When it comes to style, a blunder is always lurking. Fashion has taught us that making the right combinations is essential. Although there are no hard and fast rules for combining shoes and a purse, it is good to keep some tricks in mind to avoid a completely wrong match.

But today matching a bag and shoes is much freer than in the past, when fashion gurus imposed strict rules of conduct for combinations of accessories and clothes.

Although the combination of shoes and purse doesn’t have to answer to strict rules, you can still follow some small tricks which are mainly based on three factors: good taste, familiarity with the season’s trends and great attention to materials and colours.

Let’s take a closer look at the 5 ways to successfully combine a purse with shoes.

Print + solid

The coordination between a print and a solid colour is always a good match. When the shoe is with a red print, for example, the purse should be plain red or pink. If the purse is a blue print, the shoe should be plain blue. If, for example, you choose that beautiful animal-print pair of pumps that you saw on display, the ideal solution is to match them with a clutch that matches the animal print’s colours or black and/or brown. Always remember to avoid wearing more than one item with a print, and that it is absolutely forbidden to combine different prints.

Just one colour?

The classic combination of shoes and purse in the same colour is now considered a bit retro, but is still a valid choice if you seek a more comfortable solution. When you match a purse and shoes of the same colour, however, make sure they really are the same shade: never put nuances of the same colour together! Simpler (and more chic) is to match a purse and shoes in the same shade of black.

Balance colours

Fluorescent colours are beautiful to show off during the summer and they also emphasise a tan, but you must use them in moderation. If your shoes have a fluorescent colour, always remember that the most apt solution is to balance them with a bag in neutral tones, such as dove-grey and powder-pink.

Matching materials

A leather purse matched with the right leather shoe could turn you into an irresistible woman, strong and determined. A good idea is to evaluate the combinations where only a particular from the shoe is repeated in your purse, for example small metal studs.

Colour matching

If the purse has peach finishes, the ideal thing would be to have the same colour shoe. If the shoe has a suede finish, the ideal purse would have the same colour suede. The goal is to create a real leitmotiv which serves to balance your look.