Many moons ago, I complimented someone who was wearing red shoes and a different shade of red scarf. I asked why she had chosen not to wear her pair of red eyeglasses that day. "Too matchy, matchy," she said.
The comment has always stuck with me. I am not adventurous in color pairings in my house or wardrobe -- in part because of a lack of knowledge, and in part because of ease. It seems that I am not alone as Lowes now sells a new line of window shades that can be the exact color of your paint, allowing the shades to blend into your walls. Maybe that is a good thing, or maybe it is too "matchy, matchy."
Is part of our larger problem that we are trying to make too many things in our lives "matchy, matchy?" We want to hang with people who look like we do. We have social media feeds with those whose opinions match ours. We frequent the same places, read the same magazines and cultivate our tribe. It's very comfortable, but is that the aim?
I recommend taking small steps to mix up your world. Clothing is an area where it is relatively easy and inexpensive to experiment. You can wear one combination for a day, and if you don't like it, you never need to pair the pieces again. That tie clashes with the shirt? Pick a different one tomorrow. Is it going to bring world peace? Not alone, but small steps toward openness need to start somewhere.
Commit to having one less thing in your world this week that is "matchy, matchy." There is a whole color wheel out there just waiting for you to take it for a spin, and a wide array of diversity wanting to color your world.
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