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Shoes and bags

viva

Veteran

I bought a bag at Nordstrom yesterday; pretty sure I am going to keep it. Thank you to everyone who commented on the purchase - I appreciate your points of view so much!
But what is so, so interesting to me is how many of you asked about my footwear or said the bag would be good "with the right footwear."
Here's the thing: I NEVER consider my footwear when I grab a
handbag. As I said, I have been using my navy Tory Burch bag pretty
much nonstop for more than two years, regardless of what is on my feet. I
never even think about it.
If anything, if I chose a bag I think about the occasion or the outfit. If shopping heavily, I might grab a crossbody for better functionality. If a dressy event, a clutch. Otherwise, I am going for my Tory. Now. I am pretty monogamous bag-wise and not matchy-matchy. But I wonder: am I the only one who doesn't think AT ALL about bags and shoes and how they interact?
To my way of thinking (and the SA and I talked about this), this new bag is going to be very versatile in terms of color: I can see it with pale colors like washed denim but also strong tones like navy, black, white, and red. I love that it is both casual and luxe in both color and feel. Thinking about my shoes, I think it will fab with black, my red ballet flats, my tan suede high-tops, my Freebirds, my olive suede lace-ups, with my navy wedges .... really, the only thing it might not work with is bright jewel tones.

Anyway, your comments all got me to wondering .... am I really the odd girl out here? And, is it just because I only have (and want to have) a couple of purses?

Dressing

34 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Anonymous

It never even occurred to me to coordinate my bags with my footwear.

I have all manner of bags (totes to clutches and everything in between), all of which I love. My bags set the tone for my entire outfit. I have hard-to-fit feet and my shoe capsule is dismal at best. I wear shoes that work with the slacks I am wearing that day. Rarely are my shoes a fashion statement (or even interesting).

Shoes (utilitarian) do not equal bag (signature).

Anonymous

Oh, lightbulb moment for me, too, Viva! After the old, 'match your bag colour to your shoe colour' rule went out the window, I didn't give the relationship a second thought. I'm like you: On the rare occasions I switch out my bags, I do evaluate how they work with a full outfit (wouldn't carry my ladylike HRH style top-handle bag with a leather jacket outfit, and therefore it wouldn't end up matched with moto boots by default), but I wouldn't know where to start with making sure my bag goes with my shoes.

Anonymous

I was one of the people who said you needed the right footwear. I do think about how they interact because I've run into matching problems.
What I meant was that I wouldn't wear this bag with black footwear. Of course that's just me and my personal taste.
I'm trying to think of other colours that wouldn't go, and I can't think of any.

Elizabeth P

Veteran

I was also a bit surprised by the number of people who made that comment on your thread. I thought one didn't "do" that any more... although I can see that if the bag is a bit of a wildcard colour, you'd want to bookend it somewhere.

I match my bag to my outfit, or coat. I match my footwear to my outfit. So if the bag and shoes "match", then then do. But if they don't, at least I know the outfit tonally all goes together. I quite like a bag to be a statement colour, actually.

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

I always think about how the bag and shoes work with the outfit in terms of color palette or overall look and shape. But that's not the same as matching the bag to the shoes.

viva

Veteran

It's interesting how many ways there are of thinking about shoes and bags. There's no judgement in my post, BTW - if that wasn't clear. I'm just trying to understand where I sit on the spectrum. And maybe I'm way on one end -- for example, Aliona, I would wear a ladylike bag with motos and a leather jacket (for contrast), and Smittie, I would wear this bag with an all-black outfit, including black footwear (contrast, again). Maybe that's it? Maybe I enjoy contrast so much that it keeps me from trying to match? Hmmm.

El Cee

Veteran

I echo UmmLila's thoughts. I think about how the bag, shoes and accessories work with the outfit as a whole -- not whether they "match" each other. Occasionally they do end up matching, but that is generally not a planned thing. Like Elizabeth P, my bag is often a statement piece (either in color or in pattern -- and sometimes both). My footwear tends to be less dramatic and often "neutral".

lyn67

Veteran

No, you are NOT the odd girl, but your navy Tory Burch might be the most versatile bag in the world:-).

BTW I am also a (quasi) but seasonal monogamist and think your new bag is neutral enough to go with all the colors in the world (including black!:-)) but maybe not all the shoe styles. For me it's not only about color, but weight and level of formality, too.

JAileen

Veteran

My shoes and bag don't necessarily "match" but they do "go". For awhile I deliberatly made sure they didn't match, but now it's fine if they do. And both are an integral part of my outfit. I think that's why I like the seatbelt bag so much. The color works with nearly everything, and it's size and shape is perfect for me.

abc

Veteran

What Jaileen said. They have to go. They don't have to match and usually I prefer if they don't for visual interest.

Can you show us your new pretty bag?? Living vicariously here!

Anonymous

Yes, I always make sure the shoes and bag "go." If they're both neutrals, it's usually okay to my eye. I try to avoid matchy-matchy because it's kind of boring, but sometimes I do it just for old time's sake. I have some burgundy boots that I like to wear with a burgundy bag 'cause I just like the way it looks.

Anonymous

As Lisa says above.

I'm very particular about this- not in matching colours per se, but in considering how it all works together. I don't have a ton of purses either, nor do I want more - I can't stand looking at the pile I already have right now and never use. But you've already answered your own question in listing all of the shoes and clothing colours you have that the bag will work with - it's a slam dunk, as they say. Your navy Tory Burch just fell into place because your "matching" is intuitive and you've kept your wardrobe colours in sync with each other anyways.

Anonymous

I didn't think your comments were judgmental.
Yes, I think you like contrast (style and colour) more than I do. The only way I'd wear my navy structured bag with my black Moto is with either blue jeans or a blue scarf. I really need a lot of color rhythm in my outfits, I guess.

Anonymous

Right, it is really about thr outfit. If I were smarter, I'd have said this in the first place

Ledonna N.

Veteran

I never used to carry a bag only a wallet. 10 years in the army. Then in my civilian life I started to carry a backpack so it did not mater. Slowly I started to evolve in my fashion choices and I became the dreaded matchy matchy. Then as in now I don't care and for some reason it all seems to work.

rabbit

Veteran

I think I mentioned something in the other thread, and thinking about it has been good for reflecting on my own tendencies.

I carry a fair number of bags, and although I sometimes match neutrals in bags and shoes, it's more about how the whole outfit works together, how it 'goes' rather than 'matches' like others say. (I'm wondering if part of this might be something I developed because I can control the presentation of the whole outfit, but I'm often working with relatively simple/inexpensive ingredients -- no star players).

The bag you got is lovely and should be very versatile in terms of color with the colors you typically wear and the ones you list. I think the fact that it's as close to cream as to a camel is helpful.

The area I get a little compulsive about and have difficulty with is the palest camel/taupe to deep brown leather range. When there are two different brown leathers in an outfit and there is nothing else linking those colors (unless the outfit is all neutrals, and that can work), my eye has trouble adjusting to it. Usually the other places brown leather shows up is in shoes and belts. I've been looking for weeks for a leather bag in the right shades of camel/cognac to work with certain shoes, and finally just tabled it, and figured that I'd stick with 'goes with' bags that aren't in brown shades. So I was trying to remember if you wore brown shoes and if so, what shades they were. Like I said, more about me than you.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Viva, I'm a "bag monogamist" too. (Great expression!). Like I've said before, I don't carry a bag at all if I can possibly get away with it, but I do have one bag for when I have no pockets. It's a warm light brown (it might be what you guys call "cognac"?) and it goes with literally everything I own. Mind you, I wear a very limited palette of mostly neutral colours: black, grey, army green, denim, white, and a bit of red, hot pink, burgundy and light blue. I think the brown bag works better than a black or navy one would, given my colours.

I really do need to get an evening bag, though -- a nice clutch. There have been occasions where I've needed one! I've had to get my hubs to stuff my things in his suit jacket pockets. You can't take a normal handbag to a wedding, for example.

kkards

Veteran

so interesting....i'm very particular about matching my shoes to my outfit....and very picking about matching my bag to my needs....the bag must hold what i need it to hold, must open in a way that allows me to get what i need.....honestly I've never thought about matching my bag and my shoes.

jill58

Veteran

I don't worry about my bag and shoes matching but I think a lot about how they'll work together. I also like the hardware to tie-in with whatever other metals I'm wearing--jewelry, watch, etc...I actually started a thread about that. Most of my jewelry is silver or white gold so I tend to gravitate toward silver hardware on handbags. I would like to branch out from this--it's limiting--but it's been an easy default that somehow made me feel more pulled together.

Sal

Veteran

I only have two day bags that I use. If wearing tan/ cognac footwear I use that bag, as I prefer that to the bone bag with cognac. I think of the overall look- I used to match, then I used to clash, now I do a mix.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I think the bag you chose goes with your skin tone and hair tones, and that in itself creates cohesion. But I admit to buying two pairs of blue shoes for this spring/summer - slip on espadrilles and sandals both meant to "go" with my new blue bag. That doesn't mean these are the only shoes I will wear with the bag by any means - it just means it is one more way of helping to create a color scheme in my wardrobe. I use my hair and skin tone, as well as eye color all the time to decide what colors to wear together in an outfit.

Kate Spade New York 'cobble hill - small gina' leather tote

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Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am pretty much a bag monogamist, also, or maybe a bigamist (one dressier bag and one all purpose bag) and I change partners with the seasons. So I don't think of matching it to shoes, either -- it's about the entire outfit. I do think of how it works with my coat -- in our climate, that is crucial!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What UmmLila said.

Anonymous

You know, something just struck me about this question or issue. Maybe this is the reason why you have an inherent cool factor about you that so many of us don't. This innate ability to put things on and go without analyzing it to death.....is very special. Being confident and relaxed about how you present yourself goes a long way towards having true style. You have it. I will never pay attention to my purse vis a vis my shoes again .

Isabel

Veteran

This post fascinated me ! The LAST thing on my mind when I buy a bag are my shoes. I also think about my wardrobe palette. That's it.

Banoffi

Veteran

Interesting question. I'm often lazy and just use the same handbag for weeks. When I do put thought into it, I am usually thinking about how the color and shape of the bag complement my outfit. The only time I think about how the shoes work with the handbag is when they have clashing metal colors (e.g. silver buckles on the shoes but gold-toned hardware on the bag).

Staysfit

Veteran

I don't match the bag and my footwear, but I try to create a cohesive look where my bag and footwear look nice paired together with what I'm wearing. They don't necessarily form a matched set.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I have a lot of bags but tend to cycle through a few at a time. I choose according to practical needs of the day, and then generally how it goes with the whole outfit. I'm with others that are neither matchers nor match avoiders.

Dee

Veteran

I mostly don't worry about it, with one exception: I don't wear bright colored handbags with bright coats or shoes. It pushes me too far over the line of a lot going on. But one statement piece and any combination of neutrals is fine with me.

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