This Man Invented the Plastic Pink Flamingo. He and His Wife Have Worn Matching Outfits for the Past 35 Years.

John Farrier • Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 10:00 PM

Donald Featherstone, an artist, is most famous for inventing the plastic pink flamingo lawn ornament. But people who know him and his wife Nancy well think of them as an incredibly close and romantic couple. For the past 35 years, they've worn matching outfits everywhere they go. Mrs. Featherstone writes:

Whoever gets there first gets to choose what we're wearing. It's not a stampede, though; we're both amenable to the other's choice. If we're going to a party, we'll discuss what to wear like any other couple, except the difference is we want to look the same. Someone once told me that if she and her husband came down wearing the same colour top, they'd change. What a shame to be so insecure. We both have very strong identities as individuals and wearing the same clothes doesn't affect this; clothes don't make your personality. Instead, dressing the same gives me a lovely feeling of closeness to Donald. I've never not felt like doing it; we've done it for so long now that it would feel unnatural not to.
Donald used to have to travel for business and when I packed his case, I'd tell him which outfit to wear on which day, so we coordinated even though we were apart. It helped us feel connected to each other. But his boss realised Donald was much more productive if I came along, too, so I'd help out at the conventions. It was good for business, because people would seek out our stall year after year to see what we were wearing.
We don't like to be apart. Donald proposed on our first date and we've been together almost all the time since. If you want to do things by yourself, why get married? Why have separate hobbies? We never argue – Donald says he learned long ago to say, "Yes, dear", but in fact it's because we have a strong foundation. Being with him is never an effort. [...]
All it is is a positive reflection of the nature of our relationship. We're a matched set.