Fashion Formula – Fashion Bookends Tie Your Outfits Together

I credit this fashion formula to Wendy, whose innate style prowess led to the visualization of what I had sub-consciously been trying to do for some time now:

Playing in the closet of a stylish friend who wears the same size as you is one of the great pleasures of life. So when I’m hanging out with Wendy, I use any excuse to invite myself back to her place and dive into her closet. Our playdates become an excited cacophony of, “Here! Try this on! Does this one fit you? When did you get this?! Where?! What do you think of this one? How about this one?”

One particular playdate involved a few items Wendy was thinking of pairing together which she tossed my way to try on. I admired the cute little top with an attached white collar, and a print blazer in the mirror, thinking the pairing was pretty great. Then Wendy tossed me a pair of white pumps to try on, and bam! Ahh-mah-zing. The crisp white shoes mirrored the crisp white collar and the whole outfit just came together in a really beautiful way.

I visualized it like this…a really easy fashion formula for a well styled outfit is: support the outfit at the top and bottom with the same color. Your outfit is the “fashion”, and it’s being “bookended” on either end by the same color…hence fashion bookends. ;)

You can do this in several ways: match your shoes to your shirt collar (like I did here, and is why I picked up white pumps in the first place), match your shoes to your necklace, or even match your hair color to your shoes (which is probably why I prefer black shoes to nude shoes as my neutral of choice). It’s a very similar idea to matching your shoes to your handbag, or your shoes to your belt…it just ties up the color story of your outfit in a nice little stylish package.

This is by no means a rule, but it’s a nice little formula to reach for when you have an outfit that’s not quite working, and you can’t put your finger on why. Try pulling in the top and bottom of your outfit with the same color and see if that helps tie things together. =)

— Outfit Details —

Blazer J.Crew (old) (similar)
Shirt Ann Taylor (old) (similar)
Belt J.Crew
Shoes Charles by Charles David
Handbag Givenchy (different leather) (LOVE the grey!)
Watch Michael Kors (on sale!)
Bracelet vintage
Sunglasses Oliver Peoples
Necklaces Kenneth Jay Lane (old) and Stella & Dot (gifted)
Rings vintage & Catbird
Pocket Square from mom & dad’s trip to Italy

— Altered —

Blazer has had the torso slimmed