How to Mix and Match Coordinating Sets
If there’s one fashion rule we live by, we believe in the unrivaled styling power of a matching set. For the days you don’t want to think, just add a shoe and you’re ready to go. For extra styling credit, mix and match your coordinating sets to create infinite outfit options. Read on for our co-ord set styling tips, ideas, and secrets.
It’s the foundation of every great wardrobe and the everyday uniform. Every one of our tops is designed to pair back to a jean. Arguably the easiest of all styling hacks, this should always be step one. When in doubt, pair it with a jean.
Color Matching
Add neutral pieces and layers within the same color wheelhouse as your set.
Stick with the pallette
We offer a variety of coordinating sets that match with other pieces of our collections, both printed and solid. Buying a coordinating set and having several other pieces in similar shades from the same brand is a great way to build a sort of capsule wardrobe that will always work together nicely.
If you have a set with a very complex print, you actually have more color matching options. Look closely at the pattern, find the smaller details featured in the print. Try matching your colors to that detail rather than the larger, more obvious colors of the print. (For example, if you have a pink floral ensemble with tiny yellow bees, try matching to the bees, not the pink florals) This will make the beautiful, smaller details on your set really pop while maintaining coordination.
Neutrals
They’re the powerful backbone of every wardrobe. Neutral shades like brown, white, black, beige, and grey work very well with nearly all other colors and prints and are endlessly interchangeable.
Color Theory
The color wheel seems like a memory from grade school art class, but it’s always relevant in fashion. Colors on opposite sides of the wheel (orange and blue, for example) are actually complementary to one another; they make each other pleasantly pop when paired together. If you’re looking for something solid to wear against your printed pieces, don’t be afraid to go bold and reach in the opposite direction color-wise. The payoff is artistic, daring, and still sophisticated.
Leopard sets
Who doesn’t love a classic leopard print? Different pieces, unless made as one entire set, often have slight variations in their leopard prints. Even if they’re not quite the same, they play well together, as they’re all rooted in the same basic design and color shades.
Big & Small
A larger print worn against a tiny print can work to create dimension, interest, and a luxurious, maximalist vibe. A larger floral printed jacket set will work nicely over a blouse with tiny florets. Likewise, a skirt with small polka-dots pairs nicely with a blouse patterned in bigger circles. Try selecting printed pieces that have one color in common between them to keep things from looking too busy or jarring.
Jacquard
If you’re interested in a more subtle take on a coordinated printed set, try pieces made with jacquard. This method of fabrication creates a textured style or pattern on material, one that is actually part of the clothing, not printed on. It’s often more subtle than a pattern and brings an added formality to pieces.
For work
Matching sets bring a tidy, smart vibe to the workplace and make you appear even more put-together. To wear a set that’s coordinated but not entirely matchy, consider wearing two out of three pieces in a matching set. For the third, reach for a piece in one of the colors adjacent: pink with red, navy with blue.
For casual days
While the idea of color coordination often brings to mind sophisticated professional outfits, coordinating sets can be casual and relaxed too. Our active sets contain matching jackets and pants, but to break things up, try that rule of two-thirds we talked about earlier: two matching pieces from one set, and a neutral or color-adjacent piece.