Tog is in the Details: 3 TIPS FOR BOLD PERSONAL STYLE

Clashing patterns, stacking bangles, quirky rings, fun color add up to charming flourishes of personal style.

"Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live."  -Gianni Versace

If fashion is king, then style is god. And as they say, god is in the details. And it's easier than you think. Some of my favorite outfits look bold, but they were easy to style. Three ideas boiled down into 3 words will give you infinite ways to add the personal touch to your outfit that make it you. 

Here are my 3 Tips in creating a bold personal style: 

• Work the PRIMARY. 
• Engage the RULE of THREE. 
• And ECHO (echo-echo-echo.)

TIP #1: WORK THE PRIMARY. Here's a color secret: primary colors (and nearly all variations) go together. Did you know that? By mixing any variation of the primary colors of red, blue and yellow, your outfit will automatically seem to match? Somehow, red/blue/yellow mixes go with everything. 



In the above photos, you'll see my mix of of this variation make the pattern clashing "work."  Image number one, I'm wearing bright and bold colors- in pinks, baby blue and yellow, and somehow it works, even thought the blues are different from each other, and the red/pink aren't even close to a coordinating hue. Can't figure out pattern mixing- add a few patterns with red, blue and yellow in it- any variation of those colors. Clever creature, you. 
Think of it as COLOR MAGIC- it just works. Trust me. 

TIP #2: ENGAGE THE RULE OF THREE. Think of it, as a visual poem, and the rule of three is the rhyme element of your ensemble. The rule of 3 can apply to color mixing, as well as pattern mixing. For example, in the second image you see a bold mix of a madras plaid, mixed with a brown mohair sweater, funky jewelry and painted nails. While it's possible the idea of apple green, bug brown and a drab yellow might not sound like a lively fun mix, in reality, the look worked. WHY? The rule of three- the dress is a plaid mix of an olive brown, brownish yellow and cream, the mohair sweater is a unique yarn that has a brownish green, reddish brown and yellow in it- so the colors of it is a blend of the colors in the dress. To drive the trio of colors home, green/brass Russian novelty ring and bright green nails add some punch while still staying in the "rhyme scheme." 

TIP #3: ECHO. And almost fool-proof way to play with prints, mixing textures, colors and patterns, is to echo the element you're playing with. Add a stripe to a stripe, a floral to a floral, and a dot pattern, to more dots. In all of the above images you'll see the ease of the the echo- florals/florals/dots/dots, color echo (primary color mix, brown/yellow/green mix) and a clever shape echo- a studded cuff mixing it up with the circular pattern of polka dots, and small glass round beads in a bracelet. 

The vertical black and white striped socks from We Love Colors,  echo the horizontal stripes of the shorts in the bottom picture, while the bold abstract pattern on the bright yellow barkcloth jacket somehow convey the same feel of the stripes, and the dots/circles that appear on other items of the outfit.

Do you have any personal style tips and secrets that work for you? Care to share? Please do in the comments!