I remember reading an article on what women should and shouldn’t wear, style, or do when I was very young.
Over the years, I definitely started to believe a lot of that.
However, I’ve been breaking many of them lately and thinking back on awful advice and outdated dressing rules for ladies. Things that I was liberated from.
I wish to discuss that in this article. I want to discuss some of the common beliefs that I think are no longer true and that, in fact, you may be better off ignoring if you do.
Outdated Dressing Rule 1
Leggings are difficult to style and unfashionable, according to the first dressing rule I no longer adhere to. I remember seeing this a few years ago all over the place. I most certainly contributed to this and would not wear them.
If I was going to style them, I put a lot of time and thought on them, and to be honest, it was a little bit limiting.
I found it to be limiting in numerous ways and really beginning to veer toward policing, which is not at all how I view fashion and is not something I want to support.
Leggings are something I’ve been attempting to wear differently and incorporate into my wardrobe. I’ve been styling them differently and wearing them outside of the gym.
They’re incredibly comfy and ideal for travel, especially since that street style and fashion inspiration have become somewhat more relaxed.
Outdated Dressing Rule 2
The next dressing rule I no longer subscribe to is that you should only need one of each classic style.
This evolved as I began to develop my personal style and specifically started using capsule wardrobes. For a while, having one white shirt, one pair of black pants, etc., really helped me out.
But as my taste has changed and I’ve worked out how I want to portray myself and what makes me feel the most comfortable, I’ve been able to identify a few wardrobe essentials that I can then tweak a little.
I’m able to create several variations of, say, a white shirt. I can change the silhouette, the cut, the size, and the way I can style the white shirt while still retaining its versatility. I get so much variety from it.
I started doing this specifically with pants because I had a very particular style of pant that I would choose and I was excluding myself from other alternatives because I had this arbitrary number in mind, one pair of black pants, one pair of jeans.
Instead, I have been applying that to those as well. Finding a silhouette with pleats, a higher rise, a somewhat larger or longer look. It has greatly increased my style freedom and increased the versatility of my closet.
It’s crucial to me that I don’t get bored, so I may change different combinations and rely on those components that I can mix and match while also changing them. I was missing that expression, as well as the variety that exists inside that expression.
Outdated Dressing Rule 3
Similar to the last point, I no longer think that every woman should have a specific assortment of clothing in her closet.
Specifically those lists like “5 things every stylish person has” or “30 things to have before you’re 30.”
There are undoubtedly things I’ve added to, and this is due to the fact that when I initially started my style, I remember seeing these lists and felt they were a great place to start.
It removed a lot of the uncertainty and provided me with a framework. Like with other things, though, the issue arose when I neglected to personalize and tweak it.
Using such lists as a starting point is great, but if you narrow your attention too much to finding the ideal trench coat or pair of jeans, you’ll miss what will work best for you and won’t be able to define or develop your personal style.
I’ve been using that framework, but I’ve also been taking my clothing and being open about what I’m missing to make it feel more like myself.
Outdated Dressing Rule 4
The next dressing rule I no longer stick to is that you should get rid of or declutter anything you haven’t worn in a year.
Capsule wardrobes were quite popular when I first started sharing my personal style online, and I was using them. I thought it was a great way to figure out what I loved and really start to focus in on finding my uniform and how things might mix and match. I had to be resourceful.
I kept seeing suggestions for decluttering and getting rid of things as I was doing all of that. However, as I went through it on my own, I recalled asking myself whether it was really necessary to get rid of the items because my mother had them for a long time and continued to use them. It doesn’t seem like a year is long enough.
After doing this for a few of years, I’ve come to the conclusion that a year is in no way long to assess whether or not you’re going to love something.
What I’ve been doing lately is evaluating an item in terms of how special it is, what it means to me, how much I genuinely adore it, and whether it might reappear in fashion or serve as a source of future inspiration.
I have removed that time frame. However, I’ve found it much more beneficial for me to approach my closet with the lot of “Do I love it” as my guiding framework.
It also deters me from constantly taking things out of my closet to bring room for new ones, which I find is useful. I must now make very careful decisions when making purchases. Because I am aware that I won’t get rid of a lot of things to make space. It must be something that I will actually wear and adore.
Outdated Dressing Rule 5
The next dressing rule for ladies I no longer follow is that dark denim is always preferred.
This is taken from those expertly compiled lists of wardrobe essentials. Dark denim was on every single one of them, which I recall clearly because you can dress it up or down.
I’m aware that I have argued in favor of the dark wash since it is essentially a little bit more formal. I love it for these reasons and have some in my own closet.
I do, however, tend to reach for my mid-wash denim a lot more, which I found to be particularly true to my personal style.
That depends, in my opinion, on the formality. The mid wash is much more adaptable and flexible than the dark wash, which occasionally appears almost too formal and gives a very definite tale.
It can serve as the starting point for a lot of stories. I just reach for it more. It all comes back to personalization and making to see whether you’re truly looking at your closet.
I do wear dark jeans, but my go-to style is unquestionably mid wash. I’ve been doing that with my mid-wash and I’m much happier with the outcomes rather than fixating on the dark denim pieces and finding those in alternative designs.
Because I am aware of how much I adore them, how frequently I wear them, and how I may draw styling ideas from them not only today but from 20 or 30 years ago. I can use all of that to shape my own style path.
Outdated Dressing Rule 6
Last but not least, if a pair of pants contains belt loops, you must wear a belt.
I can still remember seeing this everywhere, and when I first started to consider my personal style and attempt to determine what I loved, I adhered to it quite closely. I thought this to be a firm dressing rule.
I would put a belt on if my pair of pants or my jeans had obvious belt loops.
But through trial and error and releasing myself from these demands that someone else places on me, I’ve been able to really focus on styling. A belt isn’t required for every outfit.
Even though nobody was actually compelling me to do it but me, I was still making it into something I had to do.
It all boils back to choosing your style deliberately. Making an effort to tune out the noise, choosing what actually works for you, and being true to your passions.
If you like how something looks, wear it, and if you don’t like how something looks, then don’t wear it. You’ll be able to tell how you truly feel by the outfit you dress.
I love belts a lot and have a lot of them. However, I no longer feel a belt is necessary for every outfit with belt loops. It’s provided me a great lot of flexibility with my jewelry and everything else.
Additionally, I can wear my belts over garments without belt loops, such as a blazer or a sweater, which offers me more options and makes dressing up much more enjoyable.
