“I’m a designer, and I think if you work in fashion, you have to give people fantasy.” ~Christian Louboutin
Ahh Fashion myths. We have all heard of them. We have all been grilled on them. We have all gotten the stink eye looks of, “You are wearing that?” “Oh my, what an uber faux pas.” “Umm that doesn’t go.” If anything can bring out the mean girl, it is the fashion myths.
Well sorry mean girl fashionistas, I am putting a wrench in your fashion opinions, telling you to watch the runways where designers are constantly throwing the antiquated style handbook out the window, and here to say wear what ever the heck you want!
Well according to the Fashion handbook of K.M. Sutton. I kid.
Kind of.
The truth is, and I have written about this in length before, fashion is art. It is expression. There are no rules! What looks good on one person, probably won’t look good on someone else. And that is perfectly all right.
Now that the fashion rant is over, on to some de-myth-busting …I kinda feel like myth busters at the moment!
One of the most common – and yet most heartbreaking – to my way of thinking is the rule that black and blue can not go together.
Gasps! Since when? I don’t know who made this silly rule, but apparently they were never an athlete when black and blues were the norm and blended into the skin like sun tan lotion and water at the beach.
Being a rebel, I immediately had to see what the big hullabaloo was and discovered absolutely nothing. o the world did not end when I paired black with blue and they do go together. You just have to find the right shades. Being a blue connoisseur I experimented finding just the right pairing. Including what I am calling my “Interview” outfit. A cerulean blue sheath dress with either a black blazer or sweater. Perfection! In fact it is one of my favorite color combos when I dress.
// Dress: BCBG // Sweater: Lulu Lemon // Shoes: DSW // Bag: Alaina Marie: Bait Bags //
Another is black and brown. While it isn’t my favorite color combination, and I abhor animal print – please just leave it to the jungles of Africa and the fierce mammals that inhabit it- leopards do rock it just fine. Plus when paired in swirly tribal prints and geometric shapes, it works well. The cheetah did always want its spots back after all.
White after labor day and before Memorial day:
My girl Stacy London is right on board with me on this one and who better to listen to then the former What Not to Wear Host?
“Rules like ‘don’t wear white after Labor Day’ or ‘shoes matching the handbag’ are antiquated. Modern women should feel free to experiment.” ~ Stacy London
There is “Winter” white for a reason. Because fashionistas like myself wear white year round. Antiquated thinking be damned. Nothing beats white pants at winter time to match the snow outside. (if we are blessed to have snow ahem) And I love nothing more then white jeans when the weather begins to get warm. And if you take a trip to the Caribbean in January? You can bet your britches that white will be on the outfit agenda.
// Sweater: Anthropologie // Jeans: White House Black market // Jewelry: Best of Everything // Hair: Andrea LaRusso: Root Cellar //
Patterns, particularly stripes, make you look bigger.
Yes and so can wearing black.
Did I just shock your stylist sensibilities? Please breathe.
It is true. If something doesn’t fit correctly, it will make you look bigger. Fashion 1.01. it all depends on what you pair it with. Believe me, I use to be in the same mind frame of: “Patterns are evil, and stripes are Satan incarnated!” Thank god I came to my senses! Patterns including horizontal stripes can be very slimming. One of my favorite shirts, is from (where else?) Anthropologie. It is white and yellow horizontal striped. I tend to pair it with a solid bottom usually black, white, or denim, and I will break it up with a long necklace. No I do not look like a whale. Though whales really are cute, so I wouldn’t complain if I did.
// Hat and shirt: Anthropologie // Shorts: J-Crew // Flip-flops: Reefs //
Thoughts? Opinions? Do you have other fashion myths you have de-mythafied?
