EBEW Pattern Mixing Day

I was excited that today's EBEW was a pattern mixing challenge.  I love mixing different patterns in my closet and the more that I work on it, the easier it comes.  For instance, I would have never thought to put this outfit together a year ago.  I would have paired the skirt with a solid color top, worn loose over the skirt, creating an outfit that doesn't work all that well proportionally with this skirt (hence it's frustration in my closet).

I was going to go the route of mixing florals and stripes, but this outfit came to me yesterday as I was walking back from lunch and I decided to use this pretty tie-neck blouse.  In other news,  I think this blouse is going to get a lot of play this fall.

Speaking of things that don't go well together, I would like to lump the contestants of the Bachelor Pad and general intelligence into that category.  I love the Bachelor/ette and its various forms, but after last night's 3 hour cranium-bludgeoning that it effected on my head, I don't know that my brain can literally survive another six weeks.  When the word "dysfunctional" is referenced as a "big" word, or general grammar discarded like yesterday's trash, my years of schooling rise up in revolt and say "No more!".  I promise, I am not such an intellectual snob that I don't enjoy trashy reality TV as much as the next person, but sometimes a girl just has to draw a line somewhere. :)