Of all of the ’70s trends that always had the potential to make a solid comeback, you might not have counted on the chances of the “co-ord”. The name alone is peculiar, but it’s simply a shortening of “coordinates”, The.N.rage implies – and the name largely spells out what co-ords are about.

To form a co-ord, you simply match a top to a bottom piece of clothing. You might call the result a matching set or matching separates – but, in any case, how precisely should you style that co-ord?

Don’t be afraid to unleash the versatility of co-ords

You might recall getting dressed in “sets” by your mother when you were little. Well, it looks like your mother might have been onto something – as, decades since co-ords’ ’70s heyday, they are back in style in a big way. So, what is the fuss about? One simple, single-word answer: versatility.

Co-ords are intended to be wearable as both a set and, if you fancy, separate pieces worn with other clothing. This unlocks a lot of exciting potential for making your co-ords super-stylish.

Have fun mixing as well as matching

In a sense, co-ord pieces can feel like Lego pieces: you might buy them together, but that doesn’t oblige you to always use them together. For that reason, you might see potential in buying several and then mixing up the pieces to create some striking and eccentric looks.

However, while co-ord pieces bought together won’t always be identical, The Telegraph insists that they will still have at least one kind of unifying element, such as the same colour or same pattern.

Be selective with different components’ sizes

As it is typically possible to buy different components of a co-ord separately, you aren’t obliged to buy top and bottom pieces of the same size. If you know, for example, that your top size is smaller than your bottom size, you can buy suitable pieces to account for this discrepancy.

On the subject of size, don’t worry if you are plus size, as the internet can prove a surprisingly good place to source plus size co-ord sets. Clicking that link can give you a good starting point.

Consider a co-ord as an alternative to a dress

If you are shopping for a dress, stop to consider whether a co-ord set would be a better option. The greater amount of control that you would have over the sizing, as noted above, would be one good reason to go down the co-ord route, as it should enable you to get a better overall fit.

If you pair a shirt with a matching skirt, you could give yourself a “dressed-up” look that beneficially also doesn’t feel uptight or prissy.

Don’t be disheartened if you are attracted to a short-sleeved co-ord but lack jackets that would stylistically match with it. You could choose to wear a jumper on top of that co-ord or be selective with what you wear underneath it – both good means of helping to preserve good style.

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