Coordinated, but not matchy-matchy

I think that fashion has evolved to being more about coordinating and less about matching. Matching your shoes and handbag or handbag and dress are out. It's more about coordination and things just "going" together.

Think complimentary colors:
- Brown and pink
- Brown and blue
- Green and pink
- Gray and orange
- Purple and orange


It's all about the color wheel, and going for colors that are opposite so that each color stands out more. Analagous colors (those right next to each other) are out, where complimentary (directly across from each other) or triadic (three colors evenly spaced apart) are desired.

It's also important for people to be coordinated, but not matchy matchy. Remember the fabulous article, How to Dress Like the Perfect Couple? It's pretty important to have your man match your purse. A few weeks ago, my sister and I were wearing black and pink. That would have been too matchy matchy, except I had a pink skirt and black top; where my sister had a pink top and black bottom--so, it looked nicely coordinated. Take my outfit today, for example... I'm wearing a gray dress over an orange shirt and I have a gray and orange bag that matched exactly! Did I use it?... No! Instead, I chose a lighter gray bag with orange trip so it was more coordinated and didn't blend in with the outfit.

So, remember, go for coordinated and not matchy-matchy. Go for colors that compliment each other instead of "match" together.