Polka dots and pink

Yesterday I decided to wear one of my favourite dresses from good old Marks and Spencers. I know some people find Marks and Spencers a bit boring, but I find the quality and fit of the clothes great and they have a great petites range. The dress and cardigan were actually a birthday present from Mr Style Eyes and the children last year, although I did pick it out myself. Yet another monchrome outfit with a bit of pink to brighten it up.

Having a very busy month so far working every evening and weekend. Hoping to make a bit more time for relaxation, going out and blog posts on Style Eyes soon. On the plus side, I haven't had any new clothes for a while because of my shopping ban but have managed to make just a bit of time for clothes swapping so should have some new clothes on the way and should be able to do some more outfit posts soon.

Pattern mixing from the feet up

If you are a regular reader of this blog you might have observed my slight obsession with pattern mixing. I pattern mix on a daily basis, with almost everything I wear having some sort of pattern mix or clash. At the moment and in keeping with this summers trends, I am especially fond of mixing stripes, checks, polka dots and florals.

As I have recently partnered with Spartoo Women Shoes, a French online shoe retailer selling a very desirable selection of shoes including some quite quirky brands and designers (more posts to follow), I came across Stephane Verdino, a French designer recognised for his minimalism and quality but also one who sets the rules rather than follows them.

I was instantly drawn to these lace up shoes that fit so well with the current androgynous and masculine trends. They would look amazing contrasted with a feminine floral dress, a pair of floral trousers or equally well with a plain navy or denim skirt. They have opened a whole new chapter for me: pattern mixing from the feet up. But I may also be very tempted to abandon pattern mixing now and then in favour of a simple navy outfit which really allows these gorgeous shoes to take the centre stage that they deserve.

How would you wear yours?

SS10 Trend - Pattern Mixing

I have been playing around with pattern mixing for a few seasons now, so I was delighted to see so many examples on the catwalk for SS10 that I could use as inspiration. From real clashes to more subtle combinations, I love them all. I think it is something about the busyness of this look that I love. It is also, the perfect trend for my next No more wants challenge as I have plenty of patterned pieces in my wardrobe. I particularly love the pattern mixing at Kenzo, Rodarte and Dolce and Gabanna. I don't think there are any wrongs or rights with pattern mixing and I don't think there is any science to it, it is just a case of try and see.

At Dolce and Gabanna

At Proenza Schouler

At Rodarte

At Marc Jacobs

At Alexander Wang (quite subtle - look at the shoes)

At Dries Van Noten

At Kenzo

At DKNY

As this is such a huge and extensive trend, I had lots of outfits that I was going to make, but as usual I ran out of time, my camera battery ran out and I ended up with just 2 outfits for now - excuses, excuses. I have been dying to try out a combination of polka dots and florals for some time. I am not sure how wearable this outfit is as the polka dot dress has a lining and it is difficult to stop the different layers riding up, but I love the combination of patterns.

Polka Dot Dress - Marks and Spencers

Floral dress - New Look

Shoes - ASOS

Bag - An old cream satin bag decorated with mauve and silver nail varnish

The next outfit was definitely inspired by the mixture of tie dye and plaid/ check at Rodarte. I bleached the black top to get this interesting orange and black effect that reminds me of tie dye. I loved the effect so much, I was tempted to bleach everything in my wardrobe (I didn't luckily).

Top - second hand black top - bleached

dress - Oasis

Tights - Dorothy Perkins

Boots - Topshop

Necklace - present
scarf (tied around waist) - a present
catwalk pictures from http://www.style.com/