Is a matching set actually worth it, or is it just very expensive pajamas? Fair question. If you only ever wear the two pieces together, on the couch, it is a nice treat. But if you learn how to style a matching set in a few different ways, one purchase covers a whole week of outfits, and that math gets a lot more interesting.
Here are five ways to wear one set, Monday to Friday, using the pieces you already own for everything else.
How to style a matching set (and why it earns its place)
A set is really two separates that happen to agree with each other. Wear them together and you have an outfit with zero decisions. Split them up and each piece works with jeans, knits and jackets you already have. That is the trick: you are not buying one outfit, you are buying two building blocks.
Three things make a set easy to split:
- A neutral or deep color. Oatmeal, gray, black, navy, burgundy. These mix with denim and with each other.
- A top that looks like a real top. A half-zip, a crew neck knit or a turtleneck reads as "outfit," not "loungewear," once it is off its matching pants.
- Pants with a clean shape. Wide leg and straight styles pair with more than joggers do.
1. Wear it as a set (and mean it)
The easiest outfit you own. The difference between "I just woke up" and "I planned this" is mostly in the extras: real shoes instead of slides, a structured bag, small gold earrings, hair pulled back. Push the sleeves up a little so the look has some shape.
A relaxed half-zip sweatshirt with flowy wide leg pants, in 18 colors. The zip collar can go open or closed, and the wide leg works with sneakers or boots. Polyester, machine washable. It runs small (Asian sizing), so order one size up for your usual fit.
Shop nowWear it on the first cold Monday you work from home, then again for Saturday coffee. Monday, sorted.
2. Top with jeans
Tuesday: take the top, leave the pants. A set sweater over straight or wide leg jeans instantly looks less loungy, and nobody will guess it came as a pair. Half-tuck the front if the top is long, or leave a slouchy one untucked over a high-rise jean.
The Knit Sweater & Pants Set is a good one for this. Its relaxed crew neck sweater has side slits, which sit nicely over the waistband of your jeans instead of bunching. Add ankle boots and a long necklace and it is office-friendly.
The split-hem sweater is the piece to pull out and wear with jeans. The knit pants come back on Wednesday.
3. Pants with a different top
Wednesday: the pants get their turn. This works best with a wide or straight leg, because the shape of the pants does the styling. Pair them with a fitted knit, a plain tee under a cardigan, or a button-down tucked in at the front.
Our Ribbed Turtleneck & Wide Leg Set comes with high-waisted wide leg pants that look polished with almost any top. The set itself is soft cotton, with a close-fitting ribbed turtleneck, and it is the dressiest of our sets. Try the pants on their own with a chunky knit or a crisp white shirt. Like our other sets, it runs small, so go one size up. There are 9 colors, from S to 3XL.
Burgundy or black: the wide leg pants from this set work with almost any top you own.
One tip: keep the colors of the pants and the new top close. Black pants with charcoal or cream reads intentional. Black with a bright print can fight.
4. Add a shacket or a coat
Thursday: wear the full set again, but add a layer on top. A set under a shacket stops looking like loungewear the moment you throw the jacket over it. It is also the easiest way to wear a set outside once the mornings drop below 50°F (10°C).
The Plaid Sherpa Shacket is plush on both sides, with patch pockets and a button front. Wear it open over a knit set in a single neutral color, so the plaid is the only pattern. It runs small, so size up, especially if you are layering a sweater set underneath. For more ways to style it, see our plaid shacket outfit ideas, and for the full layering order our fall layering guide breaks it down.
Thursday: set plus shacket
5. The travel uniform
Friday: you have a 7am flight to see family, and you will be sitting for four hours. This is where a jogger set shines. Soft fabric, an easy fit, and nothing that digs in when you sit. Wear the full set with clean white sneakers and carry a long coat over your arm for the cold jet bridge.
The Half-Zip Sweatshirt & Jogger Set has a stand collar that looks put together even after security, plus joggers with pockets for your boarding pass. The Hooded Sweatshirt & Jogger Set is the cozier pick, with a hood for napping against the window, in sizes S to 3XL. Both are polyester, machine washable and run small, so order one size up.
Friday: pick your travel set
Packing tip: wear the set on the plane, and pack one extra top. You get a second outfit at your destination without a second pair of pants.
Matching set questions
What size should I get in a matching set?
All of our sets follow Asian sizing and run small, so order one size up from your usual size. If your top and bottom sizes differ, go by the piece you care about most. Our guide on how to find your size when clothes run small walks through measuring yourself.
Can I wear the pieces from two different sets together?
Yes, if the colors are close. A gray half-zip with black wide leg pants works. Two different sets in two bright colors usually does not.
How do I keep a set looking new?
Wash both pieces together so they fade at the same rate. Our polyester sets are machine wash cold, inside out. The Knit Sweater & Pants Set is gentler: hand wash or use a laundry bag, and lay it flat to dry.