In Defense of the Matching Shirt Couple

There comes a day when two grown adults look at each other and agree to dress alike on purpose.

Everybody claims they will never do it. Then there is a theme park, or a family reunion, or a five-kilometer walk with free bananas, and suddenly the two of you are wearing the same shirt.

Why it works

Matching shirts are the only outfit that is a joke and a promise at once. You are announcing that you know how you look. You are saying you would prefer to look that way together.

They are also very practical. In a crowd, you can spot your person from a great distance. If one of you wanders off to look at a funnel cake, the other can describe the missing party to staff with total accuracy.

How to do it without regret

• Keep it light. Pick a joke you would both tell at dinner.
• Choose a pair, not a uniform. The best sets finish each other’s sentence, like This Is My Crazy and That One Is Yours.
• Wear them once somewhere public. Commit. Half-hearted matching is worse than none.

What people actually think

Strangers will smile at you. Teenagers will look away. An older couple across the room will nod slowly, like veterans. That nod is worth the price of both shirts.