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Should My Shoes and Belt Always Match?

By , About.com Guide

Question: Should My Shoes and Belt Always Match?
Answer: This is one of those "depends on the look you're going for" kind of responses.

The fact is, if you want to tie your look together for a styled and polished look, matching certain accessories - such as your shoes, belt and bag - will definitely help, and it's definitely a safer way to go.

However, if you're a bit more daring in your fashion sense, there's no reason you can't stray from that a bit. Let's face it, if your shoes and belt HAD to match, nobody would have ever tied a scarf around their waist.

I try to keep in mind that if two of those three components match, I vary a bit on the third. For example, if I was wearing red leather shoes, and carrying a red bag leather bag, I might add fabric, multi-colored print belt with just a dash of the same red in it.

I would not, however, wear brown shoes, carry a tan bag, and wear a black belt.

Of course, that doesn't mean you can't! If you like the look, there really are no fashion police - and maybe you'll create some kind of new trend! :)

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