Q: What's Black and Brown and Murky All Over?

This one goes out to Lyla. For days now, I have been pondering the age old question: do brown and black match. After countless conversations on this topic, during which consensus could not be reached, I decided to do a wee bit of research (grad school is really getting to me).

This debate began with a post on Lyla's blog in which she called the pairing "a cardinal fashion sin." I am an avid brown and black matcher, but I too was taught that this is a fashion taboo. Although I began to break this rule at some point during adolescence, I do agree that there are some combinations of black and brown that just don't look as good--and therein lies the confusion.

So, I took to the internet in search of answers. What I found was a rather interesting discrepancy between fashion advice for women and advice for men.

Women's fashion gurus from the Ladies' Home Journal and Chatelaine encourage the breaking of old rules.

LHJ explains that "Black and brown do match, and look quite sophisticated,too....One combo to avoid: Brown shoes and black pants." LHJ, however, does not explain why this one combination remains taboo while others do not.

Chatelaine declares, "I never understood why this combination was considered off limits."

As I already mentioned, men's fashionistas are divided on the topic.

AskMen.com posts a color matcing chart showing that black or brown shoes can be worn with any color pant. But a discussion board on Men.Style.com shows an astounding range of "lay" opinions on the black and brown subject:

Pro Matching: "i can't understand why people make themselves keep believing certain things even when they know they're wrong. if it's your preference not to mix brown/black...whatever, but don't pretend it's some kind of actual rule."

Undecided: "brown & black are btoh neutrals, so it's *generally* OK (!) to wear them together. HOWEVER, it's all about drape, and that's the most thing --w/a suit you're trying to create an elongated line, and a belt of a different color breaks that and effectively cuts you in half, PLUS it's not de rigeur, so don't do it."

Con Matching: "black+brown=NEVER"

At this point in my research I was completely confused.

You can, but you can't; it's okay, but you shouldn't do it; go ahead, but at your own peril? Who are these people, masters' theses supervisors?

If we can't reach a consensus on this what hope is there for child care, Iraq, or day light savings for Saskatchewan?

But fear not, someone out there has something approximating an answer. The Washington Post explains that there are "no rules at all. That combination, especially for women, can be very sophisticated and chic. The key though is to match tone, the brown should have a gray or darker feel and keep away from orange and reds in the brown. Also try to keep an equal intensity in the brown and black if you are wearing them equally, but if the shirt is smaller and more of an accent under a jacket then you can let the black go lighter or flat and punch up the hue of the brown."

So there you have it, folks. Problem solved. And you only need a simple algebraic formula to figure it out.

Sigh, if only I put this much work into my thesis.