I don’t mix prints often but when I do, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be stripes on stripes on stripes. It’s just easy. And right now I need easy. Plus 1 years’ worth of sleep with a side of 1 million dollars probably couldn’t hurt either, but I digress. Between juggling my 9-5, graduate school, my blog and YouTube, as well as my personal life, effortless outfits are all I have energy for. Although let’s be honest even when I’m not doing all of that, it’s really all I have patience for. So today I’m going to be sharing some quick tips on how to rock winter stripes like a pro.

Pick the right style of stripes. This is hands down the most important step, as all step number ones should be. You need to figure out what stripes work for you. And this goes beyond just vertical and horizontal. Look at the width of the stripes, the spacing between the stripes and the color combination. All of these factors will play a big role in how the stripes will make your body look and how you can pair them with one another. Personally I swear by vertical stripes to look taller in medium to thin widths and rather closely space together, but that’s just me.
Choose your color palette. The beauty of stripes is it makes it easy to also incorporate colors into your look which adds more interest. If the thought of mixing stripes is overwhelming enough, stay in the same color but play with different shades. If you’re feeling bold try unexpected combinations like pink and navy.
Assemble your look. Just like with colors, stripes can be tricky because they can cause you to appear wider or taller depending on the pattern you chose. Keep this in mind when you put together your outfit.

If you’re looking to incorporate more prints and learn to mix them, then stripes is a great place to start. Even something as simple and classic as pinstripes is a good start. Need even more motivation to incorporate stripes? See how I wore stripes on stripes with this post on rocking summer stripes and how I styled them with culottes.