Today I thought I'd try something new, so after fiddling around in the Polyvore creator for half an hour I came up with the (somewhat unoriginal) idea of doing a series of 'how to styles'. This essentially does what it says on the tin, in that I style a particular type of clothing item each time, hopefully in a variety of inspiring - or at least mildly interesting - ways. I'm starting with patterned shorts, purely because it's summer.

1. My number one rule when styling patterned bottoms, whether skirts, shorts or trousers, is to keep it plain on the top - unless you're looking to live on the edge by combining patterns, which can go disastrously wrong if not done skilfully. Hence why I've paired these gorgeous jungle print-cum-tapestry shorts with a simple cream blouse. The shoes more or less match the shorts in terms of colour, while the bag adds a different shade to the palette. 

2. This outfit is a little more 'edgy', because of the beret if nothing else. The bold primary colours complement each other as the pattern of the shorts picks them up in a subtle way. I love the velvety texture of the top and the high neck, even though personally I would find it irritating to wear. To be honest I don't know which decade of fashion this would fall into, but I feel it has a distinctly 70s vibe, as it reminds me of something my mum might have sported in her teenage years.

3. By all means keep it plain on the top, but plain doesn't have to mean a cotton tank top - this shiny silver strappy top works perfectly well to complement the tones of the shorts. Metallics aren't always the easiest to wear as you can easily miss the casual mark and look like you're on your way to a disco, but it's never a bad thing to experiment.

4. You can never go wrong with combining neutral tones as they don't necessarily have to match, so these shoes, bag and top work well together (I think). I love the pattern of the shorts, it's kind of an earthy paisley print that makes me want to run into a pile of crispy autumn leaves.

Thanks for reading!

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