Matchy-Matchy.

Matchy-Matchy.
In recent years, my sweet long-lost friend Katie introduced me to the term "matchy-matchy," designating overly and misguidedly coordinated outfits. Sometimes, copious color coordination looks great, like when the swank lady at my church wears a black tank top with a turquoise skirt and black shoes and a turquoise necklace and earings. Most times, however, it's easy to go overboard. Like wearing turquoise shoes. Or something that was black/turquoise-y patterned. (Ew, patterns.)

I had always been conservative when it comes to shoes - just a good solid pair of brown shoes and a good solid pair of black shoes and maybe some birkenstocks or flip flops for saturdays, and I was happy. Well, happy up until about 4 years ago, with the Great Tall Boot Purchase of '00. I was late on the tall boot bandwagon, but it was as if I'd discovered sex in shoe form. I had a new leash on footwear. I ripped my shirt open and let my hair down and wrote erotica and ate oysters with champagne. I became a bonafide Shoe Ho.

Now I have red shoes! pink shoes! green shoes! heels! pointy-toes! peekaboo-toes!

I always take care to walk the line between put-togetherness and matchy-matchy. If I'm wearing all neutral tones or all black, the shoes and one other accessory will suffice. And of course, some days no amount of shoe color coordination will save me from frumpiness.

However, this morning, as I pulled on my yellow cardigan and dark grey skirt, I pretty much jumped the shark when I thought to myself, "man, if only I had yellow shoes."