Every year, I’m kind of interested in what the magazines (and the blogs!) say. What’s stylish for the new season?
But I’ve noticed lately–is it just me?–that fashion is all over the place these days. Now, more than I can ever remember, anything goes.
My one fashion rule for fall: Wear what you love.
Sure, there will be fall trends. Leopard prints are hot. Grunge is back. Blue is big. So is burgundy (which thankfully is being called burgundy this year, not “oxblood.” Ew.)
But these trends speak more to what’s available for sale in the stores than what you “should” be wearing. If your closet is stocked with looks you love, you don’t need to worry about what you can or can’t get at the Gap.
So wear whatever you like, because unless you are actually walking that runway wearing clothes that don’t belong to you, the person who cares the most about what you wear every day is you.
Wear what you love–with confidence, please–and you’ll be plenty fashionable this fall, and all the seasons that follow.
Do you have a style rule that you live by (like “wear what you love”)? Share it in comments!
16 comments
My style rule – start with what’s already in the closet or the dresser drawers. Why buy more when I ‘ve already got a ton of stuff that will go together if I give it half a thought?
Second style rule – sometimes I do need to buy something, but it should be accompanied by getting rid of something that no longer fits or is so worn out it can’t be worn in polite company.
Third style rule – black muumuus are very forgiving.
“I don’t want to look like a weirdo, I’ll just go with the muumuu”–Homer Simpson
Yeah, Homer really rocks the muumuu!
Wear the classics and choose quality so you don’t have to buy it new every year (or season). And wear what looks good on you.
Classic never goes out of style. Amen to that, Tina!
The older I get, obviously, the more the “new trends” look suspiciously like what I wore as a child (and now, that the 90s are back in, a young adult)…its hard to get excited about that. I’m a big fan of “wear what you love”. I’ve got some classic stuff, some trendy stuff, a lot of stuff that was trendy at some point in the past, and likely some stuff that may be trendy at some point in the future. I tend to think that dressing head-to-toe fashion trends makes one look like an under-confident teen.
I’m also a big ‘wear what you love’ as I get older and have a better sense of what works for me, but I’m also bad about getting into a color rut and so I do watch for what the colors of the moment are and try and get out of my comfort zone a bit.
Fashion is definitely all over the place, thanks to fast fashion. We no longer have true seasons because most stores are rolling out new looks every month. Or in some cases, every week. We lose so much in the process, not to mention the factory workers who pay in ways we often don’t want to know. I wear what I love but I’m also learning to find out where a garment came from, to invest in quality over quantity, and to make the most of what I already own. Plus, there’s always a thrill in thrifting.
My rules are pretty simple and have already been covered by a couple of previous comments, but I’ll share them anyway! 😉
1) Classic is always in style. Think Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. My go to store has always been Talbots (I was the really odd teenage girl who was shopping with older women), but even Talbots abandoned me for several years while they decided to go trendy, and I was left to rely on the classics that I had purchased years ago. Thankfully, because they were CLASSIC in look and tailoring, I was still getting compliments on my clothes while the trends around me were all over the place.
2) Wear what you want to wear and trends and fashion be… [fill in the blank]. I never dressed like anyone but me, and I always liked how I looked (and then the hubs liked how I looked, which is all that really matters to me).
3) One In. One Out. This rule has been a life (and budget) saver and it’s all thanks to the hard-nosed hubby who said he wasn’t building a bigger closet. When I know that if I buy something, something else has to go out, it makes me a lot choosier about what I bring in. Do I like it better than something I already own? If the answer is yes, then that’s a win and the offending object is donated. If the answer is no, that’s also a win because it means I’ve selected the items in my closet very well and money stays in my bank account. 🙂
One more…
4) Quality over quantity. This is a slighter newer rule for me (and one I learned the hard way), but if I’m buying classic looks, then I want them to last for a long time. And if I really love the item, I don’t get tired of it. In the long run, if I like what I own and it’s quality so it lasts, then I save money because I’m not buying replacement clothes all the time when the cheaply made stuff falls apart.
I have no particular style expertise, but I have 2 strategies that work for me.
The first is that if I find a clothing store I like, I stay with it. My favourite women’s clothing store is Reitmans; I think every pair of pants I own is Reitmans petite — dress pants, jeans, cords, khakis, capris (I’ve bought some of them new on sale, some of them at 2nd-hand stores). They all look and feel great.
I do a lot of 2nd-hand store shopping and I never assume anything about sizes: if I’m looking, say, for a denim skirt, I go through all of the denim skirts in all size categories, just in case. Last year I found the perfect denim skirt in the size 0-2 section, and I’m usually 6-8. (SCORE!)
I am trying to focus on having a signature style (i.e. certain colors/styles in clothing and jewelry that are timeless and play up my best features.) And I’m really trying to adhere to a rule of not buying something unless I absolutely LOVE it and it fits perfectly….this is much harder than you’d think it would be!
My style rules for myself always include wearing a skirt, a pair of earrings for every outfit, and never being afraid to wear bold or different colors. I like being creative and taking an idea or an inspiration from Pinterest or modern styles and putting my gypsy-chic spin on it. 🙂
I like to people-watch, and I can always tell when a woman is comfortable with herself and knows that she looks good. Not in a vain way, but in such as way that she exudes confidence. If you know that your clothing fits well and works with your body, it doesn’t matter how “in style” it is.
For the first time in my life, I am wearing what I like without worrying about it. I just brought pink hi-tops with luminous pink laces, exactly like my 7 yro daughters, I plan on rocking these babies with all sorts of things. Like dresses and leggings. I know technically I am the wrong shape (not being stick thin or even branch thin, lol) but they make me happy.
My Fall Fashion Philosophy is wear what makes me (or you) happy.
My advice if you do like to follow trends is to buy classic pieces for your regular wardrobe and then buy trendy accessories. Accessories (fashion jewelry, hats, and scarves, for instance) are cheaper than full outfits and are easy to change out when you tire of a particular style.