Some fashion "rules" are repeated so often they come to be accepted as "fact". We don't believe there are any real hard facts about style (other than the ones which claim that Crocs are ugly, and harem pants will make you look like you just filled your diaper, obviously), so here are just five myths we'd like to bust:
1. Wrap dresses flatter everyone
(Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress, $365, Shopbop)
We read this sage piece of advice frequently in fashion magazines and the like, but your flat-chested Editor-In-Chief is here to tell you it's not true: on her, wrap dresses gape horribly and make her look like a badly-wrapped parcel (yes, even the much-vaunted Diane Von Furstenberg versions). In fact, we'd go so far as to say that there's no such thing as a "universally flattering" piece of clothing, although if you believe you've found one, we'd love to hear about it.
2. Horizontal stripes will make you look fat
Yeah, tell it to all the girls wearing Breton stripes this summer (and last summer, and the summer before, and last winter, and... oh, you get the picture). Do they all look fat to you? Seriously, ALL of them? Of course they don't. We're not saying stripes will flatter EVERY figure (See point one, above), but nor do they look every single person who wears them look fat, either. In fact, there's a school of thought which says that, actually, vertical stripes are more likely to create the illusion of "fat" than their horiziontal sisters. We know it sounds counter-intuitive, but we have to say, our highly un-scientific research convinces us there just might be something in that theory.
3. You can't wear white after Labor Day
Newsflash: yes you can! And we promise nothing bad will happen to you: we won't even arrest you, or anything. People will not point and laugh, and you will not have your "fashionista" card revoked. And sure, you'll want to pay a bit more attention to the weather if you're planning on white. If it's wet and muddy outside, you're not going to want to be trailing the hems of your long white pants along the pavement, and white linen won't be the most practical choice when the temperature drops. It's more about fabric than colour, however, and if you happen to look good in white, you won't suddenly look bad in it the day after Labor day. So relax, and let your white flag fly!
(Kate Middleton wore white after Labor Day and STILL got to marry a prince...)
4. Tall girls can't wear heels
Like hell they can't! Why should short woman get all the best shoes? One of the worst things you can do, style-wise, is to dress apologetically, or avoid wearing the things you love just because of some silly fashion "rule". (Obviously there are exceptions to this. If you love wearing bondage gear, for instance, Tesco probably isn't the place to do it. Some "rules" actually AREN'T meant to be broken...) Tall women look fantastic in heels. They also look fantastic in flats. And if the heels make you 7" tall, but you still feel great in them, then more power to your stiletto.
5. Short girls can't wear maxi dresses
It's true to say that the petite amongst us need to take a little more care when approaching this trend, because long lengths and flowing material can threaten to swamp us. It's all about proportion, though. Yes, if you're short you may have to lob a few inches of the bottom of the dress to stop it trailing along the ground behind you, and you may also need to either make alterations to the waisline/bust, or find a petite line that fits you perfectly. If the dress is the right fit, though, it won't look any different on you than it will on someone taller: trust us on this.
So there you have it. What fashion myths do YOU think need busting?
21 comments on “Five Fashion Myths Busted”
Absolutely agree!
1) so true! but we can wear deep V-necks, thank fashion Goddess for that))
2) I read once that it depends on the stripe (wide or thin, contrast etc)
3) Heard of it, never thought it was a serious rule))
4) Yes We Can! Although I might not be considered tall in the country I live in now, but I was certainly a runway model high at my home land.
5) I did see some short girls wearing maxi and looking GREAT!
One thing I noticed though.. short girls look great in mini skirts, and they don’t receive as much unwanted attention as tall girls. Tall girls in minis can easily look too much bare-legged. Imho, of course.
I agree on the short skirts and shorts. I’m tall and leggy and honestly, the way shorts are styled so teensy now if I walk outside in them, even with flats and a long sleeved, collar bone covering tee-shirt, it’s positively obscene. Living in a part of a big city where “safe” begins to turn into “walk alone in the dark and you will never be seen again,” wearing shorts is more trouble than it’s worth.
#3 – I was raised in the Southern U.S., and our rule was never to wear white *shoes* before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. Other white articles of clothing, any time of the year. And we interpreted even that rule pretty strictly as pure white, not off white (hence the color called ‘winter white’).
I’m from Philadelphia and that was the “rule” here. It would make sense here when you consider that come October we get rain for two months and then we have three months of snow and then more two more months of rain until which carries you into April. When you consider how it would take about five minutes to utterly ruin a brand new pair of white heels during those months, not wearing white shoes is only sensible. So I’m going to guess that that is where the tradition started.
I never understood the third rule, can someone explain why this was ever articulated?
I am D cup and I’m sick of hearing that busty girls should only ever wear dark colors and v-necks up top and avoid ruffles, bright colors, etc like the plague. I don’t understand why fashion mags act like we should do whatever we can to hide our breasts and make sure nobody notices them. I have seen plenty of female celebs with large chests who wear tops other than plain black and they can look very nice! And I have a ruffled coat and I love it.
This ‘rule’ is for girls who are self-concious about their bust. Also it stems from the desire to look equally proportioned. It is a rule about Balence, not fashion, and the ideal hourglass. Of course, in this day and age when you ‘can be any shape or size and still be beautiful’, you can wear what ever you want. However – and all that – there can be a point when too much can just be ‘YIKES!’ – generally on the celebrated (who are generally celebrated for having a large bust and/or zero inhibitions). As for the D-cup thing – eh, no worries.
That really bothers me too. I think it’s because being thin is kind of in these days.
I hear you, although I have the opposite problem in that I’m pretty flat chested, and am always reading advice geared towards making the girls look bigger, when actually, I’m fine with them the way they are, thanks. There seems to be this idea that we’re all desperately ashamed of our shapes, whatever they may be!
Yeah, exactly. “Dressing for your bodytype” always seems to be “dressing to make your bodytype look the opposite of how it is.” I’m gonna show off my legs even if I am “pear-shaped”, thx.
I’m tall and thin and have never found a wrap dress that I can wear. They make me look really small on top and really, really big on bottom.
They always gape horrible on me: I’ve yet to find one that I can wear without either something underneath or saftey pins to stop the thing falling off – sometimes both!
That Sack dresses are Avant-Garde. No. They are UGLY. If you have a great figure – they are ugly, if you have no figure they are UGLY. (p.s. – when is Labour day?)
> (p.s. – when is Labour day?)
I didn’t know either, and have just googled it.
It varies wildly depending on where you live. In the UK it’s in September, in New Zealand and some parts of Australia it’s in October.
In contrast to that, in other parts of Australia it’s in March (!) and in Jamaica it’s in May.
In Germany, where I live, we don’t have a Labour Day at all.
So I think this rule is obsolete anyway…
Oh yes… also the idea that if you’re larger than you’d like to be, you should wear baggy clothes. It just makes you look bigger!
I was referring to the US Labor Day, which is the first Monday in September.
WORD on number four. I am five foot seven in a half and I love wearing heels. It’s a very basic rule of fashion: wear clothes that showcase the best part of your body. I have great legs. I was once compared to Betty Grable in the leg department and that is probably the best compliment I have ever gotten. When I wear skinny jeans with four and a half inch heels, my legs look like the go for days. They shape my calves. They make me stand straighter with my shoulders back, which makes me look even taller and again, highlights my assets.
So what if I’m literally six feet tall when I wear them? I look great, mostly because I know I look great. As they say “confidence is a girl’s most important accessory.”
I totally agree… I’m short myself, but I love seeing tall girls in heels. (Um, that sounds creepier than it was meant to!) To me it says that the woman obviously feels comfortable with her appearance, and generally speaking, when you FEEL good, you look good. (Or better, at least!)
If you want an example of a tall girl who looks incredible in heels, look up Cat Deeley. She’s the host of the American show So You Think You Can Dance, she’s something like five foot ten inches tall in flats but she always wears skyscraper heels paired with gorgeous cocktail dresses on the show. And she always looks faaaaaaaaaaabulous. It’s hilarious though when she’s standing next to the contestants and towering over them- even the men.
Amen to that! I’m five-nine-and-a-half and my favourite shoes have a five inch heel – I couldn’t care less that I’m six foot two in them. My posture improves when I wear heels, which makes me look slimmer, and I feel so much better about myself when I stand up straight with my shoulders back!
Who cares if someone is self-conscious about their height and complains about tall girls wearing heels? My best friend is only five-two and she has no problem with it – if someone does, that’s not my fault and I’m not going to change the way I dress to make them happy.
Being a tall girl who loves heels I’ve learned to use it as a litmus test on a first date. Since the stereotype of Jews being short isn’t totally untrue, I am often either the same height or taller than him. If he gets nervous and bothered by it (asking if I *always* wear heels that tall or just generally fixating on my shoes), I know that he isn’t comfortable with it. And generally if a guy isn’t comfortable with me being taller than him, he’s not going to be comfortable with any other part of me that doesn’t gel perfectly with him. Also, if me being taller than him makes him uncomfortable, it often means he’s intimidated. And I’m not going to waste time on someone who is so easily intimidated that they can’t handle a pair of pumps.
I agree with the note about vertical stripes, especially when they run along the circumference of the sleeves (and it’s much worse when it’s fitted or tight).
Also, vests/blazers aren’t always flattering. They tend to emphasize the waist, even when they’re open…