The idea of coordinated couples’ style doesn’t bring the most flattering vision to mind: Posh’n’Becks in matching purple at their wedding in 1999, or Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in his’n’hers denim at the American Music Awards in 2001.
In 2024, it’s a more subtle thing altogether, as evidenced by the Prince and Princess of Wales this week, pictured on a visit to Southport.
The Princess wore what is thought to be a several-year-old burgundy polka-dot dress from Whistles, with the belt repurposed as a neck tie, over which she wore a chocolate brown Alexander McQueen coat. The Prince coordinated with her by wearing a burgundy jumper and tie underneath his blazer.
It’s the colour of the moment, but it was also the kind of intentional coordination that conveyed a united image, and made for a great photo – and when you’re two of the most photographed people in the world, these things are important.
It’s something we do unconsciously too – anyone who has been in a long-term relationship will be familiar with the subtle influencing of each other’s style that takes place over time. It begins with something small, like a borrowed baseball cap, or a preference for the same shade of Converse trainers, evolving over time into a visible shared aesthetic.
“We use clothes to signify many things, and our connection to other people is one of them,” says fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell. “So when you’re around a group of people who have certain interests, like in a band, or a sports team, we use clothes to signify our similar tastes and as a way to connect and bond.”
The same thing applies to people in relationships, Forbes-Bell explains: “In romantic relationships, we often do this unconsciously, which is why sometimes people say that you start to look like your partner … We use our clothes and our style as a way to signify a shared identity, and it satisfies this internal desire that we have to belong, which goes all the way back to our evolutionary foundation of survival being predicated on being with a group, and how that can help to further our existence and our lineage.”
The Waleses aren’t the only high-profile couple to exhibit this behaviour – there’s intentional and unintentional mirroring of wardrobes on red carpets and front rows everywhere.
Scroll on to see the celebrity couples currently drifting into matchy-matchy territory…
