Mixed And Matched: Why The Set Is The Ultimate Wardrobe Saviour

The key to a great wardrobe is one that allows you to dress with ease each day without having to compromise on polish or personal style. Yes, a capsule wardrobe is a surefire way to achieve this, but there is one other dressing trick you can enlist when you don’t quite have the time to curate but still need something that will have you looking perfectly put together in an instant: the coordinated set.

While the ‘Canadian tuxedo’ consisting of double blue denim instantly comes to mind with talk of coordinated looks, and is a look no doubt many of us have turned out in the past with the aid of a crisp denim collared shirt and straight legged jeans in matching washes, the matching set has become so much more as it has skyrocketed in popularity.

Starting on the more casual end of the coordinated spectrum, matching cotton and linen sets created in muted palettes, and consisting of short and long sleeve shirts matched up with shorts and longer loose-fit pants — like those by Deiji Studios — have become a staple for those who want to lounge, holiday, and even carry out casual errands in a look that delivers as much on comfort as it does style.

The matching sets of today, however, run the gamut of formality, all the way to looks that would be just as well placed in the office as they are at dinner and drinks. The perfect match to its cult-favourite Irving Trouser, Harris Tapper offers up two tailored pieces of outerwear that are ripe for mixing and matching with the beloved bottoms.

Released this season in the new colourway ‘Umber’ — a cocoa colourway that serves as the perfect warm-toned neutral, a rich alternative to the greys and blacks that typically dominate the cooler months — the New Zealand-hailing label reintroduces its best-selling Tilmens Blazer, as well as its Tuxedo Coat to coordinate with its Irving Trouser, the former piece bringing a hint of sophistication to the look and the latter bringing a little sensuality, particularly when worn on its own as a long-line top. With just these three pieces, the outfit configurations are many.

For those looking for the perfect mid-point of formality, there truly is no going past the aforementioned denim set, styled today with a slight twist. As evidenced by Marle and its latest denim releases, blue is not the only hue that works in this context — with its new Alfalfa shirts, worn perfectly with their Curve Seam Jean and Wide Leg Jean, put a neutral twist on the classic ‘Canadian tuxedo’ in the label’s ‘Parsnip’ and ‘Washed Black’ colourways.