{Almost daily outfit of the day} Stripes and sparkle 5.31.12

J Crew striped top; thrifted Bitten jeans; Nine West pumps; Forever 21 rhinestone collar necklace; thrifted vintage rhinestone necklaces; thrifted Michael Kors rose gold watch

Today marked the occasion of my oldest child graduating from elementary school. There was a fair amount of pomp and circumstance, along with a really sappy movie made by PTA moms depicting moments from the past year that I am sure was designed to elicit tears from parents. While most moms in the audience were wearing Nike Tempo shorts and sweats and tee shirts, I decided to throw on a pile of rhinestones necklaces and heels for the event. Because sometimes the simplest excuse to get creative with my outfits is the best.

{Almost daily outfit of the day} Twinkle 3.22.12

Thrifted J Crew blazer; thrifted J Crew button down; beat up thrifted Seven For All Mankind jeans; Gap belt (clearance); Nine West pumps; estate sale clutch; Forever 21 rhinestone collar necklace

The other day, while embarking on a laborious mission to clean out my closet, I stumbled upon a photograph of myself at six years old. I am costumed in a stiff mint green tutu and shimmering leotard, rosy cheeked and sweaty, grinning maniacally at the camera. Rows of silver sequins and rhinestones dance around my waist. This photo is all that remains of my brief, yet illustrious career as a childhood tap student. Lacking both talent and equilibrium, I was the type of dancer who careened into walls and refused to practice and preferred to hide in the back of the class, chewing on my hair. I confess that my only impetus for sticking with those long, arduous classes was the opportunity to wear that recital costume. Silver and rhinestones were, and continue to be, hard to resist.

Pattern Mixing: Everyone's a critic

There are a lot of things I love about blogging. I love drumming up topics to write about and doing research for a post. I love sharing tips regarding thrifting and shopping for vintage. I love networking with other fashion bloggers through my own blog, IFB, Twitter, and Facebook. And I love reading other blogs and learning all I can about the ever-changing world of fashion and personal style.

However, the thing I adore most about blogging is the wealth of learning opportunities, both within and outside of fashion. Because, truth be told, I'm a gigantic nerd. I was one of those people who cried at their high school and college graduations not because I was afraid to enter the "real world," but because it meant I would no longer be in class. Whether it's statistics, html code, or the proper way of blending eye shadows, I'm that hand-waving, brown-nosing, front row student bursting with enthusiasm. I take copious notes. I watch how-to clips on YouTube. I make magazine pages hemorrhage with fluorescent yellow highlighter. I am a certifiable dork.

This week one of my goals was to try my hand at pattern-mixing. In case you've been living under a rock, forming an ensemble around mixed patterns (and textures) has been a hot fashion trend since, well, Marc Jacob's plaid-heavy grunge collection back in 1992. Naturally, I planned my attack carefully. I methodically researched pattern-mixing on Google, bringing up tips from a encyclopedic collection of different sources. Glamour suggested working around a base color. Academichic recommended allowing one pattern be the dominant player over another, such as a tweed skirt with a striped sweater. Suzy of Miss Vinyl Ahoy advised me to think of one pattern as a solid, such as a blouse with small polka dots or a tiny print, and pair a bolder item with it. On Kelinda.KELINDA, I also learned to pair loud patterns with more subtle ones, while Pixie In Pumps' style inspiration folder gave me a glimpse into pattern-mixing on the runway. And no one does pattern mixing as well as my style guru Erin of Work With What You've Got.

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and confident, armed with pages of research and closet full of patterned separates. I would so rock this, I decided. My gold cable-knit sweater, striped long-sleeved tee, and floaty floral skirt seemed perfect for my debut into pattern-mixing. Carefully I put the pieces on, sauntered out my bedroom, and left the house for a day of errands and thrifting.

Either I failed miserably at pattern mixing, or the public isn't quite ready for this clearly adventurous look, because I received many quizzical looks during the day. Some women outright stared. Teenagers elbowed each other, encouraging closer examination of my ensemble. The check-out woman at Kroger informed me that I looked"...interesting" (insert sneer.) However, the harshest criticism originated from my own family, when my youngest child coldly announced that I looked "like a crazy hobo." Harsh. Then again, this is how he prefers to dress:

Foam Mario Bros. hat, white shorts, and a blankie. It's what all the hip people are wearing this season, apparently.

So I'm not that worried. I'll admit that mixing patterns was definitely out of my comfort zone. My particular combination took some getting used to. And I felt kind of rebellious all day...which was sort of fun.

Have you tried mixing patterns? Or do you shy away from this trend? Why or why not? And did I indeed fail miserably?

Thrifted Loft cardigan; thrifted J Crew long-sleeved tee; thrifted vintage Ann Taylor silk skirt; Gap Outlet tights; Nine West oxfords, Target belt