At some point in your fashion-building years, a parent, schoolteacher, nun, or other member of the fashion police drilled certain rules into your head about what you should and shouldn’t wear. And you believed them. But according to fashion design experts, most of these rules are just myths. Not only are they fake, but they can be detrimental to your wardrobe.
Here are some rules you can finally start breaking!
Myth #1: Don’t wear white after Labor Day. Alright, let’s put this to bed right away. White is not only acceptable, it’s actually quite stunning in the fall and winter. Remember that white comes in many shades, some warm and some cool. Warmer whites add drama to a post-Labor Day wardrobe, and when white comes in a cozy fabric like cashmere, it’s definitely a “fashion dress.”
Myth #2: Horizontal stripes make you look fat.. Although people have blindly believed this myth for decades, it is scientifically proven to be false. A York University psychologist recently demonstrated that horizontal lines don’t make you look fatter; and if anything, it can make you look slimmer. He was confirming the findings of a 19th-century physicist who first investigated the optical illusion that horizontal lines appear taller and narrower than vertical lines.
Myth #3: Don’t mix patterns and stripes. Whoever invented this obviously didn’t go to fashion school. Mixing prints and stripes creates an absolutely fantastic look. Just keep proportions in mind, so if one pattern or stripe is bold, make the other more subdued. Contrast is quite fashionable.
Myth #4: Your shoes should match your bag. Let’s face it: if you match your shoes with your bag, you’ll look like the Queen dressed you. He probably also wants her to wear matching gloves. If you have to combine your bag with something, it should be your clothes, but even that is not necessary.
Myth #5: Baggy clothes hide fat. People are not fooled by that muumuu. While baggy clothing can hide your figure, the result is a shapeless silhouette that can actually make you look bigger. Form-fitting clothing that shows off your curves without being too tight is actually more flattering.
Myth #6: Black looks good on everyone. Not necessarily. Color experts argue that only one in five people have the pale, cool skin tone that looks good with black. People with warmer skin tones look washed out black, as the color removes all of the gold tones from their skin.
Myth #7: Men’s shoes should match their belts. This one is difficult, as many men may face resistance from those who follow this rule. But the shoes do not need to match, they must be coordinated with the belt. Imagine if you had shoes that were brown or white. You’d be hard-pressed to find a brown or white belt that would exactly match. But you would find brown or black belts to match them.
The only true rule in fashion design, then, is that rules are made to be broken. You’ll discover that debunking the myths may be the best thing you’ve ever done to your wardrobe.