To Match or Not

A few days ago, I watched the Tyra Banks show for the first time. The topic that caught my attention was a young girl who felt she had to look perfect everywhere she went. Her definition of perfect was matching. I found this to be interesting because matching jumps out to me as not being fashionable. Why?

Color is important, but to wear a pair of shoes that match you shirt or skirt is a bit much, unless it's a neutral of course. I feel its overbearing to wear a red shirt with a red cardigan on top. Matching is okay, yet coordination is more important than matching per se.

I recently came into my own style, and color is a key ingredient to this style. I wear a range of colors in one outfit. It is possible to break up colors and prints, and still look tasteful. I found this to be true the week, I said "forget the black and lets try color on color". Interestingly enough, I walked out the house with suede brown flat scrunch boots, grey jeans, a silk burnt orange turtle neck, and a virgin wool sandy pinstripe blue and white blazer. This isn't the only or last time that I've mixed colors, I've also mixed prints in my own outfits and garments that I've made. But most importantly it all looks good and is fashionable.

Another aspect of this is prints with color; one example of this mixing took place when I made my first menswear vest. It was a print of black and greys, and another print of red's and burgundy, all composing different aspects of the same garment. Although these colors are seemingly common the combination made a statement. Prints and color make sportswear come alive.

Pick up a British Vogue, and it becomes apparent that mixing colors are in, bold, bright and neutrals.