Have you ever wondered why black shoes can look blah when you don’t have black hair? Or why cream shoes look fab when you have blonde, blonde hair. It may sound silly, but in some situations it is very effective to “book-end” your look by matching the colours of your footwear and your hair.

A repeated ensemble colour pulls an outfit together. Similarly, matching one of your natural colours can complement your look. This is why people suggest wearing a shade that brings out the colour in your eyes. The effect is especially powerful when the top and bottom part of “the whole of you” are a similar colour. It creates balance and frames your outfit.

Sometimes the matching is subtle. Here are a few examples:

Obviously, a pair of yellow, green, pink or cobalt shoes adds flair to an outfit because bright shoes are a statement (and hopefully you don’t have green or pink hair).

This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but it might come in handy if you get stuck with an outfit that doesn’t quite pop. It’s the reason I own several pairs of cream shoes and boots. They always seem to be my personal answer to a boring outfit.