Do you recall the one about long hair is only for the under 40's....how that has changed...thank goodness...Rule number 1 would be well and truly broken on my part...Some of the most gorgeous women in the world, above the age of 40, have below shoulder length hair...
What about no denim with denim? That one is still worth following in my opinion...denim+denim = carpenter or painter not femme fatale...
The white rule....No white at weddings, unless you are the bride....and white shoes were a no no, unless we are talking tennis shoes....in fact wasn't there a no white rule after Labour Day and before Memorial Day in the States? Today I think it is permissible to wear white anywhere, anytime...even to weddings because very often the bride chooses a colourful gown...
The no 'brown with black' or heaven forbid...'navy and black rule'....that is so over and these days some of the best combinations in fashion around...
Matching bags and shoes....If they didn't match...what an infringement....a catastrophe of the highest order.......I can't remember when I have worried about that one...and now I love an eclectic pairing most of all....
Mixing the metallics...I am unsure about this one....It seems to be a green light to merge the gold with the silver and the bronze...but I am not convinced...As for jewellery, somehow mixing the metals is an easier meld...
Red hair meant no red....How that one has changed....I love a redhead in red....Imagine Joan Harris aka Christina Hendricks not strutting around in a little rouge....
Leather...all the rules have been broken....It was once for belts, bags and shoes only....Men, and only a certain style of man wore a leather jacket..... Now le leather is la mode for le monde...
Tights....No self respecting woman would venture out without tights or should I say 'pantyhose'...... Every bare leg was covered in flesh covered nylon...sometimes the ''flesh' colour resembled more the colours of the desert than the colours of human flesh..... Today 'tights' are a stand alone fashion accessory...thick, thin, patterned or plain.....and wearing flesh coloured tights is more an office look than a social requirement...
Fashion rules have relaxed and wearing fashion has become about the individual rather than the social norm....Now what we wear and how we wear it is our call...Designers might dictate the trends but we are the interpreters, the translators of this exotic language....xv
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What about blue and green should never be seen (together)!
ReplyDeleteTo be really honest with you, I don't believe in "rules" but I do believe in sense. Good sense, that is...
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
I have been thinking about this very subject as I attempt to makeover my closet and emulate the styles I have loved, but never adopted myself. I was rasied by a Southern mama, and we definitely knew "the rules." (I still think people should refrain from wearing white to a wedding, but that's just me. Times have changed.)
ReplyDeleteI love your examples! Some of them had slipped my mind, especially in light of today's fashion climate. In a recent blog post, I actually mentioned mixing metals. I have to agree with you that jewelery is a comfortable place to start on that trend.
Thanks for the lovely morning post! :)
well maybe it's really about taste and 'style' ... those who have it still have very ridid rules ... but as you say, the rules are now determined by us ... I don't like matching anything, shoes/bag, earrings/necklace, furniture .. but that's my own thing! Great post as usual.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comments....
ReplyDeleteI think some rules should stay put. There are some awful looks out there. But yes; some things don't make much sense, either.
ReplyDeleteIn the south, people are so silly about rules, but I use my own judgement on things. You can see a little bit of everything these days.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
xoxo
Thank heaven the rules are gone.................because I love brown with black, leather biker jackets, and mixing it all up. And who wants a matchy bag? Even when I was a teenager, I went to hippie land because the rules weren't so strict. Fun post Vicki. Much love XO
ReplyDeleteOh I know Vicki, their are few "set in stone"fashion rules anymore.
ReplyDeleteI myself love winter white, and have some pin wale cords and a cashmere sweater in it!
I now see jeans almost everywhere, at parties where they would never have appeared before. Yes dressed up, still....
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I don't really pay attention to fashion "rules" in my day-to-day life because I lead a pretty basic fashion existence: black, grey, black and grey.
ReplyDeleteBut when I'm performing with my harp, I pay extraordinary attention to what I'm wearing: can I move my arms freely, will the sleeves get in the way of the strings, does it have beading that will make a noise against the body of the harp, will I be able to bend and lift the thing without splitting my dress up the back (yes, it happened), are there any parts that are too revealing...etc. I've also noticed that most skirts and dresses with side slits are slit on the left side - the side of the harpist that faces the audience (discovered this one as I sat down to perform one day and showed the front row quite a bit of leg).
Just a few of Amy's "fashion rules" in case you take up playing the harp anytime soon!
I'm so glad many of these rules have been thrown out the window, fashion is so much more fun when there are very few rules.
ReplyDeleteI think that you can weah white anywhere, anytime...EXCEPT at a wedding. :) I will never forget attending one where the bride wore a short pale pink silk, and someone else wore an identical dress in white. The fury of the bride was palpable. Why risk offending her on her special day?
ReplyDeleteOOOhhh wooow, love your blog!! It´s a great inspiration for my illustrations!!
ReplyDeleteFollow you!!!
:)
Oh Vicki,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right....all of the fashion rules seem to have been thrown out of the window. I love to see red paired with orange or pink and brown with black. A few years ago it would have been frowned upon.
One of the fashion presenters said this morning that if you are over 40 you shouldn't wear leather trousers.....I am 60 and, worn correctly, they still look OK.I have skinny leather jeans that I wear with a black tunic so that you only see the leg part and they look fine.
Here's to breaking the rules and looking good. XXXX
Thank goodness there are no rules in fashion anymore. Although sometimes I wish there were a few rules of dressing appropriately.... I cringe when I see older women wearing things that would only look good on their daughter.
ReplyDeleteDenim + denim I agree is a no no.
ReplyDeleteThe Duchess of Cambridge looks pretty good in tights (a requirement in her role) but then she looks good in anything really.
I've never followed any of the fashion rules. Life's too short. I do follow the rules of good manners, because I don't want to embarrass anyone by having to look at me when I'm not decently dressed.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post; restrictive fashion "rules" barred beauty and creativity for too long & their departure is none too soon for me!
ReplyDelete-Keri
Thanks for writing about this topic Vicki. As a Personal Stylist who is not formally trained, I've come across a few formally trained consultant's who have questioned whether I have the knowledge and ability to teach women about developing their own personal style because I have not completed a course. My focus (& passion) is to help women define their own unique style, to show those who don't have a lot of money to spend, that they can still dress stylishly on a budget and to educate them on how to dress to flatter their body shape. The people who have frowned on me for not having a certificate are those who believe that we should follow strict fashion "rules". Navy and black should never be worn together, nor should we wear a pair of tights with open toe shoes. Shoes and bags should always match and unless you have the physique of Elle MacPherson you should not wear an horizontal stripe. I loved reading this article because it validated, for me, the fact that rules are there to be broken. Some of these old fashioned "rules", still being talked about today, were written at the same time as the "Good Wife's Guide" was published in 1955. Being stylish and fashionable, is about being unique and individual, not about being dictated to. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough where I grew up, there were not many rules, we came from a rather poor background, were having clothes was the first thing to be grateful for. Later I never really picked it up. All I have is my imagination, the feeling what looks good on my and the social learning one goes through in life. I ended up in a rather preppy, wealthy American neighborhood, far away from my East German upbringing. (Not my style at all - to be sure) Thank goodness I was born in a time when rules began to crumble, but occasionally I have to say it would be nice to have some guidance, because seeing my teenagers today without any fashion rules makes often for an awful sight and many inappropriate dress occasions. But as a mother now I have very little influence....There is Lady Gaga, Facebook, the friends with lots of money and the brand rules....
ReplyDeleteFunny - I mentioned the brown/black rule to a friend a few years ago who had never heard of it. Then I just questioned the metallic mix on another blog. I guess rules really are made to be broken.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Just reading the first comment. My mum used to always say that "blue & green should never be seen". She also would never let my sister & I wear red & pink together.
ReplyDeleteI love that we can interperate fashion in our own way these days and dress for our own mood and personality. It's so much more fun. What about those people that have to have matching underwear? Isn't it way more fun not to match?
~ Clare x
Sadly...I think some new rules need to be made up for some of the teenage girls who are completely clueless in the world of fashion. Wuold they pay attention? Probably not...but it might be worth a try to save a few from the inevetable shock they'll feel hen they look back at their youth.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this isn't an issue in France, but certain cities in the US though...huge!
xo J~
Call me old fashioned but I still cringe when I see a 2nd/3rd/4th time around bride wearing the full bridal catastrophe.......pouffy white gown, tiara, veil, etc. My darling Mum instilled in us it was an absolute no no, & while I've discarded a lot of her other fashion 'rules', this is one I just can't flick off.
ReplyDeleteMillie xx
Vicki, you have reminded me of the rules of fashion. I feel fashion is like art. Rules have their place and set the guidelines. Once learned, then they can be discarded as the student sees fit and as ones style emerges. A full-length mirror and good lighting will usually tell us what we need to know.
ReplyDeleteHave a stylish day
Helen xx
Denim and Denim is def, still a no no! It's just too 80's butch for me!
ReplyDeleteI always remember my gran following the tights rule as bare legs were not allowed to be seen. Unfortunately she always wore the 'American Tan' shade which was a bit too orange and at least 5 times darker than her skin tone, so not at all flattering!
Some rules are meant to be broken. Others were made for a reason! :D
What a nice early morning conversation, it echo's a debate some friends and I had at dinner last evening. They each have two daughters, I have sons. Fashion trends and rules vary dramatically in the twenties and thirties, but fortunately modesty has won out for these young ladies.(according to their Mother's!) Not so in many of the younger girls. I am appalled every time I see them, in public, in pajama-or pajama-like clothing, no undergarments, with nothing left to the imagination. Rules are not all bad. I do support the no-white-to-the-wedding unless you are the bride rule. Otherwise, if your style is somewhat outside the boundaries, that is your business! BTW, to the "undocumented" stylist, you just keep on doing what you do and you will be fine. Shame on the person who demeans your work to validate themselves.
ReplyDeleteI had my very stylish and classy thirty-something friend come over to help me style my wardrobe because I can't be bothered to do it myself (have no interest) and the few rules she gave me: Never match yours belt,bag or shoes because you'll look dated, don't wear jewelry sets together or you'll look like your mother and her friends, and for a nice stylish but casual look--contrast the top and the bottom--casual t-shirt with a dressy skirt, dressy top with jeans, etc. I've gotten more compliments in the last month than I ever did before, and I feel so up to date! (I'm 49).
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that fashion today is so much fun and exciting because people can wear whatever they like and people are less judgmental. The texture, patterns, and colors are more fun too. Although I still believe that every woman should also have a few classic pieces in her closet ♥
ReplyDeleteGrand post Vicki..Some rules we need, others not so much..xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteI always love when you write about the over-arching questions of style and fashion Vicki. I think it's good to know the classic rules for those times when you really need to use judgement--ie, weddings/funerals/etc. But the trend is more and more towards under-styled {which I love} and lifestyle merging with fashion and less about being a dressed up perfect doll, so it will be interesting to see where the fashion rules are in another 10 or 20 years.
ReplyDeletexo Mary Jo
Very interesting post Vicki.I agree with your comments but I still adhere to the no white at weddings rule.I can remember as a girl having to wear hat and gloves to church and certainly Sunday
ReplyDeleteBest was the rule then.We always came home and changed out of our good clothes before our baked lunch.I love to wear all types of fashion and mix and match and also classic styles which are timeless. I always enjoy the fashion posts.Have a lovely day.
I live in Portland Oregon where all fashion rules come to die and roll over in their grave. In Portland, if you can pull it off, you can wear anything, from frump to fab.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm not saying that that is always a good thing.... but it is liberating, indeed.
Lovely illustration! I think it's wonderful that many of 'the rules' have relaxed ~ though rules might bring a sense of comfort to people who aren't naturally inclined to putting things together stylishly. Perhaps by having such a wealth of fashion eye candy at our fingertips thanks to the internet, we're feeling more comfortable with putting things together ourselves...
ReplyDeleteThe only real rule has always been: Those without personal style follow rules/trends/fashion of the day. Those with style have always made their own!
ReplyDeleteGreat to read you again... ; )
M
Great post....and so many good ones. Funny about the matching shoes and bag, boy has that gone out the window, ditto white after labor day, no white at weddings, mixig blue and black, the list goes on. Only one I still dont' wear much of if ever are jeans, I grew up wtih a proper mom who wore dresses until she was around 50 then finally started wearig slacks, NEVER EVER saw my mom in a pair of jeans so guess that's why!
ReplyDeletePersonally fashion for me all boils down to being comfortable in your own skin and devleoping your own style. As long as you look great, you generally feel great and feeling great is the best fashion accessory of all!
I am glad we don't have to worry about those things any more, like black with navy, which I love together, however, now that all the rules are gone, we seem less creative than ever here in America, and now everybody just wears jeans and sweats all the time, even to weddings. Maybe we were better off years ago, fashion-wise? I love your blog.
ReplyDeleteYes yes and yes!
ReplyDelete*holds Fashion Rules over a burning candle*
Totally awesome post, V. I love the illustrations so much. They made me smile. Sending love....
ReplyDeleteLove the new header !!!!!!
ReplyDeletefantastic post!
ReplyDeleteI love the new layout!!
xx
callie