Wooooo, child! The school year has started once again (this is year 6 for me!) and I don’t know how, but my summer did a fantastic job in allowing me to forget how mentally and physically demanding my role is! But I absolutely love it! It’s going to take a while to completely adjust, but I’m getting there. This post was originally meant for September 10, but life happens, you know? I’ll share my classroom with you soon because I really love how it looks this year. No theme, just very colorful!

This month’s Style Challenge is dedicated to black and white patterns! After my headwrap challenge, I figured this was a good place to start because I have a lot of patterned black and white pieces and I wanted to stretch the limits of my creativity. I selected five different black and white patterns—polka dots, stripes, abstract, geometric and tropical—and here’s how I rocked them:

STYLE 1: GEOMETRIC BLACK & WHITE

Styling Tip: Pair your black and white top with a solid color. Any solid color works, but black and white looks best, in my opinion, with bold colors (red, electric blue, hot pink, etc.) or with black, as I wore it.

For this geometric peplum top, I kept it simple, this was the only style that I didn’t mix with another print. I always like pairing peplum tops with pencil skirts because it gives me the illusion of having—don’t laugh—a bigger booty. (Ok, you can laugh.) 😅 Peplum + Pencil Skirt is really the best combination that has ever existed for the Cupcake Crew (You belong in this crew with me if you cake hasn’t fully risen, if you catch my drift 😉😆)  I know that I’m not the only small-bootied woman of African descent that secretly, now openly, wishes she had more junk in her trunk. But it’s cool. I’m happy with what I have. Official founder of the Cupcake Twerk Team. Hit me up if you want a shirt!

Styling Tip: Pair your black and white prints with similar prints that feature the same colors in a contrasting way. Here, my polka dot skirt is black with white, red, pink and yellow dots whereas my top is white with black dots. The contrast/color inversion makes this combination work since they have the same print.

For this look, my creative juices were on fire. Let me tell you about this skirt! First of all, it is a maxi skirt. Yes. It is. Secondly, it has followed me through my weight journey, y’all! I don’t remember if my sister gave this skirt to me or if I managed to sneak it out of her closet with its matching headwrap. I’m not sure. But being a little sister to a hidden fashion icon is great. Thanks, sis! When I obtained the skirt, it did not fit my waist (as in, I could put both arms in the waist and still have a little wiggle room), but as you already know (or will eventually learn), that never stops me from wearing something because of the two magical items that exist in this world: safety pins and belts! As I gained weight, I knew because this skirt became easier and easier to wear to the point where I didn’t need safety pins or a belt (that was when I hit 180+ lbs). So, in a way, it’s pretty awesome to have some items that are too big in your closet, it will save you from shopping in the case that you put a little extra cushion on.

Round Readers - F21 | similar styles: 1 | 2

Earrings - NastyGal

Gold Braided Belt - H&M | similar styles: 1 | 2

Abstract Print Top - available at Chocolate Laced Boutique

Palm Print Maxi Skirt - Boohoo | similar styles: 1 | 2

Sandals - Rainbow | similar styles: 1 | 2

Styling Tip: Mixing prints works best when there is a color that each item shares. In this case (and all my other outfits), black is that color/shade. 

This outfit is sort of a combination of the previous two styling tips. I love wearing black and white prints with red, and the contrast! Also, don’t forget your accessories. Check out these earrings, though. I bought them from NastyGal a while back and they arrived broken. No biggie though. I’m so used to having to fix things since I get them at insane bargains, I have jewelry pliers that I bought from Michael’s. Fixing them was quick and easy. And I love love love these earrings!

Styling Tip: Mix your black and white stripes with a bold floral print (bold=large flowers versus tiny flowers). The thicker the stripes, the better.

I just want to say... that as a very long-legged individual, finding pants that didn't disrespect my desired amount of ankle coverage was (and sometimes still is) a very difficult task to complete. Boohoo always has pants that are long enough... sometimes too long!

Styling Tip: When mixing two different black and white prints, play with the proportion and scale of the prints. Try pairing a bolder, more graphic print with a small-scale print. 

1. All black and white everything
2. This hat/headwrap combo!

Overall Black and White Print Styling Tip: Treat your black and white tops as a neutral. It will elevate any look. Try switching out your plain white or plain black blouse for a black and white one. Start with stripes and ease your way into mixing prints.

And that concludes the #BlackAndWhitePatternChallenge! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Next month will be my Capsule Closet / No-Spend Month, so the next style challenge (color blocking) will air in November!