BFFs Dionne and Cher: even their names matched.

I love to people-watch. I’m sure it’s one of the remnants of countless hours spent at the mall with my high school friends, loitering at the food court or loitering outside or loitering in the parking lot (there was a lot of loitering! also that is a fun word to say, loitering). Now that I live in New York, people-watching has become an even bigger part of my life, in part because I take the train all the time and if I’m not reading a book I like to just observe everyone around me.

Generally, nothing makes me happier than when I notice girls (or women) dressed alike. Not in like a “Twin Day” sorta way, which is the way we celebrated Valentine’s Day at my high school–pay 50 cents to wear a matching outfit with your best friend! (we had a uniform)—but in the way that friends always end up wearing similar things without actually matching. Like how Cher and Dionne wore plaid suits in Clueless or Lizzie McGuire and Miranda always had similar elaborate hairdos, with lots of doodads. And it makes sense, you know? When you hang out with the same friend long enough, you’ll inevitably adopt a bunch of their personality quirks, whether it’s a word they use all the time, a facial gesture, or their style trademarks. Matching your outfit with your friend is cute, but unintentionally dressing alike reveals a lot more about a relationship than friendship bracelets or even matching tattoos, because it’s the effect of spending too much time–even though there is no such thing–with someone and creating a new identity for the friendship itself. It shows unity vibez that a million reblogged washed-out pictures of hippie circles on Tumblr never could, and that just warms my heart and renews my faith in humanity and friendship.

Tumblr and Google Images are a treasure trove of matchy friend pics. Here are some of my favorites:

These gals are both feeling floral patterns in purple-y undertones, but each one has a very distinct style. I love the girl on the left rocking cool li’l ankle boots and a slouchy top while her friend is all GLAM in heels (but my favorite part of her outfit is probs the Band-Aid on her knee).
 
 

Totally awesome graphic tank tops worn with cuffed denim shorts = the perfect outfit for general outdoor/camping activities. I love that one girl is all into layers with a denim jacket and casual sweater over the shoulders, but what I love the most is that their hairdos TOTALLY match!
 
 

Tan sweaters, black leggings, and brown boots are the LOOK of FRIENDSHIP!
 
 

OK these girls aren’t literally matching, but they are matching in VIBEZ. Maxi skirts, dark lipsticks, and intense demeanors. Their witchiness is everything.
 
 

And of course one from my personal collection: here’s my BFF Diana and me somewhere around ninth grade. We are both wearing a short-sleeve tee over a long-sleeve tee, because that was like “so alternative, maaan”—never mind that we were boiling in them in the Puerto Rico heat. True LOVE! ♦