Pushing boundaries and expressing yourself is key when it comes to finding your own personal sense of style, often this requires breaking the rules and going against the grain. With pushing boundaries comes risk and often this can lead to some hefty fashion mistakes if you’re not careful. As fashion rules change with the seasons, faux pas are becoming hard to avoid. Luckily, we have compiled together a range of the most common fashion faux pas to ensure that you’re always dressed to impress.
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Quality Over Quantity
Choosing quantity over quality is a fashion mistake that, alongside the rise of fast fashion, is becoming increasingly more common. It is now easier than ever to purchase large amounts of clothing for ridiculously low prices. However, an abundance of clothing isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, you get what you pay for and within a few months cheap clothing will easily wear out. Not to mention the obvious negative effects of fast fashion on the environment. Focusing on the quality of your clothing, not only looks a lot better but it’s a much better use of your money. It means that you’re buying pieces to last, and you’ll get far more wear out of them. For those who are looking for affordable or more sustainable alternatives, making your own clothing is a trend currently on the rise. Individuals are tailoring their own clothing as well as taking on new skills like knitting, that can be particularly popular throughout the winter months.
Over Accessorising (Or Under)
Accessories are popularly used to elevate a simple outfit, but often it is difficult to find the proper balance between over and under accessorising. Sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to jewellery. Going overboard with accessories can completely overwhelm and distract from the beauty of an outfit. It is important to limit chunky jewellery items by sticking to one statement piece and if you’re looking to include other styles of jewellery ensure these are elegant and subtle. Typically, it is advised that when it comes to jewellery you should stick to 2 or 3 pieces, any less will make your outfit appear lacklustre and boring.
Balancing accessories should also be considered, try to avoid concentrating accessories around one section of your body as this can make an outfit appear off-balance. For example, incorporating predominantly lower body accessories like belts and bags will leave the top half of your outfit bare. Plus, if you have a pear-shaped body this will add more volume to your hip area, which may not be the most flattering.
Following Trends
It is easy to get dragged into purchasing the latest trends, especially with influencers and celebrities sporting them all over our social media feeds. Although a small portion of fashion trends are stylish and timeless, the majority are short lived and lack originality. Within a matter of months, you are bound to have wasted copious amounts of money on clothing that is no longer ‘fashionable’. It is recommended to stick to trends that have more traditional elements and are subtle in nature, this increases their chances of longevity and ensures you’re not wasting your money on a one-month fashion trend. When buying trendy fashion pieces consider if you will wear the piece regularly, if the answer is no then it is best to invest your money into more wearable and timeless pieces.
Dirty Shoes
There is a common belief that shoes are the first thing many of us notice on a person, making them critical to a good first impression. How you present yourself is key to positive perceptions from others, so it’s important that our shoes set us to the highest possible standards. Dirty footwear instantly ruins any outfit, no matter how classy when paired with worn and scuffed footwear an outfit will appear cheap and tacky. For the most part shoes will take a maximum of 5 minutes to clean with a damp cloth or they can be easily thrown into the washing machine to freshen up. However, for those living busy lifestyles this is often not a top priority. It is recommended to purchase footwear with easy to clean materials like leather or faux leather, that can be swiftly wiped when dirty. Similarly, investing in a solid shoe protectant will ensure that your shoes remain in good condition, avoiding daily wear and tear.
