How to make your Outfit Subtly Match

by Zoe Louise Thomlinson

Making your outfit subtly match without looking like you’re wearing a uniform can be tricky in fashion.

However, many celebrities and style influencers have perfected the art of creating matching clothing looks that look effortlessly stylish.

Part of creating outfits that subtly match is curating the perfect wardrobe, so no matter what you pull out, your outfits will look great.

Below is everything a discerning person needs to know about how to make your outfit subtly match.

Choose Your Shoes Carefully 

Shoes are crucial when it comes to creating a great, cohesive look. This is true in both womenswear and menswear. 

Think carefully about the shoes you wear with your outfit, as the wrong shoes can ruin an otherwise great outfit. 

If you’re going for a sporty casual look, make sure your shoes reflect this – designer trainers are usually a great option.

If you wear a lot of suits, your dress shoes are also important. For example, you shouldn’t wear black shoes with a blue suit – only brown ones. Having reliable pairs of shoes that you can pair with your outfits is one of the best ways to seamlessly match your outfits. 

Start With A Neutral Colour Palette

A neutral colour palette is one of the best ways to ensure that your outfits always match. 

Neutral-coloured clothes are often easy to find – neutral-coloured clothes often mean items in muted tones, such as black, grey, beige, and some blues and greens. 

Think of the natural colours that exist on the earth. If you buy lots of items in these colours (such as jeans, jumpers, coats, and jackets), you will find that any outfit you put together matches. 

You will be able to pull out a complete outfit without thinking if the colours go well together. 

Compliment Colours Well 

If you like to wear brighter colours and shy away from neutral tones, you should know how to compliment colours. 

Knowing your way around the colour wheel can make it much easier to determine which colours complement each other. 

For example, colours opposite each other on the colour wheel (like orange and purple) clash, so they’re not a good choice to pair to create a subtle matching outfit. 

Knowing which end of the colour wheel suits you best is also one of the best ways you can always create outfits that match and suit you well. 

To ensure your outfits are subtle and matching, create outfits with a mindset of matching complimentary colours. 

Use Complimentary Fabrics 

One of the worst ways your outfit can look mismatched and not cohesive is if you mix a lot of clashing fabrics. 

The texture of your outfit also means a lot when it comes to creating a matching outfit. 

For example, it’s hard to match crochet fabrics and faux fur!

Using fabrics that have similar and complementary textures, such as cotton and denim, is one of the best ways you can make your outfit look more cohesive. 

Think About Themes 

As well as matching your clothes by colour and textures, you should also consider creating specific themes when you make your outfits. 

For example, what would you say your style inspirations are? 1970s rockstars, business casual attire, hyper-masculine clothes? 

By having a particular theme in mind of what you want your outfit to look like, you can create a more cohesive narrative when you put together your everyday looks. Following a specific theme and organising your clothes by these themes is a great way to always have a matching outfit ready. 

Wear Similar Brands

Buying clothes according to a theme is not an unfounded tactic. In fact, most clothing stores and online shops appeal to a similar theme. 

For example, think about the brands that you buy from often. Their clothes often follow a similar look, whether it be business casual, alternative, basic essentials or athleisure. 

Therefore, usually, it’s a good idea to wear similar brands. For example, if you like to go for a sporty look, combining clothes made by similar sports brands is a great way to make your look match. 

Create A Capsule Wardrobe 

Once you have created a capsule wardrobe, you will find it much easier to find clothes that match. 

A capsule wardrobe is a small collection (usually consisting of around 30 items) that can be put together in different ways to make a lot of different outfits.

It includes everything that you would need to wear and is often designed to match by using similar fabrics, styles and colours. 

The idea behind the popular concept of a capsule wardrobe is to make it easier to create outfits suitable for every occasion without buying too many clothes. Once you have built a capsule wardrobe, you will find it much easier to pick matching clothes. 

Improve Your Tie Game

One of the simplist ways to make your work suits look interesting and match well is to improve your tie game. 

Changing your tie colours and wearing ties that suit the colours in your outfit is a great way to subtly make your work outfits match. 

Ties can come in many different styles, prints and colour shades, so you will always be able to find something that suits you. 

Changing your accessories around like this is one of the best ways to add a bit of variety to your wardrobe and make your everyday looks more cohesive. 

Choose Subtle Accessories 

Coco Chanel once said, ‘Before you leave the house, take off at least two accessories.’ 

Overcrowding your outfit with too many accessories is a bad way to curate it, as they can be hard to match and make you look too overcrowded. 

Choosing just a few accessories for your outfit that match, e.g. style, colour, and theme, will make your look more cohesive. 

Make sure to choose your accessories suitably before you add them to your outfit. 

Cultivate Your Own Personal Style 

Another great way to make your outfit look good and match well is to find your own personal style instead of copying other fashion influencers. 

If you find clothes that you like, you will be able to wear them a lot more and find ways of styling them every day. 

And if you keep buying into micro-trends, you will overcrowd your wardrobe with clothes that don’t match each other. 

Instead, if you cultivate your own sense of personal style, you will be able to match your outfits better. 

Consider Matching Co-Ords

Many people shy away from co-ords (‘coordinates,’ or two or more matching pieces in the same colour) such as a men’s twin sets because they think it will make them look like they’re wearing a uniform. 

However, it is one of the best ways to have a great matching outfit, and these items are often designed with subtlety in mind. 

Finding matching outfits already made is one of the best ways to have matching outfits in your wardrobe daily with little effort. 

Many style influencers will tell you that you need to buy certain things to make your outfits match and look good – however, you simply need to follow a few of these tips. 

By incorporating a few of these simple tips and tricks into your everyday dressing routine, you will be easily able to create outfits that subtly match.