3 Fashion “Rules” You Should Totally Be Breaking
Throughout human history, the fashion world has been governed by a whole host of unspoken “rules” that dictate what people should wear. These rules have helped define and clarify what fashions people at the time consider beautiful, socially acceptable, or appropriate for specific situations. But while rules can help introduce order or provide necessary guidance for those who need it, it’s also healthy for people to question them, bend them, and even break them entirely from time to time.
It’s especially important to turn a critical eye toward fashion “rules” that have been around so long nobody can quite remember why they were ever established in the first place. Often, these rules reflect values and social norms that are no longer in line with current culture. At worst, they might actually promote unhealthy beauty standards, poor consumption habits, or discriminatory attitudes. And if conventional style wisdom seems more harmful than helpful, that’s more than enough reason to toss it out the window.
Here are three traditional fashion guidelines that you’re better off discarding:
Dress for Your Body Type
The idea that you should dress to flatter your figure is one of the oldest fashion tips in the book. If you’re petite, you should avoid maxi skirts, palazzo pants, and other longline clothing that will make you look shorter. If you’re full-figured, you need to hide unsightly bulges with dark colors, strategically cut clothing, and shapewear. According to The Better Fit, if you have a straight figure, push-up bras and bottoms that cinch your waist can help create the illusion of more curve.
When you examine all these rules closely, you’ll soon see that the idea of dressing for your body type really means imitating a socially sanctioned “ideal body”—one that’s tall, slim, and free of unsightly scars, wrinkles, and blemishes of any kind. This particular attitude to style can be immensely damaging to your self-esteem, whether you’re deemed conventionally attractive or not. Dressing primarily to hide your “flaws” or comply with unrealistic beauty standards is a surefire way to suck all the joy out of your relationship with fashion.
It’s high time to start making style choices that bring you joy and make you feel confident. There’s no reason curvy gals can’t rock crop tops, short shorts, or minidresses with sheer tights if that’s what makes them happiest. And short girls deserve to enjoy long, flowy, and even oversized clothing just as much as anyone else. At the end of the day, you should be wearing what looks and feels good to you, not anyone else.
Always Coordinate
Harmony and cohesion are highly prized values in the fashion world. This is why so many traditional style tips have to do with matching the different pieces that make up your outfit. For instance, many fashion experts will say that your shoes, your bag, and your belt should all match. Others will say that your earrings need to match your eyes. Still, others will say that you should choose colors and patterns that complement each other and don’t clash.
There’s no denying the appeal of a polished, well-coordinated ensemble. That having been said, this is far from the only way to look good. In fact, mismatched fashion has become an increasingly popular aesthetic over the last few years. Fashion enthusiasts these days are more willing to buck convention and experiment more with what they wear. If you’d like to try your hand at mismatched looks yourself, consider exploring unconventional color combinations, mixing patterns and textures, or combining casual and dressy pieces.
pNever Repeat an Outfit
While some might say it’s tasteless or socially unacceptable to repeat an outfit, there are many good reasons to discard this rule. For one thing, pressuring yourself to always have a unique outfit on every time you step out of the house will naturally force you to buy more clothes. Not only does this lead to unnecessary spending, but it also creates more waste and contributes to the destruction of the environment. Hence, it’s financially, ecologically, and even personally beneficial for you to stop worrying about repeating outfits and re-wear combinations you love as much as you want.
If you think about it, many of the world’s foremost fashion icons have had a “uniform” that makes them immediately recognizable. These people know what they like and what looks good on them, and they use these staple pieces in combination with other items to produce iconic looks. Take a page from their books by building your wardrobe around certain “signature” items—such as your favorite little black dress, a classic white shirt, or a pair of dark-wash jeans. Practice mixing and matching these pieces with others in your wardrobe and you’ll be able to produce fresh looks without the excess waste or expense.
The style conventions you follow to the letter, those you ignore, and those you actively subvert say a lot about the kind of person you are and your attitude toward your personal style. The trick is to always be intentional about your fashion choices and to make them with your own comfort and happiness in mind first and foremost.
