So, I pose this question to all you HA lovers/makers.

Why is it in subetean fashion, Matching (colors specifically) such an indicator of whether or not a HA looks good?

It seems from HA boards, WADYL, and from my lurking of other boards, it is always praised upon to have a exactly matching HA. I myself admit to this.

So is there anyway for a HA to look good through mismatching? Perhaps through architectural design? Opinions?

Here are some references of RL things to show the magic of mismatching: Louis Vuitton Marc Lookbook

I prefer to use a 2 or more colors in my HA... despite the colors being in many various shades and what not. But no matter I still like using them. I suck at matching so yeah I merely stick to color combos with the different shades. XD

You know i see how strict fashion cults are on here about matching colors and to me thats not fashion because matching doesn't take alot of skills. To me skill is knowing what two or more different colors go well with eachother and how to make your outfit POP with those combos. The runway is the perfect example from the hair, the make up , the clothes to the shoes. Shoes are the perfect example for mismatching.. i do it sometimes in real life and it looks nicely i just wish the cults would understand that more.

Actually, I've found Subeta's fashion to be more about style and lines than exact matching. There's so many great HA-makers that barely ever go for matching; they go for colors that compliment, yes, but not just using this item with that because they're the same color.

When I come across avatars who are after color-matching more than style, I critique them on the color matching. If they're using three different shades of blue with uneven distribution I will tell them so because not all shades are created equal.

[In case I'm not explaining myself very well, is currently very fashionable without being matchy-matchy.]

Perfect matching actually isn't easy. I'd like to see how you'd match things perfectly, chilimon, and I'll show you where you went wrong. It just happens to be one of the styles on Subeta. People do it because it's possible on Subeta. In the real world, things don't have the exact same color, and if they do, I would put them together.

I don't see why people are saying "well the real world isn't like this" if they won't argue that in the real world, people don't wear cluttered outfits, flowers in their hair every day, shoes over other shoes, etc.

real life fashion =/= subeta fashion

a lot of things just arent possible to wear in real life like they are on subeta. sure you can wear 3 different pairs of tights to alter the color, but it certainly wont work like it would on subeta. you might be able to layer on shoes, but that would obviously look like shit. and you surely wouldnt wear shorts over pants, or tights over pants, or really any other bottom over pants in real life like you could over here.

and the people who are arguing that its okay to mismatch because most people dont in real life, im sure anyone can easily point out numerous things on your avatar that no one would wear irl. there arent too many avatars on subeta where you could actually see someone wearing a replica of that outfit and look normal. unless its a noob HA with 4 items.

and sure, there are people who do irl fashion on subeta, but imo, only a few people pull it off without looking boring.

Justin: people DO wear flowers on their hair everyday, three of my classmates do actually =P

for future reference, I wouldn't wear my outfit in RL xD I wouldn't paint tiny lines in my legs/chest, or wrap a sheer cloth arround my leg, and arm, or wear a seashell on my hair with little perls, or tie a little string on my arm, etc etc xD

still I believed the idea of layering was to make 2 items into one based on how it LOOKS not what created that look. for instance, a lace-up sandal over a boot would be a boot with straps arround instead of putting on a boot, and then putting on a lace-up sandal above it. =S at least that's how I see Subeta fashion

I think that some people look at the best HA makers here and learn the wrong lesson from them. There is matching in the best HAs, but not as a gimmick.

So... a good HA may match but a matching HA may not be good.

to answer the OP's question, i myself match colors rather than shapes/styles a.k.a. layering why? cause i'm a visual person, attracted to colors more than anything else

as for the WADLY thread.. bleh, 85% of the HA's posted are shit but alas, not everyone can make beautiful avatars like can waves :)

Avatars don't have to be matchy-matchy for people to like and approve of them. However it does show that the creator has chops when he or she can create a match from items that weren't meant do so, or from clever semitransparent layering.

It's not so impressive when someone slaps on items that might look okay as a practical real life outfit, but don't compliment each other color-wise.

That said, I love seeing avatars that are inspired by real world fashion. They're just more attractive when the colors compliment each other and there aren't 3 shades of navy throwing everything off.

lol, ever notice how so many people who live in US say ''colours'' in WADYL?

Back to the topic though, I kind of agree, I used to do it with everything but it's pretty unrealistic and if I saw someone dressed completely matching irl I'd be more than a little freaked out.

That said, I think HA fashionistas-in-training should start with basic color matching before trying anything more complicated like texture / pattern coordination which, may I say, looks absolutely killer when done correctly! As Justin said, it's actually quite difficult to match things perfectly, which is why matching colors is a great place to start.

I think making HAs made me better at fashion irl, honestly :neko:

I fail at matching. I try to keep mine simple.

Some of the best avatars out there don't follow that whole.. paint-by-numbers phenomenon that most of Subeta's avatarnerds swear by.

It's the mismatched clutterfuck avatars that give the really awesome mismatched avatars a bad name. :(

Absolutely. I'd never ever wear two skirts and two different kinds of stockings in real. Seriously... I think it's great to go wild here since here it is possible all the way. In real I don't have earrings that match my shoelaces.

But I personal think it's challenging to make an avatar that is fully matching, especially with a non GA. It is very challenging to make a good mismatched HA too though. It's ok either way.

Lastly, matching =/= good.

It's a matter of taste, flow and creativity.

As many above have said, making great avatars is not only about colour matching. True, it is good to have colours that work well together in your avatar, but that is beside the point. The colours just make it pleasant to look at, I think the textures, distribution, and patterns are also very important. Someone could make an avatar that uses all red and pink items, but the items don't work well together and the layers are odd-looking or the items are the ones that desperately need to be redrawn, haha. Then, someone could make a red and pink HA that is well-matched but also uses items that work well together or layered on eachother. The overall aesthetics of an HA is more important than colours being perfectly matched. Some avatars are more like real-life styles or are mimicking a fantasy character, etc and they may not be perfectly colour matched but they look fantastic either way. It's all up to the creator of the HAs. :)

Love the title.

I'd just like to reiterate what somebody has already mentioned; whilst giving a critique of an avatar, by far the easiest thing to do is cross-examine the colours used rather than looking at the balance and composition of the avatar as a whole. Hence critiques tend to focus on colour, and aspiring HA makers have the notion of colour matching embedded in them from pretty early on.

I think that most HA makers don't want to break the mold and just stick with matchy-matchiness, probably because it's so easy to do and it's what other people like to see. Eh, I prefer themes and accurate cosplays to easy-mode matching.

I like HAs that match, but there's a lot more to it than that...

I just have fun while making HAs. Isn't that the point?

I definitely see some interesting comments here. xD I think I'm stuck in between. I suppose I'd just like to see more HA's focus on "structure" of clothing and it be encouraged as well as color theory.

It'd definitely be interesting to see an avatar pull of a crazy shaped/odd architectural piece(which create interest) and have nice colors. I know that subeta = / = RL but it's been interesting to see how much/little RL fashion has influenced what we have here.

I suppose its all about a good color scheme. What colors go well with what. matching doesn't always work out. I like simple most of the time. Its then that the best looks come out.