People Say This Genius "Sandwich Method" Is The Easiest Way To Get Dressed In The Morning, And After Trying It Myself, I Can See Why
Hello! My name is Alana, and before I started writing for BuzzFeed, I worked a range of roles in the fashion industry — from running a fashion magazine to buying for Bloomingdale's in the Big Apple to working in wholesale sales for Michael Kors Canada.
While I've left the corporate fashion industry behind, I still love dabbling with personal style, whether it's my own style, or helping my friends, family, and even people on the internet get dressed every day.
I have a series where I try dressing in different styles and trends, or even like other celebs. I've tried dressing like a Pinterest girl (a popular trend on TikTok), Princess Diana, and this week, I'm trying something new: the "sandwich method" (also a popular trend on TikTok).
I've come across the "sandwich method" quite a bit on TikTok. Basically, it's a styling hack where you "sandwich" a color or shade on the top of your outfit to the color or shade on the bottom of the outfit. It's a way to create balance and cohesion in your outfits. Here's an example:
@itsmykz / Via tiktok.com, @shaynehydn / Via tiktok.com
For most, this means matching the color of the top to the color of the shoes. However, I've also seen creators match bags to shoes, hats to shoes, tops to socks, hats to pants, etc. I like to think it can be anything on top that matches anything on the bottom.
And as creator @itsmykz pointed out, you don't have to choose the same exact color; you can also go by shade (e.g., dark gray to light gray, or navy blue and baby blue).
@itsmykz / Via tiktok.com
I decided to put the "sandwich method" to the test for a week, and boy, it did not disappoint! I found it to be one of the easiest styling hacks I've come across. It's super simple and intuitive, and if you're in a rut on how to get dressed every day, it can certainly help. So, let's get right into all my attempts:
Outfit 1: The Purple People-Eater Sandwich 🍞🍠
In the spirit of fun (because we all could use more of it), I figured I'd give all my outfits names, kinda like something you'd order off a quirky sandwich shop menu (for any Michigan peeps out there — I was thinking Zingerman's).
Here's my purple-people eater sandwich (outfit)! This one is pretty straightforward — I just matched my purple coat to some old purple sneakers and kept a really simple white shirt and skirt as a base. I'm a huge color gal, so I love that this is a way to use the colors in my closet! However, this could also work with neutrals. Like, you could make this outfit with a black jacket and shoes, and it'd still keep that cohesion of the "sandwich method."
Outfit 2: The Green-Machine Sandwich 🥪🥬🥑
I have a strange amount of lime green in my closet, so I really took advantage of that for this lewk. It's a tricky color, and I don't always reach for it, so I love that I could create an "easy" outfit with it.
And while I understand matching lime green clothing items are prob not in most closets, the "base" of my outfit (the meat and cheese?) is sooo simple — a white tank and jeans. Just like the previous look, I could have easily matched neutrals instead. If you're struggling to build an outfit, whether with the sandwich method or not, try starting with a neutral tee and jeans! Because — not to be too corny — just like your fave sandwich, there are many ways to spruce, garnish, and make it your own. 🥪🍅🫑🧅🥒🧀
Pardon the brief interruption from Clementine, who wanted to be a garnish to my "green machine" sandwich outfit herself... 🍊
Onwards! Outfit 3: The Strawberry Sandwich 🍓🍄
I tried shade matching rather than exact color matching this time! I got these little red ballet-style flats this year, and I've been wearing them A TON. I know, I know — the ballet flat trend is not for everyone, but considering I am a former ballerina, I feel a slight positive bias toward the trend. And they're so comfy!
I "sandwiched" them in between — you guessed it — jeans and a white tee and shade matched with a pink striped gilet on top. It is slightly more of a "trendy" outfit but pretty simple when you break it down, and personally, I'm lovin' the strawberry shortcake color scheme. 🍓🍰
Outfit 4: Carrie Bradshaw's Cherry Cheese Sandwich 🍒
More pinks! I call this my "Carrie Bradshaw" dress because it's from the '90s, and I could see her in it. The dress ~is~ the outfit, after all, but I wanted to show that Grandma may have been right about matching your shoes to your purse. I try to avoid any "rules" in fashion, but because this dress is so busy, matching my accessories helped keep the focus on the main event. And it makes it a solid example of the sandwich method!
Outfit 5: The Blueberry Grilled Cheese (or the "Go Blue" Sandwich) 🫐🧀
I thrifted these mini shorts from the '70s over the weekend and needed to find a way to incorporate them into this. I kind of did a stacked-style "club sandwich" method here by matching two different colors throughout the outfit (aka the blue hat to the blue shorts and my white tank to my white sneakers).
Since the outfit felt quite simple on its own, I threw on a yellow sweater to add a little dimension (and the University of Michigan is my alma mater, so I love any excuse to wear maize and blue). By this point, I loved the simplicity of the "sandwich method," but I also felt it could look a little predictable. Adding another color helped add something ~unexpected~.
Outfit 6: Blueberry Nutella Streetwear Sandwich 🫐🍫
While I am not a streetwear girly, I've been gravitating toward more masculine outfits lately, so I wanted to throw one in the mix (and try a more ~neutral~ look). This one's another "club sandwich" color stacking but with three colors (white, brown, and navy).
I originally had just the brown sweater, white tank, and brown trousers on, but I added the navy jacket at the last minute to break up the brown. As I said earlier, I'm much more of a color gal, so this one was a little out of my comfort zone, but I wanted to show that there's flexibility to play around with the sandwich method! If you're feeling creative, you don't have to match just one color; you can try a couple all within one outfit.
Phew! Pause again because all this styling had us a little tired, and Clementine didn't understand why she wasn't the main attraction.
Back to it! Outfit 7: The "Bread and Butter" Sandwich 🧈🥖
I don't know about you, but I am seeing butter yellow everywhere, and I am obsesssedddd. I just thrifted this men's button-down and already know it will be a staple in my wardrobe this summer.
It's a really simple sandwich this time (like "bread and butter")! Butter-yellow button-down, blue jeans, and butter-yellow heels. Again, I added some of my own touches (pink scrunchie) because I love color and a *little* dash of the unexpected.
And lastly:
Outfit 8: The "Corporate Girly" Sandwich 🥬🥙
I called this the "corporate girly" sandwich because it reminds me of something I wore to the office in my past lives. This time, I employed the "sandwich method" as the base of the outfit (white tank + black shorts + white boots), which can honestly be worn on its own, but there was so much potential to style further, so I added a vintage blazer and bag (the blazer was actually my grandma's — I recently found a photo of her wearing it to my christening 😭).
After making this one, I ended up creating a few more outfits with this base. I loved that just one "sandwich method" outfit gave me so many ways to iterate. It just goes to show that a good base goes a long way!
All that being said, that's a wrap on my "sandwich method" attempts! Overall, I recognize that matching your clothes is not new, but sometimes styling isn't always intuitive, so it's nice to have a sort of "method" to lean on when you're in a rut.
I loved that I could use so much of the color in my closet, and even for the less colorful attempts, I learned that the sandwich method can help find "base" outfits that you can leave as is or get creative with to style even further. While I found the method can get predictable, there are always ways to style further or make an outfit your own.
So, whether you're a styling guru or just trying to get out of a rut with your clothes, I find something for everyone in the "sandwich method." No matter how you slice it (pun intended), the "sandwich method" makes getting dressed easier, and that's a win for everyone! 🥪
