Must it all match?

So, I am rather new to the world of fashion. Well, kind of. I have been wearing clothes for most of my life and I know that some things just don’t look good on me or anyone else for that matter. But there are specific fashion ‘rules’ that I was previously unaware of or at least blatantly ignored. My wife is definitely ‘in the know’ when it comes to what to wear, how to wear it, and what looks good with it. I am still learning.

For example, I now know that your leathers should match; belt and shoes should be of the same hue. Your metals should match. I got lucky on this one because my wedding ring is white gold and my watch polished silver; a near match, right? This is one that could be more involved for women as they may have necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and buckles to contend with. I know about the obvious such as no stripes and polka dots. And should you decide to do stripes, know that horizontal ones tend to make you look wider and vertical ones longer. And recently I came to find out that it is not appropriate for a man to wear a button down collar shirt with a jacket or suit. Why? Because it simply isn’t done. And then there is the whole discussion you could have on when it is okay or not okay to do a brown-black or black-blue combination. It is all rather confusing for someone who normally decides what he is going to wear that day by pulling something off its hanger and performing a quick smell-check before putting it on.

Now, obviously fashion is what the designer and Hollywood tells us it is. Or at least that is what I hear. But can you do your own thing? Is it alright to wear something that isn’t quite right? I ask because I just broke (another story) the brown belt that I normally wear with my brown boots. So today I snubbed time tested tradition and wore a black belt. And I may have to continue doing so unless I wish to purchase a new brown belt. I feel okay, and don’t think that anyone looked despairingly at me any more that usual. So, do I have to match everything?