Once upon a time the fashion world seemed like this big ole bully that only let a select few in, and it probably still is BUT thanks to blogging and social media, the doors have been metaphorically swung open and fashion is now for everyone.
What I mean is the fact that the “regular person” is now the star of the show so often now we all start seeing more people who look like us wearing all sorts of cool stuff. Like for instance I’ve always loved the runway but when it came to getting style inspiration, I almost always took to people watching. And while I live in one of the best cities in the world to people watch, typing “street style” into Google image search allows me to look at the styles of people around the world without having to leave the house.
So here’s where the new rules come in. As someone who studied fashion and image consulting and who knows there is a science to getting dressed and looking your best it’s hard to say there are no rules, but things have shifted so to speak. No longer should one feel they can’t ever be stylish because of their age, budget, or size.
Because life is WAY too short to not enjoy all the cool clothes out there so here are the new fashion rules…
1. Thou shall try something “out of the box” at least once
“Out of the box” is of course a subjective term—it’s anything you’ve felt like you could never wear. The challenge here is to try it on anyway. Get yourself into a fitting room or order something online (see places to shop here, here, and here) and try it on. Take a couple of pics—imagine it with heels (or try them on with heels if you have them handy). I used to think there wasn’t a single pair of white jeans out there that looked good on me because of my thick thighs, but now I can’t seem to keep away from them…lol. Ditto anything with back cut-outs. I have back fat even when I’m at my smallest and thought it would never work for me, but this season brought a lot of cut-out dresses where there’s a peek of skin and if I make sure my bra is properly placed down in the back, it works.
2. Thou shall not down another fashionista for her fashion choices
Yes, we all do it—I used to write a column where I would diss the fashion choices of celebrities, but it never felt good, ya know? This is not to say I don’t see many fashion don’ts in my travels (or make any myself), but think about the confidence it takes to put some of those looks together. Plus karma is a b—- so you know what’s coming once you start bad mouthing someone else…
3. Clothes are for the most part season-less
Um, we had a global recession and some of us are still trying to work our way through it—ain’t nobody got time to be sectioning out clothing by season. Obviously if you live somewhere like NYC you can’t wear a leather moto in the summer, but once fall and winter hits? Girl, you better start layering some of your spring/summer clothing…lol.
Me in a BCBG blazer I got on sale at Bloomingdale’s
4. You CAN afford to look good
It’s funny that now getting something at a deal or the look for less is in style now when many of us have been doing it for YEARS. I mean, from a young age I was into runway looks, but I would always find ways to recreate the looks on my limited budget. I still do it today! Like for instance the styling of the J. Crew spring 2013 collection? LOVED everything. And while J. Crew isn’t out of the reach of many, I just can’t at this point in life imagine spending $300+ on a pair of their pants no matter how fabulous they are and will make me feel. So I take the style inspiration and go find things I do feel comfy spending on at Gap and Old Navy…lol. And don’t get me started on all the cute summer dresses I found at JCPenney for $30 and less. I saw dresses there that were similar to some I saw at Zara and on average the JCP item was 50% less. And I could actually find my size at JCP.
Also do not get me started on the cute pieces I find at Target, ASOS, Macy’s, and heck even BCBG whose jackets and pants I adore often has a really good sale (I’m talking 50% off). Or the deals to be had at outlet stores—as a matter of fact, I need to hit Off Saks soon.
5. Love your body & every one else’s
When you find what works for your body type when it comes to getting dressed, you start to appreciate it more. Good thing I have a whole section of this site dedicated to Dressing for Your Body (#shamelessplug–oh, and use the drop down menu in the menu bar to sort by your particular body type need).
But what’s also important is to love all the differences each of us has. We come in all shapes and sizes and those differences are beautiful. Let’s not down each other for having different bodies.
6. Fashion knows no age
Remember when “they” used to say once you reach a certain age hemlines need to come down, hair needs to get shorter, and blah, blah, blah. There’s a certain level of confidence that a woman establishes as she gets older—why should she have to turn things down just because she reaches a certain age?
7. You are allowed to repeat an outfit
I get it when celebrities can’t wear the same outfit for public appearances and events, but the rest of us? Go ahead and wear it again! In NYC where the average apartment has about the same square footage as a litter box, who has room to store all this stuff that’s worn once or who has the time to keep sending it to Goodwill? I personally like my wardrobe to not have a whole bunch of clothes in it (shoes are another story) because 1. it’s much easier to get dressed when there’s less things to look at and 2. when I REALLY love something, I wear it as often as I can so my closet is really only filled with things I love so much that I wear them all the time.
