Fashion Forward

Tips From The Fashionista
Commandment #3:
Matchy-Matchy, Theme Outfits,
& Other Aberrant Things One Should Avoid


My favorite Italian word is sprezzatura. You may have guessed it would be bella, and that’s a close second, but sprezzatura is a perfectly untranslatable word for the condition of looking like you’re not trying.

Anyone cool knows that the epitome of uncool is trying too hard. Sprezzatura implies that to look like you’re not trying involves a certain amount of effort—otherwise you just look like a slob. That artifice is part of sprezzatura’s beauty.

1. Matchy-Matchy.
This is a term we in the fashion world use with absolute derision. “Hmph! She’d be a cute girl if her clothes weren’t always so matchy-matchy.” “Look at his shirt! It’s the same color as the argyle in his sweater…that’s way too matchy-matchy.” Matchy-matchy connotes a certain pedestrian or bourgeois tendency, something associated with the suburban and the concept of trying too hard. Nothing identifies a tourist in New York City quite as easily as matching hat/gloves/scarf/bag/sneakers/umbrella/turtleneck. You see what I mean.

Now, there are some fashion pieces for which matching is necessary: suits, for example, are generally two items (a jacket and a skirt/trouser) made of the same fabric. Although you can wear your suit pieces as separates, they are the main exception to the moratorium on matchy-matchy. The best example of someone who successfully avoids dressing matchy-matchy is Sienna Miller; Kathie Lee Gifford would be the poster girl.

2. Theme Outfits
I must admit, theme outfits are possibly my greatest weakness, and consequently must be addressed publicly. October 31st is an entirely unimportant day to theme-outfit offenders—you know who you are—because you dress in costume EVERY DAY. Now, I’ve been known to have a “Bianca Jagger circa 1970 in Ibiza” outfit, or a “Grace Kelly in the Corniche d’Or scene of To Catch a Thief” outfit, and I realize that these things are wrong.

The most important thing about creating your own personalized style is to be able to glean the best elements of these iconic fashion moments, like Grace Kelly’s scarf or Bianca Jagger’s hat, and incorporate them in your own way. Mimicry ends up looking ridiculous, and heaven knows you could be headed towards the eventuality of waking up in the morning and dressing yourself like Shirley Temple in the film version of The Good Ship Lollipop. If you like to dress in costume, join the circus or throw a party.

3. The Canadian* Tuxedo
Like matchy-matchy, the term Canadian tuxedo is also used derisively to describe a specific outfit consisting of jeans and a denim jacket. The proliferation of denim in all forms and styles has created many more options for jeans and jackets than the standard-issue Levi’s, but variety of style does not compensate for homogeneity of denim.

I can already hear the chorus of “But my jeans are black and my jacket is blue—” But I don’t care. Wool blazers are so chic this season. Wear one with your jeans (bonus points for suede or corduroy elbow patches). Want to wear a denim jacket? Do it over a long sweater and leggings.

Style is and should always be a reflection of your personality, and who am I to judge if your personality dictates that your earmuffs should match your socks? I’ll tell you: it’s a cruel world out there, and you don’t want to be known as the purple earmuff girl when what you should really be known as is the brilliant post-modern one-act dramatist, or the fantastic flaky pastry chef.

There are enough colors, textiles, and designs out there for everyone, and they needn’t all be worn at once.

*Obviously, I cannot take credit for coining this term, as I harbor no disrespect for the fashion sense of our neighbors to the north. In fact, several of them have forgotten more about style than I’ll ever know. And just like us, some of them have simply forgotten about style.