More pattern mixing with polka dots and flowers

Polka dot silk top:  Ann Taylor, fall 2010
Pencil skirt in island coral boom boom:  Lilly Pulitzer, fall 2010
Belt:  Banana Republic, old
Peep toes:  Tahari
Azalea necklace in vibrant flame:  J.Crew, summer 2012

Today when I bounded down the stairs in this outfit for work, my husband said, in all seriousness, "Nice pattern matching."  AWWWW.  How cluelessly adorable can husbands be?  I didn't bother correcting him that it's called pattern mixing, not matching.  But it gave me a little chuckle.  Another funny moment regarding pattern mixing in my life:  My hilariously frank 72 year old mother sat me down recently and told me that even though I think pattern mixing can be pretty, no one else does.  She said it makes no sense and that it does not look good at all.  Seriously ladies, she takes quite an offense to the trend.  So I delighted in showing her an ad from her favorite store, Chico's, where even they recommended mixing a different pattern scarf and jacket.  Aha!  Victory was mine.  She huffed and puffed but realized finally that pattern mixing was not something that her daughter just made up. 

Anyway, my favorite form of pattern mixing has to be polka dots and flowers.  I also did a floral/dot mix here and had fun with it.  What is your favorite mix of patterns?  I know stripes and flowers are also popular, and I like that look too sometimes.  My issue with pattern mixing is that it has to be cohesive in some way, or it just looks like a big ol' mess.  That's why I always get nervous when I attempt it, because in no way do I consider myself a pro! 

For you ladies who like Lilly Pulitzer, be sure to check out the Re-Lilly page on Facebook.  There are literally endless gently-used or even new-with-tags items on the page, for sale for fantastic prices.  I bought this 2010 skirt, which still had the tags attached, for around $25.00 from that page a while back.  It retailed for $128 so it was a nice steal! 

Thanks for visiting!  I'd love to hear your pattern mixing opinions.