No, this isn’t a guide for how to craft the perfect lunch, but instead, a method for building outfits in much the same way you think about building a sandwich. The sandwich technique is simply matching an element of your top half (a top or jacket) to an element of your bottom half (pants, a skirt, or shoes) and sandwiching a contrasting item between. For example, if I wore a brown sweater and blue jeans, I’d opt for a pair of brown shoes. Essentially, I am “sandwiching” the denim (the meat of the sandwich) between my two brown pieces (the bread of the sandwich).
The sandwich method can expand beyond color to fabrics, textures, aesthetics, and proportions. Tweed jacket with a tweed skirt and a silk blouse in the middle. Biker jacket and combat boots, with a flirty dress. Oversized blazer, wide-legged pants, and a fitted/cropped top. You can also utilize your accessories, like a pickle garnish with the sandwich technique, by matching purse and belt to your “bread” of shoes and a top. Full disclosure: I do not like pickles, but I enjoy matching accessories. Here are a few outfitting ideas using the sandwich technique.
Color is by far the easiest means of a successful sandwich. Try a red sweater and red shoes as your bread with a filling of a neutral separate like a beige skirt or gray trousers. The contrast of neutrals with the red pieces will help make the bread pop for a visually striking look. While you could pair your red with equally vibrant colors, that could throw off the balance of your sandwich. Some other color combos to consider blue button-up with jeans as the filling and an olive-green jacket and boots as the bread, especially here for fall. Grey dress, black cardigan, with black tights and loafers. This could even work with a patterned dress as filling to contrast the darker slices of bread. Note: Your bread doesn’t have to be two items; the tights and shoe combo works as a “slice.”
Besides color, consider playing around with proportion for your sandwich. For a casual look, try a pair of fitted cropped jeans as your filling, then sandwich them with an oversized t-shirt (potentially semi, or fully tucked in) with chunky sneakers. You could leave the tee untucked, but to set off the slimmer jean, I’d definitely tuck the tee. On the flip side, a barrel-fit jean can be contrasted with ribbed knit, cropped cardigan, and slip-on sneakers. For a dressier outfit, try a billowy blouse definitely tucked into a wide-leg trouser as your bread pieces, with a belt as the filling. The belt will cinch the waist to create a contrasted proportion. A third flirtier sandwich that plays on proportion is a cropped bolero-style jacket with ankle boots as the bread and a full skirt as the filling. Here, the filling is the more voluminous option, while the bread slices are the more fitted elements of the look.
Texture and fabric can also be the basis of your sandwich approach. Try the good old Canadian tuxedo: a denim jacket and jeans as your bread, with a long-sleeved tee as your filing. I’d recommend playing around with contrasting shades between your jacket and jeans. Maybe a black denim jacket with a lighter-wash jean, or a dark-wash bottom with more of a chambray type of shirt with a tee underneath. Or go full-on acid wash with the whole thing for your 1980’s Halloween Costume.
Of course, your material and texture don’t have to match for a successfully styled sandwich outfit. For instance, pair corduroy pants with a wool blazer for your bread with a lightweight knit sweater as your filling. The heavy material contrasts with the finer knit, even if the bread pieces aren’t in the same fabrication. The reverse also can work, with a slip skirt and scarf as your bread and a heavier sweater as your filling. However, if you do want to match up texture, try leather. A leather jacket with leather boots works as your bread, with a turtleneck and wide-legged jeans as your filling. Keep in mind that the bread doesn’t always have to be garments; accessories work as your bread slices. Take a leather bag and leather shoes with a jersey wrap dress as the filing.
Needless to say, the sandwich technique can be interpreted in many different ways. Essentially, this is about creating a visual balance in your look. And it’s a great trick, especially if you’re in a rush and not sure what to wear. The sandwich technique is also an easy way to refresh your wardrobe and style different outfits from pieces you already own. It’s a trick that you can use time and time again, no matter the season or the trends.
