AvaTrimble
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Coming from the background of historical reenacting (1860s, sure, but the research-oriented mindset is timeless!), and having a natural tendency to love matching, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this, and collecting information. I have two reprinted books that have some dandy information on the subject
From Better Than Beauty: A Guide to Charm by Helen Valentine and Alice Thompson, with illustrations by Emery I. Gondor, originally published in 1938 and republished in 2002 by Chronicle Books LLC:
"What goes with what?
One problem which is often mentioned may by summarized in the plain of Betty S. who said sadly, 'I know I look best in navy blue, but I get so tired of it. If I could just be sure what colors to use with it, I'd be all right.'
Betty, and all you countless others who look well in navy blue, here are the colors that look best with it: navy with white, soft pink, sharp green, lemon yellow, lighter blue, dull purple, wine red. Surely there's enough variety for anyone!
Let's consider the dark brown that so often gains vitality by having a bit of contrast--brown with soft green, a light dull blue, dusty pink, beige, copper, yellow, white. And, if you can trust your color sense, certain browns with certain grays.
With green--we're talking of the dark soft green that you would choose for a woolen frock--use contrast carefully. But you would be safe with brown, chartreuse, soft rust, soft yellow, bright red, black.
What goes best with gray? Yellow, white, darkish brown, black, bright red, navy, a touch of purple." (p. 66-67)
"What color shall you wear?
...If you are very fond of a color, but you find that it does nothing for you, satisfy your liking for it by using it in small doses, in combination with a color that you know is becoming. And one last word, unless you feel happy in a color, leave it for others. Never wear a color simply because it is becoming." (p. 68)
"Do you plan or do you plunge?
If you could see Mrs. M and Mrs. B., you would have living models of the right and wrong way to shop for clothes.
Mrs. M. is wealthy, she spends a great deal on her clothes, she buys only the best. Is she chic? She is not. She misses it by a mile! Last winter, on Fifth Avenue, she was seen wearing a regal mink coat over a reddish brown dress that was just the wrong shade; a hat with too wide a brim, that interfered with the line of her coat collar; beige gloves that were too pink in tone. Yet each individual item was, by itself, costly and correct.
Mrs. B., whom we chanced to meet a few days later, was wearing a well-fitted black cloth coat, with a sleek little black turban, chamois gloves, and soft yellow and gray scarf, knotted loosely and tucked into the neck of her collarless coat. She looked as though she had stepped from the shop-window of a smart shop. Yet her income is small and she has to dress two children on her very limited budget.
What is the answer? Planning, of course--careful, thoughtful planning." (p. 68-69)
"Planning a wardrobe
How does one go about it? Many women's magazines magazines have a blissful way of attacking the problem as though money grew on trees. They tell you how many dresses and pairs of shoes you will need, what hats and coats to choose, and what accessories. But most of us cannot afford a whole new wardrobe at one time. And even women who could afford it would think twice before they threw out a few favorite frocks or a good coat and started from scratch..." (p. 69)
"Buyer beware!
Are you a bargain buyer? Then beware. This way danger lies. Of course, occasionally one can find a bargain that is just perfect. It fits into your general plan and it fits you. Its price is reasonable, so grab it.
But, no matter how beguiling the price tag, think before you say 'I'll take it.' Relate the object, mentally, to the things you already have.
If it's a dress, consider the coat and hat you'll be wearing with it. How about your shoes and purse? If there's no harmony ahead, your pet bargain will soon become your prize eyesore. Be strong. Drop it, as though it had thorns. Watch for another bargain that will really be worth its purchase price..." (p. 73)
"Accessories speak volumes
Accessories are a giveaway. They tell volumes about you, your taste, your judgment.
Go to your bureau or dressing table and take out every purse and belt, every scarf and pair of gloves. Go to your closet and take out every hat and every pair of shoes. Look them over. Are they accessories that lift an ordinary costume into the realm of smartness, or are they detractors and hangers-on that do more harm than good?
Don't buy your accessories helter-skelter. 'That's a sweet purse' ... 'this belt's a bargain' ... 'pretty gloves, aren't they?' That's not the way to decide!
When you add up the cost of all the extras that go to make up even a simple costume, you may be staggered by the total. That's why each part should be selected with an eye to its fitness not only for this one ensemble, but for many others, too.
There are two schools of thought about accessories. One school believes that only the best will do. The second maintains that the trick is to have a lot of inexpensive accessories to give you plenty of variety. We disagree with both schools.
Here's our plan: Have two or three complete sets of accessories, as costly as you can afford without overtaxing your budget. Have them be of sufficiently good quality so that they will stand up under frequent use. Buy them as carefully as you would your best evening gown.
Permit yourself an occasional frippery, if you wish. An inexpensive, colorful cotton purse for summer use only, a gay belt that will look well with one or two frocks only (and will therefore not be worn with any others), a giddy pair of earrings or clips that turn your simple black dress into a thing to be noticed. These occasional sprees are good, of course. But it's like dieting. When you break your diet, let it be for a very special treat. It's the consistent little lapses that add the pounds! And in buying, it's those lapses that rob you of money for smart necessities.
Recently a magazine devoted a page to the idea... 'Give your black frock variety.' It showed the black dress in the center of the page and then showed, in the four corners, four complete sets of accessories--shoes, purses, belts, gloves, even handkerchiefs. We feel that is a trick, neither realistic for helpful, and a far cry from the variety we mentioned before. Any woman who can afford four pairs of shoes and four purses for one dress can afford more than one dress!
Far cleverer is the woman who buys an excellent navy blue purse and belt for her spring suit, and then plans a midsummer ensemble of a linen or heavy cotton in white, or natural, or pink--any of which would look well with navy accessories. By stretching their use, she gives herself more to spend for clothes..." (p. 75-77)
I also have a high-style-minded book on fashion, A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants To Be Well and Properly Dressed On All Occasions by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, originally published in 1964, and republished (edited by the author) in 2003 by HarperCollins. It says:
"Matchmaking
Because co-ordination is essential to elegance, the fashion stylists attempt to facilitate matter by providing us with various sets of matching accessories and even complete co-ordinated wardrobes...but, as in every other phase of elegance, moderation is always the best policy...
Solid colours can stand repetition much better than can patterned materials. But even so, an all-navy or all-beige ensemble is less monotonous and more chic if it is relieved by a touch of another colour, which is always a foolproof formula.
Having advised you to exercise restraint in fashion matchmaking, I should add that there are a number of cases where matchmaking is without a doubt the most elegant thing to do. It is always good fashion to match:
-Your raincoat, rain hat, and umbrella.
-Your dressing gown and bedroom slippers.
-Your luggage, or at least the major pieces.
-Your suit blouse and jacket lining.
-A very dressy coat and dress." (p. 108-109)
"Accessories
The accessories worn with an outfit - gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag - are among the most important elements of an elegant appearance. A modest dress or suit can triple its face value when it it is worn with an elegant hat, bag, gloves, and shoes, while a designer's original can lose much of its prestige if its accessories have been carelessly selected.
Very often a woman buys a coat or suit without realizing that the price will be doubled if, in order to accessorize it correctly, she must buy an entire new set in a color that does not already figure in her wardrobe.
It is indispensable to own a complete set of accessories in black and, if possible, another in brown, plus a pair of beige shoes and a beige straw handbag for the summer. With this basic minimum almost every combination is attractive. I can remember when Dior first combined brown and black in the same ensemble, but this harmony is now considered a classic, as is navy blue with black.
Of course, it would be idea to have each set of accessories in two different versions: one for sport and the other dressy...
Bright-coloured shoes are only smart when worn in the evening under electric lights with a long or short evening dress...With pastel shades, a beige handbag and shoes are much smarter than white..." (p. 1-2)
In Elegance, she also speaks of the importance of having leathers matching, but I don't seem to have that particular quote in my transcribed file and I can't find it in the book. But I recall is as saying that leather items ought to match, so if your shoes, belt, gloves, and bag were all leather they ought best to be the same color, but if one or more items were cloth, then it was more acceptable to there to be a difference in color.
Sorry for the hideously long post, but I thought that the info in Charm was so handy that I wanted to provide all the highlights. I highly recommend the book, if you can track it down. Very fun, and some really timeless advice throughout. The other book is from after the main period of this forum, but it has some relevant stuff too. I'm also planning on mining Marsha Hunt's The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s, and Our World Since Then for her tidbits on color and matching, since she has some great commentary.
For my part, I tend to go with mostly-matching accessories, but will often accent with two colors, or do some accessories in the dress/skirt/pants color. I'm in the process of simplifying my wardrobe by limiting the majority of my color palette to red/dark red, black/dark gray, white/ivory, and tan/brown, and avoiding things that can't coordinate easily with what I have. But then I go and buy things like a darling little felt hat in a shade of blue that matches absolutely nothing I own, with a black velvet band so I can't even really wear it with navy. If I had gloves or even a cuff bracelet to match, or a belt, I'd feel better, and wear it with all black! Which, from what I've read, would be pretty correct for most fashion-advice of the time.
Hope this helps!
From Better Than Beauty: A Guide to Charm by Helen Valentine and Alice Thompson, with illustrations by Emery I. Gondor, originally published in 1938 and republished in 2002 by Chronicle Books LLC:
"What goes with what?
One problem which is often mentioned may by summarized in the plain of Betty S. who said sadly, 'I know I look best in navy blue, but I get so tired of it. If I could just be sure what colors to use with it, I'd be all right.'
Betty, and all you countless others who look well in navy blue, here are the colors that look best with it: navy with white, soft pink, sharp green, lemon yellow, lighter blue, dull purple, wine red. Surely there's enough variety for anyone!
Let's consider the dark brown that so often gains vitality by having a bit of contrast--brown with soft green, a light dull blue, dusty pink, beige, copper, yellow, white. And, if you can trust your color sense, certain browns with certain grays.
With green--we're talking of the dark soft green that you would choose for a woolen frock--use contrast carefully. But you would be safe with brown, chartreuse, soft rust, soft yellow, bright red, black.
What goes best with gray? Yellow, white, darkish brown, black, bright red, navy, a touch of purple." (p. 66-67)
"What color shall you wear?
...If you are very fond of a color, but you find that it does nothing for you, satisfy your liking for it by using it in small doses, in combination with a color that you know is becoming. And one last word, unless you feel happy in a color, leave it for others. Never wear a color simply because it is becoming." (p. 68)
"Do you plan or do you plunge?
If you could see Mrs. M and Mrs. B., you would have living models of the right and wrong way to shop for clothes.
Mrs. M. is wealthy, she spends a great deal on her clothes, she buys only the best. Is she chic? She is not. She misses it by a mile! Last winter, on Fifth Avenue, she was seen wearing a regal mink coat over a reddish brown dress that was just the wrong shade; a hat with too wide a brim, that interfered with the line of her coat collar; beige gloves that were too pink in tone. Yet each individual item was, by itself, costly and correct.
Mrs. B., whom we chanced to meet a few days later, was wearing a well-fitted black cloth coat, with a sleek little black turban, chamois gloves, and soft yellow and gray scarf, knotted loosely and tucked into the neck of her collarless coat. She looked as though she had stepped from the shop-window of a smart shop. Yet her income is small and she has to dress two children on her very limited budget.
What is the answer? Planning, of course--careful, thoughtful planning." (p. 68-69)
"Planning a wardrobe
How does one go about it? Many women's magazines magazines have a blissful way of attacking the problem as though money grew on trees. They tell you how many dresses and pairs of shoes you will need, what hats and coats to choose, and what accessories. But most of us cannot afford a whole new wardrobe at one time. And even women who could afford it would think twice before they threw out a few favorite frocks or a good coat and started from scratch..." (p. 69)
"Buyer beware!
Are you a bargain buyer? Then beware. This way danger lies. Of course, occasionally one can find a bargain that is just perfect. It fits into your general plan and it fits you. Its price is reasonable, so grab it.
But, no matter how beguiling the price tag, think before you say 'I'll take it.' Relate the object, mentally, to the things you already have.
If it's a dress, consider the coat and hat you'll be wearing with it. How about your shoes and purse? If there's no harmony ahead, your pet bargain will soon become your prize eyesore. Be strong. Drop it, as though it had thorns. Watch for another bargain that will really be worth its purchase price..." (p. 73)
"Accessories speak volumes
Accessories are a giveaway. They tell volumes about you, your taste, your judgment.
Go to your bureau or dressing table and take out every purse and belt, every scarf and pair of gloves. Go to your closet and take out every hat and every pair of shoes. Look them over. Are they accessories that lift an ordinary costume into the realm of smartness, or are they detractors and hangers-on that do more harm than good?
Don't buy your accessories helter-skelter. 'That's a sweet purse' ... 'this belt's a bargain' ... 'pretty gloves, aren't they?' That's not the way to decide!
When you add up the cost of all the extras that go to make up even a simple costume, you may be staggered by the total. That's why each part should be selected with an eye to its fitness not only for this one ensemble, but for many others, too.
There are two schools of thought about accessories. One school believes that only the best will do. The second maintains that the trick is to have a lot of inexpensive accessories to give you plenty of variety. We disagree with both schools.
Here's our plan: Have two or three complete sets of accessories, as costly as you can afford without overtaxing your budget. Have them be of sufficiently good quality so that they will stand up under frequent use. Buy them as carefully as you would your best evening gown.
Permit yourself an occasional frippery, if you wish. An inexpensive, colorful cotton purse for summer use only, a gay belt that will look well with one or two frocks only (and will therefore not be worn with any others), a giddy pair of earrings or clips that turn your simple black dress into a thing to be noticed. These occasional sprees are good, of course. But it's like dieting. When you break your diet, let it be for a very special treat. It's the consistent little lapses that add the pounds! And in buying, it's those lapses that rob you of money for smart necessities.
Recently a magazine devoted a page to the idea... 'Give your black frock variety.' It showed the black dress in the center of the page and then showed, in the four corners, four complete sets of accessories--shoes, purses, belts, gloves, even handkerchiefs. We feel that is a trick, neither realistic for helpful, and a far cry from the variety we mentioned before. Any woman who can afford four pairs of shoes and four purses for one dress can afford more than one dress!
Far cleverer is the woman who buys an excellent navy blue purse and belt for her spring suit, and then plans a midsummer ensemble of a linen or heavy cotton in white, or natural, or pink--any of which would look well with navy accessories. By stretching their use, she gives herself more to spend for clothes..." (p. 75-77)
I also have a high-style-minded book on fashion, A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants To Be Well and Properly Dressed On All Occasions by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, originally published in 1964, and republished (edited by the author) in 2003 by HarperCollins. It says:
"Matchmaking
Because co-ordination is essential to elegance, the fashion stylists attempt to facilitate matter by providing us with various sets of matching accessories and even complete co-ordinated wardrobes...but, as in every other phase of elegance, moderation is always the best policy...
Solid colours can stand repetition much better than can patterned materials. But even so, an all-navy or all-beige ensemble is less monotonous and more chic if it is relieved by a touch of another colour, which is always a foolproof formula.
Having advised you to exercise restraint in fashion matchmaking, I should add that there are a number of cases where matchmaking is without a doubt the most elegant thing to do. It is always good fashion to match:
-Your raincoat, rain hat, and umbrella.
-Your dressing gown and bedroom slippers.
-Your luggage, or at least the major pieces.
-Your suit blouse and jacket lining.
-A very dressy coat and dress." (p. 108-109)
"Accessories
The accessories worn with an outfit - gloves, hat, shoes, and handbag - are among the most important elements of an elegant appearance. A modest dress or suit can triple its face value when it it is worn with an elegant hat, bag, gloves, and shoes, while a designer's original can lose much of its prestige if its accessories have been carelessly selected.
Very often a woman buys a coat or suit without realizing that the price will be doubled if, in order to accessorize it correctly, she must buy an entire new set in a color that does not already figure in her wardrobe.
It is indispensable to own a complete set of accessories in black and, if possible, another in brown, plus a pair of beige shoes and a beige straw handbag for the summer. With this basic minimum almost every combination is attractive. I can remember when Dior first combined brown and black in the same ensemble, but this harmony is now considered a classic, as is navy blue with black.
Of course, it would be idea to have each set of accessories in two different versions: one for sport and the other dressy...
Bright-coloured shoes are only smart when worn in the evening under electric lights with a long or short evening dress...With pastel shades, a beige handbag and shoes are much smarter than white..." (p. 1-2)
In Elegance, she also speaks of the importance of having leathers matching, but I don't seem to have that particular quote in my transcribed file and I can't find it in the book. But I recall is as saying that leather items ought to match, so if your shoes, belt, gloves, and bag were all leather they ought best to be the same color, but if one or more items were cloth, then it was more acceptable to there to be a difference in color.
Sorry for the hideously long post, but I thought that the info in Charm was so handy that I wanted to provide all the highlights. I highly recommend the book, if you can track it down. Very fun, and some really timeless advice throughout. The other book is from after the main period of this forum, but it has some relevant stuff too. I'm also planning on mining Marsha Hunt's The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s, and Our World Since Then for her tidbits on color and matching, since she has some great commentary.
For my part, I tend to go with mostly-matching accessories, but will often accent with two colors, or do some accessories in the dress/skirt/pants color. I'm in the process of simplifying my wardrobe by limiting the majority of my color palette to red/dark red, black/dark gray, white/ivory, and tan/brown, and avoiding things that can't coordinate easily with what I have. But then I go and buy things like a darling little felt hat in a shade of blue that matches absolutely nothing I own, with a black velvet band so I can't even really wear it with navy. If I had gloves or even a cuff bracelet to match, or a belt, I'd feel better, and wear it with all black! Which, from what I've read, would be pretty correct for most fashion-advice of the time.
Hope this helps!
