What is a paired bow and why do lovers dress the same?
There is such a stylistic device as double dressing – this is most closely translated from English as “double dressing” or even “dressing up”. It implies that the couple dresses in matching clothes. We are not necessarily talking about romantic partners, although they use paired bows most often. If friends agree to go to a party in matching outfits, this is also double dressing.
Of course, double dressing appears most noticeably at various celebrity events, when couples try to dress both beautifully and appropriately for each other. A striking example is Taika Waititi and Rita Ora, who usually look amazing on their own, but when they stand next to each other, they do not lose their charm. Partly precisely because their images form a coherent picture.
You might think that this is a Western trend, but in Asian countries it is even more developed, especially in Korea. In the Korean segment of the Internet, paired looks are often not just things that match each other, they are literally the same clothes. And given the fashion for everything Korean, the trend has spread throughout the world.
Why are paired bows needed?
In short, nothing. When it comes to fashionable clothing, it is very difficult to avoid comparisons and evaluations. How easy it is to offend and neuroticize people. Because it seems that if someone doesn’t follow the trends, then something is wrong with them. But let’s say right away: it’s the same with everyone. So if you’ve never wondered about synchronizing your outfit with your partner’s look, then perhaps you don’t need all this. And that’s okay.
But there are also reasons why you might be concerned, and that’s okay too. You know this classic “you can be a smart person and think about the beauty of your nails.” A paired bow, for starters, is the simplest demonstration that you are together. Someone will say that this is “ugh, love for show.” And some people like such cute manifestations.
This is also an opportunity to look harmonious together. This has an impact not only on how others perceive you, but also on your inner feelings. For example, there is such a meme slavic couple, that is, a Slavic couple.
It is used when talking about a very well-groomed, smart, bright girl and a generally or frankly bad-looking guy. And the funny thing is that the most popular couple illustrating this meme in 2023 were Justin and Hailey Bieber. This is a reference appearance in the slavic couple style.
When people discussed this outing, they didn’t just focus on the fact that Hailey and Justin were dressed differently. They also noted how unpleasant it can be for a girl if she spent a lot of effort on creating an image, and her partner simply put on Crocs and a sweatshirt.
The concept of paired bows allows you to balance this part of the relationship. Today both partners choose sweatpants, tomorrow – a tuxedo and an evening dress. In the end, everyone is happy and looks like just a couple, and not like a couple from a meme.
How to put together a pair of bows to make it look stylish
Everyone has different associations from the phrase “paired image.” And often they are not very good. For example, something cringe comes to mind – like identical T-shirts with a print of, say, a lock and a key or the inscriptions “I’m with him” and “I’m with her,” which they loved to wear at photo shoots in the 2010s. Actually, any strained “family” images are more likely associated with the same strained photo shoots.
A good illustration of the above is this video. Although the title says that these are image ideas for 2022, you get the full feeling that this is a typo and it should say “2012”.
At the same time, paired images can be very harmonious, interesting and natural. For example, here:
Here are a few life hacks that help you create just such bows. This is not a sequence of actions; some of the tips are mutually exclusive. Just see what suits you best and don’t be afraid to experiment. After all, they’re just clothes. If something goes wrong, you can always remove it (and never go anywhere else).
Build on the base
Often paired images look forced precisely because it is clear from the people that they carefully dressed up. That the checks on the pants match perfectly, and the T-shirts were clearly bought specially as a couple. And this artificiality just interferes with harmonious perception.
It’s easier with basic simple things because you can accidentally dress the same. For example, when choosing jeans and a white T-shirt, you guess that on this day you will meet a lot of people in jeans and white T-shirts, this is not a surprise. There is also a far from zero chance that they will be wearing, say, white sneakers and a beige raincoat.
In this case, even literally the same clothes will look better – just like in the video above, which illustrates Korean trends. But you can make it thinner, and this is the next point.
What to buy
Use similar, not the same things
The same white T-shirts can be different – for example, a full-size one for him and a crop top for her (or vice versa, let all the flowers bloom!). Or one T-shirt will have a print and the other will not. You can choose not the same jeans, but denim trousers for him and a skirt for her.
That is, the outfits in this case overlap with each other, and are not duplicated. True, here, too, sometimes you can get a deliberate image. Working with color will help here.
What to buy
Dose the volume of color
Often paired looks look deliberate due to the fact that things of the same shade on both occupy plus or minus the same volume. Let’s say a couple is wearing red trousers and white shirts. Even if people are different heights, we still get two large white spots and two red ones.
But you can complicate the overall image by using different volumes of color spots. The most obvious way is to choose a shirt on a guy and a dress on a girl of the same shade. Or, let’s say, put on matching overalls on a guy and a jacket on a girl. It is not necessary that the rest of the clothes also match in color. The unity of the images will be read through these close details.
But there is a more subtle way to play with color: use intersections of shades. For example, a guy has a pink shirt, and a girl has a dress with a small pink flower.
What to buy
Make one or two details the center of your image.
If you still want to wear accent identical things that will emphasize your status as a couple, then it’s better to have a few of them. But the rest of the clothes will be different.
It’s not about wearing an evening dress and sweatpants if you have the same sneakers. The bows should still ideally be harmonious and look good with each other. Let’s say the same sneakers and different clothes made from natural fabrics in pastel shades. Or identical shirts: one wears it with a suit, and the other wears it with a skirt and without a jacket. The fact that people are together will be read anyway.
What to buy
Dress in the same style, not the same
Things can be completely different. But if these are thoughtful ensembles in the same style, they will still show that you are together. Here are some examples:
- Preppy. For a guy – chinos, shirt, knitted vest, sneakers, for a girl – checkered mini, shirt, cardigan, loafers.
- Country. For a guy: jeans, a plaid shirt, desert boots, for a girl – a dress made of natural fabric, Cossacks.
- Safari. For a guy: cargo, T-shirt, suede boots, for a girl – shirt dress, sandals.
Such outfits will look very harmonious.
What to buy
On style 👗👕🕶
