Unintentional Matches

Unintended Choices

Closet Content Analysis: Matching

NICE                   NO THANKS         NOTE-WORTHY            NEED          NEW

NO THANKS: There was a time, when my mother went shopping for shoes and deliberately planned to also buy a matching handbag. The saying, "If the shoe fits, buy the matching handbag . . . (Unknown Author),  was her mantra. She told me of specialty shoe shops which displayed matching handbags and heels and for my mama, buying a pair of shoes meant buying a handbag - the two went together - you never came home with just one. We don't do that anymore. In fact, we abhor being too "matchy-matchy". 

In an April, 2011 post by Liz Jones from the UK Why French Ladies Never Match Their Shoes and Handbags , Jones refers to Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange. In her post she illustrates the very fashionable former model with a black croc-style handbag (de la Fressange advises to eliminate the croc-stamp from your handbag wardrobe) and black flats. Looks like a match to me, a colour match at the very least. The photo therefore contradicts two fashion guidelines made in de la Fressange's book. I would like to assert here that for the most part "matching" takes place unintentionally.

When one has fallen into a particular shopping style and clothing style, our favourite colours manifest into a wardrobe that quite unintentionally goes together. In the two cases presented in this post, there was no intent on deliberately matching bags and shoes, and for the most part they don't match exactly; it just happened! 

Here's a good example of Joelle Aidan's unintentional match. The bag is a Tod's "D bag" bought at Holt Renfrew (Calgary) in December 2011 during their winter clearance sale at 40% off. (I might add that even at 40% off the Tod's bag will run you around $1250.00 (Cdn).) Joelle adds, "I do have to say that I really love that bag.  I have found that the color with better quality leather has such a richness and depth, you just can't find that in lesser quality bags.  I have even had men compliment me on that bag."

The ballet flats are Tory Burch "Eddie ballet flat"  bought at the Tory Burch store in San Francisco, September 2011. Officially this does not constitute a match because the leathers are different, one patent, one smooth, but it does make a lovely coincidence.

I have experienced the unintentional match with the Ralph Lauren sale loafers and my Lancel bag. The Premier Flirt Lancel handbag was purchased in Paris in September, 2011 and the Ralph Lauren traditional loafers were purchased at The Bay in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at 70% off during an end-of-winter clearance (less than $35.00 Cdn). The bag has a croc-finish and the loafers are patent in the same tone, so again, not quite but NICE just the same. The Ralph Lauren loafers were purchased because of the price with no mind given to colour. I received the bag as a gift but it was a reciprocal gifting situation for a special occasion - I gave my husband a piece of art and he gave me a Lancel Premier Flirt bag and wallet. Obviously the "match" was unplanned.

In a very NOTE-WORTHY kind of way, it can be concluded that matching has become approximate and not so intentional.