To live by the rules of women’s fashion is to live by a veritable encyclopedia of conflicting and contrasting information. Some tell you to do one thing and others swear to the contrary, which in turn means there’s a lot of making up your own rules that comes into the equation. But at the same time, there will always be those rules that are universally followed to the letter with no thought and no questioning – rules most just assume are important and valid.
But here’s the thing – the whole idea of fashion moving forward throughout the generations is that rules must be broken in order to allow for new styles and trends to set in. Just look at the fashion of the 80s and 90s compared to what’s on the catwalks today – the number of apparent rules broken by every single garment pretty much explains the importance of questioning the rules from time to time.
So in the spirit of both evolution and ensuring that more women are able to make the most of today’s fashion, here’s a quick rundown of five silly fashion rules you should probably make a real effort to break:
1 – If You’re Over 40, It’s Time to Cut Your Hair
Ask yourself – just where did the rule come from that says you cannot or at least should not have long hair after your turn 40? With no real grounding whatsoever, it’s simply a case of the rule having come into play on the back of tradition. Middle-aged women and those of senior age for quite some time naturally gravitated toward short hair, which in turn led to it becoming an expectation. These days though there are two things wrong with this rule – one being that long hair can look great at any age and the other being that 40 is the new 30. So regardless of how old you are, this is one rule you can throw out for life.
2 – Coordinated Accessories Mean Well-Dressed Ladies
There was a time when the mark of a well-dressed lady was the careful coordination of her shoes, belt and bag. These days however, it often tends to be those that break the mould at least a little who turn heads for all the right reasons. In terms of making a statement and indeed making an effort, perfectly matching shoes with belts with bags is technically easy – anyone can do it. By contrast, putting together your own unique blend of contrasting or even conflicting colours and pulling it off is much trickier. So really, it’s the latter you should be aiming for.
3 – More Miles on the Clock, More Inches on the Hem
In the same vein as the first rule in this list, it’s still generally assumed and preached even today that as a woman gets older, she simply must start adding more and more length to the skirts she wears. Now, this of course all comes down to the fact that it’s pretty difficult for those of a much older age to get away with super-short skirts, but in terms of cut-off points and when the change must be made, there’s no fixed rule to abide by. If you’ve got the pins for it, why shouldn’t you wear cute little skirts into your 60s? Just ignore the apparent rules and wear anything you can get away with.
4 – Red Lipstick and Daytimes Don’t Mix
Over recent years and decades for that matter, the standard go-to for women out and about during hours of daylight has been a neutral or nude lip covering with perhaps a subtle touch of pink. By contrast, bright and bold reds were apparently confined to the evening. The thing is though, the world’s leading style gurus are now insisting that red lipstick can be just perfect for daytime use, just as long as it isn’t paired with black eyeliner. There are so many women right now who deliberately slap a huge dose of colour on their lips to take attention away from blemishes or the fact that their eyes tell a story from the night before.
5 – Horizontal Stripes Add Perceived Weight
Last but not least, there’s a bit of science to this one so before you go writing it off as rubbish, studies have shown things aren’t quite as we believe them to be. While it’s universally accepted that horizontal stripes can make a woman look bigger and heavier than she really is, tests have shown that in the vast majority of instances, those looking at others wearing horizontal stripes actually perceive them as being thinner than they are. So instead of just forgetting about the idea altogether, at least try out some stripes and see how they work for you.