Where does the concept of bookending come from?

I do hope Angie will chime in, but would love to hear from others too. Personally this blog is the only place where I have seen the concept spelled out, and for me it was like an open sesame to figuring out what was wrong with a lot of my outfits. It must be kind of a known thing though because I see a lot of women here in Europe using this technique in their dressing in what I assume is a concious way. From my memory of U.S. street style (as in what I see in real life, not photographed/blogged) this technique is not so commonly deployed.

Why am I wondering about this? While waiting for the microwave to finish cooking my food in an unusual location, I was studying a group photo of a team of scientists, the only source of stimulation around. Even though a lot of people had clearly made an effort to look nice or professional for the photo, it struck me as not totally successful and as I mentally revised their outfits I realized that a little bookending would have really saved the day in most cases.

13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I never heard about it until Angie so I assumed it was her genius at work.

And I agree absolutely - for me it has been like a key! I don't own all the right pieces to make this work well in all my outfits, but I see it as a wonderful strategy and it makes me feel so put-together when I'm able to employ it.

MNsara

For me it was here I heard about it - I also presume it was Angie's idea

It explained why black shoes with black pants always looked so heavy and wrong on me - even though they went together with each other.

Anonymous

I don't know if this is where it originated or not, but I read it in a book by JoAnna Nicholson called "Dressing Smart in the New Millenium."

http://www.impactpublications......oanna.aspx

Astrid

I also heard about it the first time here on YLF. I don't think I had ever done it before, even unconsciously. And you can really see the difference! Everything looks so much better and suddenly combinations that you thought were impossible work. I definitely plan to have at least one pair of bookending shoes, boots and sandals in the long run.

Ornella

From Angie.
As simple as that.

And it makes so much sense,
naturally.

I had heard other stylists advise having a pair of shoes in your hair color, but I suspect they took this idea from Angie, lol! Other types of bookending (like repeating your leggings color with a cami) I just think of as color echoing.

And that cracks me up that your were mentally restyling a team of scientists while nuking your meal. If they only knew!

Ana

I think the first time I heard about this was on the Inside Out Style Blog in 2008, but I can't really remember. I tend not to bookend since my hair is brown and I really don't like brown shoes (other than cognac, and my hair is darker than that). I didn't pay very close attention when the concept started floating around the forum.

I don't think of bookending as just hair and shoes.

I think of it this way: bottom and top. So, I CAN bookend my hair to my shoes. But I could also bookend my shoes (black) to a scarf (dark). If my hair were dark, it would bookend the shoes naturally.

Angie

Fashion Stylist

I've heard Imogen talk about it too. In fact, I think we may have posted about it at a similar time!

You can also bookend your bag and your shoes, or your bag and your hair, or your specs and your shoes. Or your specs and your hair.

"Bookending" means matching something on the top part of the outfit with something on the bottom part. It's an effective way of creating outfit cohesion. And cohesive outfits are attractive to the eye (our minds appreciate pretty repetition) - which is why most people like them. But bookending is NOT a must. Just a style tool.

Hope that makes sense

JoAnna Nicholson's book was written years ago. She refers to bookending as "bringing the bottom color up," and she writes about wearing shoe colors that blend with your hair as well as wearing bottoms that are the same color as your necklace, etc. IOW, it's all about tying those colors together to make your outfit cohesive so your overall look is "pulled together." It's the exact same thing that Angie and Imogen write about.

sarah

I learned it from Angie, too : )

Today I'm bookending my booties and my scarf.

Scarlet

Yes, MNSara, that's just what I mean--there was one lady for example wearing black shoes, black trousers but having it relate to nothing else, so it just looked unbalanced to me. But before I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint what was wrong. I think actually bookending is a concept Trinny and Susannah are missing when they say that black cheapens color (see book What You Wear Can Change Your Life, although I liked the book). I think it's just that people use black as a neutral but without thinking it through. Bookending has been really key to me personally figuring out how to wear black, fair as I am.

Okay, so it sounds like there is some collective wisdom underlying this and that maybe some people like Angie intuitively "get it" and articulate it well for the rest of us. I just wonder where all those chic ladies on the street know this stuff from. Maybe generations of chic mamas?

Thanks for the reminders, Angie

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