Styling "Problem" Pieces

I know I'm not alone in certain matters, like unfortunate mishaps, and in wardrobe matters, like having pieces in my closet that I never wear.  I have a little section in my closet of pieces that are waiting to be blogged, and some of them I can't wait to wear and others I just never get around to it - they're not "blog-worthy" or I'm just not sure how to style them in an interesting way.  That's where Grab 'n Go Style comes in handy - no more avoiding!  If it's grabbed, it goes out for the day!  My hubby already pulled one piece that I had been stalling on, and today he picked another - an argyle cardi that I picked up weeks ago at Hope Missions Bargain Shoppe for $2.50:

I thought it was a classic that would be kinda preppy but every time I went to wear it, snooze fest.  Even Pinterest wasn't very helpful with ideas of how to style argyle... Then last night as I was helping my fave Chantel go through her closet and style her problem pieces, I figured it out.  With these more sedate pieces, you need to pair them with something contrasting in pattern or colour otherwise they look like a truly bad case of Matchy Matchy Syndrome, in the Sears catalog kind of way.  

With that in mind, I tried a few things out with my cardi...

First up, mixing patterns...

 Next up, neutral chambray and gray tee with mixed pattern scarf and matchy scarf.

In the end, I went for a bit of both pattern mixing and matchy...

 Striped tee $4.20, teal scarf $7, leather booties $7 VV Boutique

JBrand denim again.

I have no idea why this pic is fuzzy.  It's likely the "snotty finger" filter.

Guess what?  I liked it.

 Never leave home without a necklace.

This one's from Accessorize back in the day.

In fact, I liked this look a lot!  So much so that I can't wait to apply this strategy to my other problem pieces!!  And I encourage you to do the same!  Take your problem piece, pair it with something contrasting and be amazed as everything falls into place and you start wearing it all the time! 

 Bring it on, Grab 'n Go Style!