Trail Blazer - Mixing Plaids

Hello Hooligans! Happy Sunday, April 15th, halfway through April and it's 34 degrees outside, windy and rainy. Clearly climate change is in full force and truly wants to ruin spring for all of us.  Luckily, we sporadically have 75 degree days were I can take advantage of the sunny, warm streets of Chicago to do shoots in clothes that are supposed to be worn in Spring.  So obviously my dad and I had to take advantage of this warm day and head down to the Fulton Market District to take photos, drink ice matchas, and explore. I must admit this is the most content i have been in awhile.  I am a sucker for spending my days outside with people i love.  

I know mixing prints can be intimidating, let alone the same print, but understanding how to properly mix prints without making it look crazy consists of three components; color, scale and silhouette.  For this look I focused on pairing two smaller scaled plaids in neutral colors that complimented each other.  By pairing a classic plaid on the blazer and a smaller, busier houndstooth plaid on the wrap skirt, there isn't a dominant print that overpowers the other.  I broke up the plaids by pairing the look with a classic Anthro graphic tee that was clean and simple.  I also focused on coupling straight-line, tailored silhouettes that didn't overpower each other in design, but in size.  I wanted the blazer to be oversized and structured in order to make it the focus.  Plaids are so versatile that they make the perfect beginner print to experiment with.   Don't be afraid to break the rules.