I’m supposed to know everything about taste and style because I’ve been a fashion and beauty director at Elle and Beau Monde.
People assume I’ve got the answers to fashion questions and style dilemmas, and expect me to be in on what’s hot now, and what’s not tomorrow. In Peggy’s Pages I’ll share my opinion and you can find everything you’ve been struggling with in terms of fashion. 

Do shoes and purses have to match, and can you wear silver and gold at the same time? According to the conventional What’s Right and What’s Not, the answer is a very short and simple NO.

Then

I remember my mother who wouldn’t dare to leave the house if her shoes, bag and gloves didn’t match in colour. And I can assure you that miss Set Complete, which is what my sister and I called her because of, what we thought, her bumptious behaviour, still does so. Same applied to the colour of lipstick and nail polish. That too was to be worn harmoniously. And well, as it goes, your own taste is influenced by what you see when growing up. So I’d never wear my stainless steel Cartier watch with a golden ring, and I even keep this in mind when deciding the buckle of my belt or the buttons of my coat. And yes, my bra and pants (which I buy per set) match too.

Turn around

When the it bag made its entrance in the 80s, all style norms stumbled. The designer bag got the lead part and it didn’t really matter which shoes you wore. Amongst fashionistas the idea arose that you’d have to be pretty conservative to think that your outfit had to match according to traditional combination norms. Just as lacking in imagination as wearing one designer from hat to shoes… In those days, coming across as if you’d put in the effort to look nice was exactly how not to go about it.

Now

Typical of life, and especially when it comes down to fashion trends, a turn has taken place. Almost all the leading designers go back to coordinated accessories like bags and shoes. Perhaps also partly due to the fact that many designers drew inspiration from the 50s and 60s of the previous century. Last summer, designers sent out their models in a look that had matching clothing, accessories and make-up. Even green and blue nail polishes got sisters in the shape of similarly coloured lipsticks.

Anyway, the norm is different per person. For me, fashion & style means to play with combinations and coordinations: colours, materials, long and short, loose and tight fitting though well-balanced and harmonious. Someone else may find imaginative combination part of the game. The most important thing is that you wear clothing in which you feel good…

Every dress has a fashion legitimation since everything’s possible and allowed. So…