Matched sets really take me back to the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. Quite honestly, I think the concept is so brilliant, I don’t know why they ever went away. I totally remember my favorite matched set (among several) I had in the late ‘80’s, a rayon tank top and sarong style skirt I wore to a wedding and remember wearing for several years. (I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t fit today had I kept it, and I’m pretty sure the fabric would be rotten by now, lol!)

Essentially, a matched set is exactly what it sounds like…a top and bottom that are made from the same fabric. Many of the sets I’m seeing currently are shorts and tops, but there are also tops and pants; and skirts and tops.

Here are a bunch of examples on Pinterest, so you can really start to get the idea of the look.

Note: you can see that many of the sets include high neck cropped tops. Crop tops aren’t the best look for the office (or most over age 23;) however they work well if you’re short waisted like a good many of my clients, the proportions can work quite well, especially with a skirt. And as you can see cropped tops aren’t your only option.

Here are just a few reasons why matched sets, or 2-piece dressing, are so great:

•  Many of the styles are quite simple and fuss free giving you a long, lean line much as a solid black dress would. In other words, they’re slimming!
• Because the pieces can be split up and worn many ways, the parts worn separately aren’t as memorable as a dress worn over and over would be.
•  Because you have 2 pieces, you can split the set up. The mix and match possibilities become virtually endless! Your cost per wear for each piece is reduced greatly.
• Matched pant and top sets can give you a jumpsuit look, another big summer trend. See above regarding fit. The huge advantage over a jumpsuit is 2 pieces are so much easier in the ladies room!
• Most women are different sizes on the top and bottom, and dresses can be hard to fit. With a matched set, you have the option of buying the right sizes for your upper and lower halves, significantly reducing the need for alterations.
• Last but not least, matched sets are EASY! They’re essentially like a dress, jumpsuit (or even romper,) and require almost no thought! And isn’t that the best, especially when it’s hot outside?

The matching set trend seems to be a fringe trend.  I haven’t seen a lot of it around town or even in the stores; however, if you’re looking for a little something new for summer, I encourage you to put one on your shopping list for all the reasons above. And I have a hard time believing it won’t continue on into fall. A matching skirt and sweater sounds absolutely heavenly–stylish and comfy!!

I purchased a matched set yesterday that was the inspiration for this post. Stay tuned next week for more photos and how I create a capsule based on my matching set. If you’d like to get my posts delivered to your e-mail 2x/month, sign up to receive my special report up at the top right of the page.