam1704]

I too am OBSESSED with Caroline Winkler right now!

[@elliejeanroyden]

She’s so amazing - I love that this video has unearthed all the Caroline fans, she deserves all the love

[@vintageaddict4552]

Why did I need this right now? I realized right now that I don't like wearing patterns because I feel clownish, but I love my pattern things. I just don't know how to style them without feeling out of place...

[@kristinunpoisoned]

It always feels like a gift when you give us a long video! My question is- is there a way to make chunky sweaters work if you're a theatrical romantic (or any of the body types that need waist emphasis)? I love them and have a few I don't want to get rid of, but they really don't suit my body type AT ALL. Is it as easy as throwing on a cute chunky belt?

[@jackiedrury318]

Me too I’m a soft classic , love a chunky cable knit but realise they don’t really suit me

[@Paloumi]

Tucking the sweater in High waisted pants?

[@carmenaguado492]

I really like tucking the front end of my long sweater into my bra so it hits me right bellow the waist, with a cinched skirt or trousers. I have quite a large bust and a long torso, so tucking them in makes me look bulky. When I tuck them into my bra I find the sides bend in a little, so I still have the bulky sweater look but the line is going towards my waist. Also, it makes the wires confier

[@revaconescu6120]

im a romantic- i usually wear my chunkier/heavier knits with leggings or tighter skinny jeans to balance and not drown myself in fabric. i find it helps keeps my shape visible

[@kristinunpoisoned]

@@revaconescu6120 I'm glad that works for you, I bet it's super cute! For me, I look like a balloon if my top is bulky, no matter what's going on below with leggings or trousers.

[@juliecatalini7235]

Thanks Ellie-Jean!! I learned so much from this and most of all I learned about the details I don’t consciously see. I think there’s a skill and talent involved here that is beyond me. But I have definitely learned why outfits don’t work and what to avoid. This has been so valuable. 🙏

[@elliejeanroyden]

I am so glad to hear you found this valuable and you learned from it! It got me thinking about patterns a lot more myself when choosing my outfits just having done the research - it’s quite fun to think about!

[@BoyInGreyWasTaken]

When you mentioned that Red looks amazing paired with leopard print I immediately thought of Fran Fine from The Nanny

[@lauraatkinson9479]

Adey from Well-loved is a KZbinr who thrifts clothing, but she's brilliant at pattern mixing and using patterned clothing. She is well worth watching.

[@sarahbass8130]

I love that you referenced Caroline Winkler! I am also obsessed with her channel & am stoked to see some crossover ❤

[@becbekkette]

Oh my gosh, I'm loving your videos. You are so so intelligent and so passionate, it's just a beautiful experience listening to you speak and learning from your knowledge. It's fun how some of the design worlds overlap. I definitely was having fun following along and understanding things from a graphic design perspective (thinking about composition, color, balance, texture, space, and all that) and how you also mentioned the interior design world! I've loved thrifting for years but have especially been obsessed the last couple of months, and I have been trying to figure out how to mix and match some of my pieces better. Sometimes I wonder why instinctually I feel like two things seem to work together when I can't really pinpoint the "why" it works. But there were a few things you mentioned, that made it finally start to make sense: If the intensity of the print in one item and the intensity of color in another item match...it can possibly work! Or if the size of the two (very different) patterns are similar, it can possibly work! Love it.

[@celinabond]

I’ve just realized I have zero patterns in my wardrobe 😂 I don’t suit them! But loved seeing your combos

[@KamiinaStyle]

Amazing! My favourite summer outfit was light leopard viscose shorts with a red silk tank top 😊

[@worthfightingfor2299]

This was SO helpful!!! Thank you!!! (And I loved the longer format!)

[@ladywiththelantern]

This is very useful information. I tend to reach for solid colors and this will mix things up. Thank you for the advice.

[@abigailw4599]

One of my favorite things to do for years now is combining patterns with graphics. Graphics are such a gift, theyre as interesting as patterns but are still technically "solid" and don't clash. I love throwing on a band tee with a floral skirt or anything else!

[@Mkr7942]

I have a very pattern rich wardrobe and am really interested in breaking the rules dressing right now. Since I don't work or adhere to any dress code, I think it's a good time to do this. Thanks for the red dress tips as well. I happen to have a red dress that I wasn't sure how to style. I think even a zebra print would look good with it, just like the leopard. Or any black and white. My mind's racing now:)

[@gstra9577]

Love this video! Thank you so much for taking your time and including all of the examples and advice, I feel so inspired now! I also truly appreciate the language you use, not calling things "wrong" or "rules ". ❤️

[@elliejeanroyden]

It’s really important to me - sometimes I slip up and say something I don’t mean just because it’s the language so often used around this sort of thing, but it really is just about learning the principles and then you can do what you like with them: you can follow them, you can break them, you can spin them a new way, they’re just tools for you to use if you want to, and I think that’s really important.

[@JNPummill]

I really like that this was a long video! It was helpful that you truly went into the same amount of detail on each point you made. This was so helpful for me! I hope that you make more videos like that one with the detail of this video!

[@LilyoftheValeyrising]

In the cooler months I wear different color spaghetti strap tank tops under patterned shirts as a way to bring out the pattern better. Also I like to be warm!!

[@PetiteLapinChouette]

Absolutely love your videos Ellie I always learn something also 100% obsessed with Caroline Winkler 🤣

[@nerminacamovic1600]

Leopard print with red can look very sexy and too strong, but leopard with pink is just amazing. This is what Trinny said as well. Great video 🤌

[@BellyDancerDiaries]

Learnt so much from this, thank you. Inspired now to play with patterns 😁

[@elliejeanroyden]

That’s so great! I love this, thank you ☺️☺️

[@makeupjunkie1002]

I love this video I didn’t mind that it was long. In fact I kind of wish it was a little bit longer because I was enjoying it so much. I would love to see more like this for different aesthetics. Thanks for all the great videos!

[@brandic89]

Oooo, you would like kunaafa nblusiya, which is sweetened, syrupy angel hair (like shredded wheat) in Egypt and other eastern countries with a layer of melted cheese underneath! But don't let it go too cold! Much better hot.

[@alexba1ley]

Love to see your passion for this process! Your advice is very practical as well. Thank you.

[@rafaelamota2957]

Great video! I don’t know where but I’ve learned that an easy way to mix patters is to use stripes and keep it in the same color family. Also using the stripes/checkers in a smaller scale then the main pattern.

[@inspodonut29]

as a classic with a sun root I was always afraid that I would be 'ruining the vibe' with adding patterns and felt boxed to the minimal. As an avid creative I always return to crave a bit of loudness and statement that I hope to reincorporate into my style considering how it also fits my personality

[@bundlewade]

This was such an informative video! Thank you so much for this. ❤🎉

[@HealASista]

This was a superb video. I feel fashion smarter

[@LilyoftheValeyrising]

Great video!!! I’ve heard cheetah print described as a neutral and to dress it accordingly. So it’s like a base you can put other colors with. As I’ve in as much said on your other videos I love Trinny Woodall and Susanna Constantine.

[@lysannelynn]

I loved the video 🌼 for myself im not a patterns person, get tired of them real soon. I do love plaid and I have tree items with a floral print. But I like to play with textures rather than pattern.

[@honorcollins6962]

This is really helpful! I love patterns and I love colour but I often struggle to put colourful patterned pieces together in a way that looks cohesive. The colour matching thing is something I’ve figured out myself, but the other tips are really going to change the way I put outfits together!

[@emilyglass6625]

A tip I would add: any color visible in your body is a color you're already wearing. Sometimes I think you can get away with especially heightened, bold combinations when at least part of the combo repeats your own appearance. I'm a serial print and pattern mixer. Most people who make any comment at all seem to like it, but I don't think I could be stopped at this point even if strongly discouraged by negative feedback, haha. My wardrobe has so many patterned items that I often either forget to own actual neutrals or own them and still get little to no use out of them. My usual technique very much starts with pulling a color or colors out of the dominant print and matching it to a textile that includes that same color, just like in the video. But I've had a few outfits over the years that 1) utterly broke that rule, and 2) were so memorable that I still think about them, because I just LOVED them for some reason. I think, in retrospect, I was getting away with a very bold combo in these cases, because at least one of the patterns strongly echoed my body. Here's an example that I can no longer wear because of a suitcase that got stolen out of my car once. (Boo!) I had a floaty gauze tank top with royal blue birds on a white background. The shapes were organic - the birds had a folk art quality rather than realistic details - but the edges between white and blue were quite crisp and distinct. I had no logical rationale for doing this at the time, but I just tended to pair it with this blushy peach floral scarf that had almost nothing in common with it. Certainly no colors. The scarf was a painterly/tapestry style floral with very large (hand-sized) pink and orange roses, and leaves in my very favorite color, which is a green somewhere between bottle and pond. (Tangent! For a long time, I was so frustrated that my favorite color had no name - at least no name which reliably calls it to mind. Like, it's the color of many mosses, but if you say moss, I don't think most people picture this color. Anyway, come to find out, incidentally, that it does have a name, and the main reason the name comes up is it's basically the shade of green pigment that poisoned a lot of people in the Victorian era. But I just like the color. I feel like you see it in the backgrounds to a lot of Ghibli movies. It's called Scheele's Green). Anyway, this scarf used color in a way pretty much (almost) opposite to the blue and white top, with lots of brush-stroke style blending, mid-tones, and no crisp black or white highlights/lowlights at all. If the blue and white tank was fairly high value contrast, the scarf had hue contrast but very little variation in light and dark. The roses stood out from the peach background only about as much as a blush or lipstick is meant to stand out from the skin. As I am a vain person whose favorite color overall is a version of her eye color (oops, now everyone knows my secret), you can kind of maybe see how this scarf, even if it sounds garish to you, was actually repeating a lot of colors you'd kind of already be looking at if you were looking at me. The blush was like a slightly darker version of my skin tone, the florals were shades I'd often comfortably wear as makeup, and the leaves were similar to my eye color. In retrospect, I think this is a big part of what made the combination work. Technically, all the colors in both pieces were from the same color palette, so they followed the rules in that sense. There was no blue in the scarf or orange in the top, but if you were putting together a pleasing set of markers, you might select this pink, orange, green, and blue to the same set. I think my personal contrast level also plays a part here. I believe I'm a Bright Spring in color season terms, and the Bright Spring palette offers a wide range of light-dark contrast, coming from its Winter influence. Basically all the way from black to ivory. Now, a basic description of me would be: woman with pretty dark hair and very light skin. Nonetheless, I think I tend to look best when I create outfits that avoid running the entire available dark-light contrast in my seasonal palette. I personally like the lightest colors paired with anything up to the mid-dark colors, and the darkest colors with anything down to the more medium-light colors, if that makes sense. (Hue contrast, on the other hand: no holds barred. Anything goes). I do wear prints that include both black and white, but usually in pretty different roles, like, say, there's a lot of one and a few details picked out in the other. I guess I also make room for black and white plaids and ginghams... But mostly I steer clear of, say, literal zebra for me, because I think colorblocked black and white is a range of value contrast that's ideal for other humans than me. (My favorite animal print is giraffe!) In the tank top/scarf test case, I think another thing that was quietly working was that one piece basically hit at my visual limit for dark-light contrast (white alongside royal blue, with no midtones), while the other lived entirely in a very comfortable, middling sweet spot re: light and dark, despite the strong hue contrast. I think if you can honestly work out your visual contrast levels, that can give you a lot of power in selecting and combining colors and patterns. For example, I think sometimes if you find a print that is 1) in one of the visible colors of your body, and also 2) the overall level of contrast between the colors in the print is lower than your overall level of contrast, you can sometimes treat that pattern more like a neutral or a texture than a true pattern. Example: you have brown hair and find a brown plaid skirt where all the colors are tones in your hair - or at least the stray threads of orange and mustard blend in and read as echoing your hair tones. I would submit that as long as you are already wearing your hair, the skirt already "matches" you, so you can be conservative in your pattern mixing if you want to, but you could also try treating this garment as a neutral and seeing what happens?

[@laiam.524]

Excellent vidéo Ellie-Jean. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge with us all. So useful!

[@yacrupni]

I loved this video! And I actually really enjoyed it being longer than usual :)

[@KathBorup]

This is such a great video Ellie! So much good advice and the visual examples help a lot too.

[@giovanacarla7818]

As soon as you started talking about mixing patterns of similar colors my mind went straight to Monster High. Seriously! Check the official character art and some of the dolls. The creators are really not scared of using 3+ different patterns in the same outfit and the best part is that the patterns and cut of the outfits all match each character’s personality which is really hard to do.

[@matildahenriksson2534]

Do a video on how the different style roots handles pattern

[@minglian9335]

Great tips! This is one I'm going to save and refer to later.

[@minervarose7664]

I love patterns, prints and bold, bright colours so this was wonderful! If you could also show a few examples of pattern mixing done "wrong" or at least, where they could be improved...that would be lovely.

[@triple999fruitful]

That was a very constructive video, thank you!

[@theresaolguin4188]

Loved, loved this video😍!!

[@sarahcook7257]

Really enjoyed this video

[@elliejeanroyden]

Thank you so much!!

[@kalashnikova_]

Amazing video!! Really enjoyed watching and getting inspired! ❤

[@MJBpeace]

Can I ask where your blue striped jumper is from, that you wear in the begining picture of your video? I love it !!! My idea is: how to bring these modern fashion choices to little bit "dated outfits", while you don't feel like a clown...or slouchy... ( I worded everything weirdly, I'm sorry, my english is not working this morning)

[@chickenleg002]

This was lovely! I would really love a deep dive into the style roots. Maybe explore a pair of opposites in a video so that you aren’t making it into the worlds longest video one after another.

[@goumashoe]

This is a really helpful video, thank you! I really want to try these tips with my closet

[@Lindalindali]

I love Caroline Winkler, too!

[@CezzyHaag]

Maybe do an indepth video like this on accessorising?

[@eliali6484]

Amazing video! Very useful 👍

[@JoojieXD]

There's also mixing round patterns with straight patterns, so long as there's colour play

[@millymolly-m8p]

Love this ❤

[@ashplayssims]

Okay, but tell us more about these cheese and ham sandwiches. What kind of cheese? What kind of bread? What kind of jam?? We must know more.

[@elliejeanroyden]

Like a really good thick chunk of cheddar cheese and strawberry jam with some ordinary white bread - it’s heaven

[@machwheels8642]

This was fantastic

[@zeal2645]

First off thankyou so much 🥰✨ not just for this video but for all your style videos helping me understand my style better. to give out amazing ideas for free and encouraging self love not to fit into a box. I was wondering if you'd do a case study of celebrities? I love alycia debnam-carey's style. classy/ romantic/sensual/girly. I have an idea of style roots ect but it would be great to see you go in depth of how to discover someone else's through just photos? how to incorporate celeb looks into our wardrobes ? I definitely love your videos regardless. any length and any topic. I love your personality too and wish I could just sit down and talk to you for hours. You seem so sweet and thoughtful! 🥰 🌷🌼⭐

[@elliejeanroyden]

You are so welcome, it is my absolute pleasure - I love sharing my thoughts and idea with you guys. I can definitely look into doing more case studies. Thank you so much for your comments about my personality, that means a lot, it’s very kind of you! And you never know, maybe one day we will be able to arrange some kind of chat, I would love that! ♥️

[@zeal2645]

@@elliejeanroyden I would also love the opportunity to chat! You a so underrated in the amount of love your channel and content gets! Your videos have improved in quality (editing, lighting ect) and the content has never been anything but insiring. Hopefully once I finish university this year, I will be able to reach out and work with you in some way. I hope you have an amazing day/night!

[@manuelasamary]

Amazing video! 😘

[@2kah286]

enjoyed this one! Q: if black kills colors then what can be worn with black? neutrals only?

[@lydiaschmoore3195]

The Red bag and Yellow shoes seemed right in your sandwich analogy because it represents ketchup and mustard 😂😂

[@elliejeanroyden]

You are so right

[@neenmoves]

This video is lovely!! 🥪❤

[@Supercocono6]

Interesting. I am a bit of a pattern lover. I need to go home and stare at my wardrobe now and then maybe work out some pieces to toe together. I had a friend she cannot deal with people putting two patterns together. I’ll know I’ve got it right if she complements me on a double pattern one day 🤣

[@machwheels8642]

You had me at hello with the gym and cheese sandwich

[@machwheels8642]

Jam not gym lol

[@rahelschumperli7705]

so when you said that we should have like 60,30,&10 percent of three colors, what counts as a colour for you? cause black, dark brown, beige and dark blue feel more like neutraks to me. I love wearing brown tones but it's heard to pick it as a "color"

[@elliejeanroyden]

In this context you can definitely consider those colours! Blue and cream are my neutrals for example and I like a pop of pink/red

[@melanieinthecity]

Great video

[@haral.6620]

Love this video! Thank you!

[@megankey5072]

Thank you I loved this video, so helpful! If you felt inspired I would love to watch more videos about patterns and specific body types!

[@srusch1]

Super helpful, thank you❤

[@constanzagalleguillosrubio8977]

Do you have individual assessments? I'm from Chile but i'll be going to the UK during march. How can I reach you? I've been profesionally assessed by colorimetry and they said i'm a cool summer but i'm still not sure. Hope to hear from you.

[@zellalaing5439]

This is literally interior decorating basics. Like Lesson 1 in interior design.

[@samanthasoltero1324]

Can you please do Kibbe body type and color season for Selena Quintanilla, please?☺️

[@brandidamore1751]

Would patterns have to then match against either essence and/or body type. It would seem that pattern would not work with classic so much?

[@elliejeanroyden]

Yeah classics definitely struggle with patterns the most! But silhouette is the most important thing really, pattern/not is more a cherry on top

[@redrover2370]

What about a video exploring textures?

[@sierrasukalski2133]

Black kills color or print... if the color doesn't continue down the body in a very literal referral down the body, and not the reference that most conventional style encourages. If you work with more diagonals, and vertical lines, or shapes that dip into the next section, at say, waist, or bust, or hips, enough to break up the definition of that section by horizontal lines, the black can look more like other colors merely being color-blocked. So, for a small example, if imperfect, that blouse with grey and black detail (maybe a little blue-grey?), black skirt, and black belt with the big, gold buckle, would actually look really good without the belt. Instead, you could take a blue-grey belt, maybe a few tones more blue, made of braided leather, with long fringe, and contrive a way for it to wrap around the waist once, or twice, and then have the fringe fall down the middle in a stepped cascade. You could cut the fringe, or back-weave sections, or even knot in diagonals, reminiscent of a macrame net. The point is, you are creating a lot of finer detail to take in, where the color meets the black, and dragging the eye down the body. It helps, then, that black is so dark, because a normally muted, retiring color, is so bright, and interesting by contrast. And the vertical lines of color, don't let the black look like empty space and dark matter, nothing can cross. (Neither do they make that part of your body covered in black echo the sentiment.) You just have to think of black, not as a neutral, but as a very bold, very deliberate color, that sets the tone for everything else you are wearing. It is just as impactful a decision as wearing red that needs to be matched. I've found that the thing that seems to make black the hardest to wear is a lack of complex details painstakingly added to the clothing, and that, like white, most black clothing is designed to be new, un-faded, and not overly laundered. Dyes bleed, and already faded, distressed clothes don't always last very long without help. If you have black clothes, and you want to add contrasting detail, you don't want to choose wrong. Far too much clothing, in my opinion, is already dry clean only. I don't know about you, but if I can't wash something on cold, or by hand, it isn't welcome in my closet. Of course, people who look good in high contrast colors, and severe monochrome do exist, and rather express the heights of what makes black cool, so people would rather design for them. I think if the culture was less about fast fashion, and more about finding the perfect blend of themes, styles, materials, and loves, to express yourself, we might see a resurgence of carefully tailored, made to wear by the individual, garments, with much more deliberate detail placement.

[@Benchpress76]

We share an obsession with Caroline 😂

[@Angie-nb4pg]

How do you become a personal stylist

[@elliejeanroyden]

For me, it was about having a go and gaining a reputation - I wouldn’t focus so much on studying, but start by doing it for free for friends and family or beyond and building up a portfolio until you have enough evidence to show you know what you’re doing. Do lots of reading and research and slowly improve!

[@Angie-nb4pg]

@@elliejeanroyden wonderful advice thank you so much!!

[@Kyrieava]

So what I hear you saying is... the way to make patterns work is by applying them in patterns

[@meg7578]

Sandwiches can also make us shorter

[@sakshipatel1817]

I don't think black look bad on you.

[@DanieledwardRuhl-d6l]

You really are so cool .your so sweet like a peace of candy. So can I have a pease of candy so peace of your candy.🎉🎉🎉

[@shae1539]

Did she say cheese and jam 😅

[@elliejeanroyden]

I certainly did, it’s a guilty pleasure 🤣

[@bethanycreativeside4326]

Cheese and jam?? Stick with clothes