Some find color and pattern easy, some find it daunting, some think it’s dated, some think it’s fresh and trendy. Whatever your personal take on color, one thing is clear… Color is making a comeback in a BIG way this spring. Color blocking, Ikat prints, Aztec design, bright neons - Color is everywhere!

If you’ve read my blog before you know that I consider myself an “Intricate Minimalist” which, to me, means that I love fine details and crazy pattern, but I tend to stick to neutral color palettes. So, how do I deal with color? How do I deal with the stores being jam packed with not only patterns and colors, but colorful patterns too!? I went on a shopping hunt this weekend (I call it a hunt because a ‘spree’ would have yielded more fruits of my shopping labor). I was sure to take my own advice this time rather than being lured to the rocks by the siren of trends.

How did a “color-phobic”, “intricate minimalist” navigate the trend-packed Mall?

- I took a fairly conservative stance on mixing colors. I kept to a few colors per outfit, trying to ease myself into the idea of color slowly. An example of this was a Caribbean-ocean blue, one shoulder maxi dress with a peach, Ikat print blazer with the same blue tones throughout it. I paired this with a peach bauble long necklace and peach espadrilles.

- Color blocking for dummies.  Not that I am a “dummy” but I am, admittedly, out of practice. The idea of color blocking is that you are consciously mixing colors into your outfit in layers, rather than mixed throughout the entire ensemble. I loved the white crocheted top I tried on with cool navy blue pants and purple platform heels. I would paint my nails purple with one blue nail to tie the colors in with each other. Minimal jewelry here… let’s not go overboard!

- Neon done right! In small doses… I really didn’t think I’d like neon… especially given my black and white tendencies. I’d try anything once, so I grabbed a bunch of trendy – dare I say it! – neon bangles and added them to an all white outfit. The bright pop of color was all I felt I needed, along with a bright pair of thin thong neon flip flops.