embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge

How Many Prints is Too Many? & Link Up On the Edge #323

embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge

If this outfit looks familiar to you, it’s because I have shared if before with the now dissolved Stylish Monday group for a post featuring Spring Trends. I bought the sweater and pants at Indigo Sun, a cute little boutique in Asheville, North Carolina, which specializes in festival wear, fair trade imports, and regional and local art. The sweater and pants were displayed in different areas of the shop but when both pieces individually caught my attention, I realized they were perfect for each other. As we were heading into spring at the time of my purchase, I thought the outfit would be fabulous for spring and summer festivals. As it turns out, however, both the sweater and the pants are much too heavy for the warm weather seasons. So I decided it was time to restyle this outfit for cooler weather and I definitely like it much better this way!

But if you know me at all, you know that I just don’t throw on any old clothes when I get dressed. I like to challenge myself so when I do get dressed, I get dressed with a specific purpose in mind. So for my restyle of this sweater and pants pairing, I challenged myself to combine as many prints and patterns as I could and still keep the look cohesively put together. Up until now, my personal best for print mixing was 5 different patterns in one outfit. In general, when I combine multiple prints into one outfit, I usually comfortably land in the range of 2-3 prints. It’s difficult to keep adding prints because we can only wear so many garments at one time. This is where accessories come in handy for a plentiful print mixing amalgamation.

In this outfit, I am counting 8 different prints and patterns, exceeding my personal best by 3 prints! But I had to wear a bounty of accessories to make this happen. The 8 prints are as follows:

  1. The fair aisle print on my sweater.
  2. The floral embroidery on my trouser legs.
  3. The map print (of Yellowstone National Park) on my scarf.
  4. The large polka dot print on my hat.
  5. The mandala print on my tote bag.
  6. Three of my hair scrunchies also have prints but you can’t see them very clearly. The top one is a mustard color with white polka dots.
  7. The second hair scrunchie is green with a floral print.
  8. The third hair scrunchie has a metallic ombre pattern.

Keeping all of the patterns in similar color palettes while combining small scale with larger scale prints helps to maintain cohesiveness in the look. Although if you were really bold, you could create any mismatched combination that you makes your soul happy regardless of the colors and prints. Who actually sets the rules for what matches anyway?!

Side story about matching: Someone once told me that brightly colored floral bouquets absolutely would not match dark green bridesmaids’ dresses. I was so confused when I replied, “But all flowers have green leaves so how in the world could any flower not match green?” By the way, I had my brightly colored bouquets and they looked gorgeous against the dark green velvet dresses. Flowers won’t match green. Sheesh. How silly.

embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge
embroidered bell bottoms, boho style, print mixing, fall outfit, Shelbee on the Edge

Well, that’s all I have for today…my 8 print outfit that I absolutely love. By the way, I think I wore this outfit 3 times in one week because I liked it so much. And it is amazingly comfortable, too! If I recall correctly, these pants came in three different colors and now I am kicking myself for not buying them all! I will definitely be visiting Indigo Sun again on my annual North Carolina road trip in February.

So tell me, how many prints are too many?

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Shelbee

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Outfit Details: Pants and Sweater-Indigo Sun / Tunic-Torrid / Elephant Necklace-Thrifted / Mala Beads-Zen Spirit Malas / Beaded Tassel Necklace-Cato / Hat-Wona Trading / Scarf, Earrings, and Bag-Gifts from friends / Scrunchies and Fingerless Gloves-Amazon / Shoes-Old

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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Shelbee on the Edge