I got schooled today at a local J Crew store by an overly attentive salesperson who told me the monochromatic way of dressing was sooo 2008.  While it created a slimming silhouette (isn’t that what we’re all after?), that thinking was fashion backward and it was time to mix things up. It was time, she said breathlessly while grabbing things left and right to show me, to go Spring crazy and pair a “spicy olive” cardigan with a “sweet cantaloupe” tshirt. And if I had it in me, to top off the combination with a clutch in “sour lemon.”  I indulged in her euphoria and got a giggle out of looking at the color names on the tags but all that exercise did was give me a sudden craving for a Jamba Juice. So I walked out of the store with a sweater (yes, you should know I cursed at myself as I thought about my last blog and the rainbow of cardigans waiting for me at home while they rang up my stuff) and matching tops, all in the “putty” color. 2008 and I: we’re tight. I’m sooo not 2009.

 

As much as I love looking at the display windows and magazine spreads where creative geniuses pull together wonderfully vibrant looks/colors that juxtapose in the most impossible harmony, in my world it’s all about the matchy match. 

 

Finding things that were made to go together exactly, whether on purpose or by serendipity, is what makes me a happy girl. Sure, it’s easy enough to find shoes that match a bag made by the same designer, but when the shopping gods allow you to find alligator shoes and bags in the same tone and texture by two different brands, that’s cause for a happy dance:

 

So when I got home today, I went back inside my closet to take photographic evidence of some of the pairings that thrill me. It’s not just the tone-on-tone pairing necessarily, but I find matching patterns and textures to be just as satisfying.

 

It’s like finding a perfect mate. For your outfit.  I think I’m going to stay 2008 for a while longer.