Matching Florals With Plaid

Pattern mixing galore.

Pairing seemingly disparate motifs.

 

I’ve come a long way from being petrified of the mere mention of prints.

There was a time when putting even a speck of red into an all Black garment meant utter chaos and disruption, let alone introducing anything remotely non solid into my outfit.   Even on those rare occasions when I was neither in Ebony nor Ivory, I would still pick one single block of colour to showcase.  I mean, I was perfectly comfortable with shine and glitz and colour on hair and/or lips (or on my feet) but somehow, on the body, it was just. not. me. 

Then.

When I began my foray into the world of patterns, I (naturally) began with my beloved B&W.

Cautiously, ever so cautiously, I ventured into two prints.  Just two.  Subtle ones.  Nothing too clashing, same family (or same colour story).  I even achieved one allover print.  Or does that not count because it’s, ahem, black with white?

2016 and half of 2017 were very colourless.  From every possible perspective.  And that feeling clearly translated itself into the outfits I put together.  There was barely any oomph let alone vibrancy or spark.  Slivers of rainbows and sunshine started peeking through in June, but slivers still.  Tiny, modest doses which vanished for the rest of the year. 

More than likely coinciding with my mental turmoil with the state of my marriage at the time.

I did, however, end the year with a pop of print!!

2018.

Sigh.  Another lacklustre year wherein lines and prints and patterns did not quite make an appearance in my life.  Save for delicate touches here and here and here.

Accessories, on the other hand, made quite the appearance on this here blog.  Wore a Santa hat.  Even paraded around in my bikini bottoms during Winter (and gave quite a show to the factory workers across the fence, quite unintentionally, shrug).

Like before, I ended the year with a loud splash of patterns.

(don’t mind Michael, he’s making a guest appearance on the blog today)

I began 2019 with a bang.

Pairing florals with florals, and plaid with camo (and unicorns thrown in for good measure).  Ooh twice apparently.  Saying it loud and proud just last month with that god-challenging print known as zebra matched alongside stripes.

So when Mary of Curly Byrdie proclaimed florals + plaid for March, I stayed calm and nonplussed and, frankly, excited.  How things have changed, huh.  What once would have completely thrown me into a flurry of fear no longer does that.  Quite the opposite actually.  Isn’t that how life is in general though? 

Shall we now take a walk in the flower garden?  And see what my fab ladies served up?

Mary, Curly Byrdie Chirps

What a fabulous find, Mary, that coat is.  Pretty plaid with flirty florals all rolled into one glorious concoction, made even more stunning with that dress and those gold heels.  My heart.

Suzy, Suzy Turner

This is most definitely a classic rendition of flowers with plaid, if such a term ever existed for the combo, and Suzy makes it look so effortless classy.  Especially with that scarf.

Jennie, A Pocketful Of Polka Dots

Jennie looks damn badass and cool, with that delicate floral kimono duster speaking volumes about femininity, and those contrasting plaid trousers.  See the peak of polka dots too??

Shelbee, Shelbee On The Edge

My miniskirt twin!!  A gorgeous blend of two different plaids (genius) beautifully offset with that crisp white shirt and then a touch of girly glam comes through in those darling boots.

Daenel, Living Outside The Stacks

The queen of delicate touches.  Daenel does it again with darling hints of the month’s theme, this time on her pretty ballet flats.  Note the plaid and flower combination.  So charming.

And then there’s me.  I had loads of fun with this one.  Clearly.  I wanted to challenge myself with creating nuances here and there to reflect the theme and that’s why if you peer a little closer, you’ll see that I’m wearing a sheer, chiffon floral bodysuit under my floral dolman sleeve top.  And that there are flowers embroidered on my newsboy cap too.  Truthfully, I really did mean to wear my plaid booties to finish the look but I couldn’t find them that day.  Sigh.

Rose Dolman Sleeved Top (tiny boutique in Schulenburg) | Floral Chiffon Bodysuit & Embroidered Rose Cap (Forever 21) | Gen Plaid Mini Skirt (thrifted) | Red Leather Cuff (Unearthed) | Snake Ring (Taylor Swift) | Ankle Booties (Bakers)

Have we somehow inspired you to look at florals and/or plaid differently?  Which of these looks would you go for?  Are you a floral on floral sort of woman?  Or does combining different types of plaids together get you all giddy with excitement?

Until next time friends, have a good one.

 

Love, Sheela

p/s I link up here.