Pattern Mixing

The only photo I have from this past weekend is from Voodoo, Sunday evening, stopping by to see my friend Britt while waiting for our to-go order at Mellow.  I was not feeling well on Saturday so I was glad to be getting out of the house for a blackberry mojito.

I love patterns and mixing things that shouldn't go together, but do.  Above, I  threw on this old little jacket from Target with a fluer de lis pattern over my striped/floral dress and I think it adds the right amount of energy to the ensemble.
Below I have an outfit suitable for a work meeting yesterday.  I'm no longer in the corporate world and it's nice to be a bit more expressive in my outfits. 

 Jewelry can be a big help when mixing patterns.  It can truly tie the whole thing together, as with this vintage brooch I found at an estate sale.  I've tried a lot of patterns together and can't really figure out a formula for what works.  It's just trial and error.  Happy mixing!