10 Fashion Rules You Don’t Need to Follow

Ah, the rules of fashion. Don’t wear white after Labor Day. Don’t mix and match prints. Your shoe color should always match your purse, or your belt. These fashion clothing rules have been around for decades, but how many of them ring true today? And even if they still hold some weight in the rarefied air of the fashion world (dahling), should we really care, or just dress the way we feel?

Here are 10 fashion rules that you can toss out with yesterday’s parachute pants (only if you want to, of course).

Tall Women Should Never Wear High Heels

How depressing is that! High heels are one of those things that make women feel feminine, whether glammed up for a night on the town, or paired with skinny jeans and a flirty blouse during the day. Regardless of a woman’s height, high heels (in the form of boots, platforms, or stilettos) make your legs look toned and classy. And they even add a little shimmy to your walk. If you’re a tall drink of water ladies, wear that height with pride.

Short Women Should Never Wear Long Dresses

Again, another depressing height rule. This rule is based on the theory that visible legs (as shown via skirts and knee-length dresses) elongate a woman’s body. If you are shorter in height, dresses that don’t show your legs will make you look shorter. While this may be true, there are ways around this when you want to wear a long summer dress, or a full-length pencil skirt. You can wear your hair up to elongate your neck and shoulders and add some height on top if your head, or wear wedge sandals or pumps to give you some added height. And never forget the importance of good posture!

Don’t Wear Gold and Silver Together

You can go to any jewelry store today and clearly see that this rule no longer applies. Watches, earrings, and necklaces all combine these two metals beautifully. However, if you have solid pieces of each, the trick is to select the right pieces to wear together. It’s probably not a good match to wear solid gold earrings with a silver necklace, but if you have an additional gold necklace, you can layer the pieces for a chic and shiny look. Layering jewelry is hot right now, so have fun with it.

Don’t Wear Black and Navy Blue Together

Because these shades are so similar (and dark), wearing them together can often make you look like you dressed in the dark. The trick here is to accessorize. Black skinny jeans with a navy blouse, mouth-popping red lipstick and matching red heels and purse can turn the look from drab to fab. You can also wear colorful belts and jewelry that break up the darkness of the ensemble. The only time that wearing these colors together doesn’t work is with formal attire, such as a suit or other matching outfit. A black jacket and navy blue slacks just makes you look too cheap to buy the full outfit. If you must do this, add a layer of contrasting color between the two with a long white shirt or blouse.

Don’t Mix and Match Prints, or Wear Several Bold Colors

This rule is somewhat generational, as vintage clothing has made a comeback in recent years and mixed and matched prints can be found everywhere. Plaids, stripes, and other designs can be matched up fairly easily; just choose similar colors and go easy on the accessories. The idea is to look chic and fashionable, not like a fabric parade.

The same rule applies for bold colors. You can mix and match bold colors easily by using compatible tones (oranges and purples, yellows and greens), but in this case, it is a good idea to accessorize to break up the starkness of the colors and tone them down a bit. The trick here is to use soft accessories, natural makeup, and silver or gold jewelry.

Don’t Wear White After Labor Day

This fashion rule was retired a long time ago. One of the most fashionable things to do in winter is wear white – sweaters, slacks, and big comfy jackets are all available in hues of cream, white and beige. Light colors do not equate to light fabrics – wool cardigans and hefty pea coats all look fabulous in white.

Sparkle is Reserved for Evening Wear

Most women look stunning in sparkly attire, so don’t save it for the dance floor! Although it’s not advised to wear a sequined dress to a business luncheon, you can add bits of sparkle to your daily ensemble in the form of a glittery blouse under a blazer, or sparkly earrings, necklaces, or jewel-encrusted belts against a dark outfit.

Shoes, Belts and Purses Should Always Match

Just like the Labor Day/white rule, this fashion guideline is pretty much obsolete. Designer purses, shoes and belts come in so many different colors and patterns, to match each one would be near to impossible… and you would look a little odd doing so. Just try to find colors and patterns that compliment each other. To get a better idea on how to do this, look to Victoria Beckham. She has this fashion trick mastered.

Fashion should always be fun and not taken too seriously. You should never have to take a style book of current clothing trends to the clothing store! Though there are suggested rules to follow, even those can be tweaked to accommodate your own personal sense of style.