Who loves fashion and staying on top of the latest trends, I know firsthand how easy it is to fall into some common style traps. We’ve all had those cringe-worthy photos that make us wonder, What was I thinking when I wore that? To help you sidestep those fashion faux pas, here are five fashion mistakes to avoid.
1. Wearing Clothes That Don’t Fit Properly
One of the biggest fashion mistakes you can make is wearing ill-fitting clothes. It doesn’t matter how trendy or expensive a garment is, if it doesn’t fit you well, it won’t look good. Clothing that is too tight can create unflattering bulges and limit your range of motion, while pieces that are too loose tend to look sloppy and unkempt.
The key is to find clothes that skim your body shape without being overly snug or baggy. When trying on clothes, move around, sit down, and make sure you can breathe and move comfortably. Getting key pieces tailored is also a great way to ensure a perfect fit.
Some signs that a garment doesn’t fit properly include:
- Straining buttons or zippers
- Bunching, wrinkling or pulling fabric
- Hemlines that are too long or short
- Sleeves or pant legs that are the wrong length
- Clothing that restricts movement
How to Find Your Proper Size
To find clothes that fit you properly, I recommend the following:
- Know your measurements – Measure your bust, waist, hips, inseam etc. and use size charts as a starting point when shopping. Keep in mind sizes vary between brands.
- Try things on – Don’t just grab your “usual size” off the rack. Try clothes on and assess the fit. Online shopping? Check the return policy and read reviews to get a sense of sizing.
- Enlist an expert eye – Ask a trusted friend or sales associate for their honest opinion on the fit when trying things on. It helps to get an outside perspective.
- Invest in a tailor – For difficult-to-fit items or special pieces, find a reliable tailor who can tweak the garment for your shape. Many simple adjustments are quite affordable.
- Embrace your shape – Wear clothes that play up your assets and skim over trouble spots. Forcing yourself into too-small clothes rarely looks or feels good. Dress the body you have now.
At the end of the day, you want to be comfortable and confident in what you’re wearing. Clothes that fit properly go a long way towards achieving effortless style. Don’t get caught in the trap of squeezing into too-tight jeans or drowning in an oversized coat. Find your fit and you’ll look amazing.
2. Pairing Pieces That Clash
Another one of the key fashion mistakes to avoid is putting together outfits with clashing pieces. This could be mixing patterns that compete with each other, pairing items in jarring color combos, or combining clothes in distinctly different styles or formality levels.
When pieces clash, the overall look is disjointed and confusing rather than cohesive and intentional. The human eye doesn’t know where to land or what message you’re trying to convey with your outfit. Some clashes are so distracting that they detract from your appearance.
Of course, mixing patterns, colors, and styles can look very chic when done artfully. The difference is whether there’s a common theme or element tying the contrasting pieces together. Without that, the outfit devolves into chaos. Here are some clashing combinations to watch out for:
- Busy patterns in the same outfit, like bold stripes with large florals
- Bright colors that visually compete, like neon orange and hot pink
- Combining dressy and casual items, like a sequined top with ripped jeans
- Prints that don’t share colors/themes, like paisley with animal print
- Too many statement pieces worn at once, like a colorful print mixed with chunky jewelry
Tips for Artfully Combining Pieces
I find that following a few guidelines helps me create outfits that feel fresh and interesting without venturing into clashing territory:
- Use the color wheel: Refer to the color wheel to find hues that complement each other. Colors that are opposite tend to look striking together, like blue and orange.
- Vary scale of patterns: If mixing patterns, choose prints in different scales, like a small polka dot paired with a large plaid. Keep colors complementary.
- Incorporate neutrals: When wearing bold colors or prints, ground the look with a neutral piece. This could be black pants, a white shirt, denim, tan shoes, etc.
- Consider formality: Pair items with a similar level of dressiness. Slightly contrasting formality, like a silky blouse with crisp jeans, is okay. Avoid pairing extremes like a ball gown with sneakers.
- Edit: Before heading out, take a critical look at your outfit. Remove one accessory or piece that may be tipping the look over the edge. Less is often more.
Fashion is about self-expression, so if you genuinely love a daring mixed pattern or color combo, go for it! The key is to wear it with confidence. But in general, keep an eye out for clashing pieces and aim for harmonious outfits. That’s one of the main fashion mistakes to avoid.
3. Underestimating the Power of Details
The small things can make a big impact. One of the sneaky fashion mistakes to avoid is underestimating the power of details in your outfit. Elements like accessories, grooming, fit, and fabric finish work together to elevate your look.
Think of details like the icing on a cake-without them, the dessert is fine but unremarkable. With thoughtful accents, a basic outfit transforms into something special. A crisp collar, polished shoes, or a striking pendant necklace show that you pay attention and care about your appearance.
On the flip side, missing or messy details drag down your whole look, even if the main components of the outfit are nice. Scuffed shoes, missing buttons, fraying hems, wrinkled clothes, chipped nail polish, unkempt facial hair…these small oversights are very noticeable. They make you look careless and detract from your overall presentation.
Putting Together Polished Outfits
I’ve learned that consistently refined outfits are all about giving attention to the details. Here are some of my top tips:
- Choose quality over quantity: Buy the best quality pieces your budget allows, especially for wardrobe staples. Well-made items fit better, last longer, and look more expensive.
- Keep clothes in good repair: Promptly address stains, tears, missing buttons, broken zippers etc. Get shoes resoled and polished. Iron or steam clothes so they’re crisp.
- Don’t overlook grooming: Keep hair neat, facial hair trimmed, nails clean, and makeup tidy (if you wear it). Good grooming pulls your whole look together.
- Add a third piece: Elevate basic outfits with a third item like a jacket, cardigan, vest, scarf, hat, belt, or statement jewelry. This extra accent makes the outfit look complete.
- Consider all the senses: Visually, do colors, proportions, and textures work together? Also consider how an outfit feels on the body, the sound it makes as you walk, and even the scent of your hair/body. The most stylish looks delight all the senses.
Fast fashion and quick trends can be easy to focus only on the big picture of an outfit and ignore the small things. But I’ve found that thoughtful details really do make the difference between looking average and looking amazing. Avoid the mistake of neglecting the details in favor of throwing outfits together. Refine each part and you’ll have flawless style.
4. Blindly Following Trends
Fashion is an ever-evolving art that’s all about freshness and change. Every season, new silhouettes, colors, prints, and brands come into the spotlight, heralded as the latest must-haves. It can be exhilarating to experiment with trends and fun to feel current. But one of the key fashion mistakes to avoid is blindly following trends without considering if they actually work for you.
Not every trend is flattering or appropriate for every person. We all have unique body types, coloring, personalities, and lifestyles. A shape that looks amazing on a celebrity or fashion model may be quite unflattering on you. A color that’s trending could clash with your skin tone or wash you out. An edgy style that’s popular online may not fly at your conservative workplace.
The trouble with blindly hopping on trend bandwagons is that you can end up with a closet full of pieces that don’t suit you or make you feel confident. You waste money on items you hardly wear because deep down you know they’re not quite right. Even if a magazine says it’s stylish, if you feel uncomfortable or self-conscious in something, that will come across.
Adapting Trends for Your Individual Style
I’m all for playing with trends in a way that feels authentic. The key is to view trends as a source of inspiration, not a strict prescription for what you must wear. Put your personal twist on trends so they work with your unique look and life. Here’s how:
- Focus on trends that excite you: Don’t feel like you have to embrace every single fad. Cherry-pick the trends that genuinely appeal to your tastes and sense of style. Pass on the rest.
- Adapt for your shape: Take the overarching idea of the trend (color, print, texture, detail etc.) and find a silhouette or cut that flatters your body type. For example, if neon is trending but doesn’t suit you as a garment, incorporate it in small doses as an accessory.
- Consider your coloring: Choose trending shades that complement your skin tone and hair color. You may need to tweak popular hues to find a version that looks great on you.
- Dress for your life: Make sure trending pieces you buy are appropriate for the places you actually go. A sexy cutout dress may look amazing but sit in your closet if you work in a bank and spend weekends at kids’ soccer games.
- Mix trends with classics: Anchor trending pieces with classic, timeless items from your closet. This versatile mix is more wearable day-to-day than head-to-toe trends. You’ll also extend the life of fad items.
Fashion is fickle and today’s hot trend is tomorrow’s dated look. I never want to be a slave to the whims of the style world. My goal is always to develop my own signature look and dress in a way that makes me look and feel my best. Use trends for inspiration, sure. But be intentional about which ones you embrace. One of the fashion mistakes to avoid is chasing every fashion craze without considering your authentic style.
5. Neglecting Comfort and Personal Style
Fashion should be fun and make you feel good. One of the major fashion mistakes to avoid is neglecting your own comfort and personal style in the name of dressing well. Tolerating painful shoes, itchy fabrics, and inauthentic outfits is not the path to chicness.
There’s immense pressure these days to look picture perfect and keep up with what celebrities and influencers are wearing. We’re bombarded with images of unattainable style standards. But true style is not about copying someone else. It’s about using fashion as a tool to express your unique personality and story. Trying too hard to follow arbitrary rules and ideals usually backfires.
When you wear things that pinch, squeeze, ride up, make you fidget, or don’t align with your true self, it shows. You look uncomfortable and ill at ease. On the other hand, when you build looks around your natural coloring, body type, personality, and lifestyle, you radiate confidence and charisma. People are drawn to that authentic ease no matter what you have on.
Prioritizing Comfort and Authenticity in Style
Learned that my best outfits come from honoring what makes me feel confident and like myself. When in doubt, I dress for my own comfort and satisfaction, not anyone else’s. Here are some ways I stay true to myself with style:
- Set your own style rules: Thoughtfully develop your own personal standards for what you will and won’t wear based on your tastes and needs. Be open to evolving these as you grow.
- Don’t tolerate discomfort: Life’s too short for sore feet and stiff waistbands. Build outfits around garments that let you move and feel at ease. Restrict uncomfortable pieces to short periods, like a fancy event.
- Define your signature look: Experiment to figure out the silhouettes, colors, and styles that you gravitate towards and feel amazing in. Make these the foundation of your wardrobe.
- Dress for your life: Stock your closet with pieces that are appropriate for the places you regularly go and the things you actually do. Build outfits for your real routine, not a fantasy life.
- Highlight your uniqueness: Embrace what makes you different and use fashion to express that – your curly hair, your offbeat personality, your passion for bright colors, your sentimental jewelry. Cookie cutter style is boring.
Clothes are meant to serve you, not the other way around. It’s a mistake to suffer in the name of fashion or force yourself into styles that undermine your identity. I’m done worrying about what others think of my outfits. Now I focus on wearing things that bring me joy and help me move through life with comfort and confidence. That’s the key to enduring personal style.
Final Thoughts
Fashion is a powerful form of creative self-expression. But putting together flawless looks takes some know-how and practice. I’ve definitely made my share of regrettable style choices over the years. Haven’t we all? But through trial and error, I’ve learned to sidestep the most common fashion mistakes.
Dodging these pitfalls has transformed my style and my confidence. My advice is to be intentional about what you wear. Develop your own fashion rules and signature look based on what makes you look and feel your best. Embrace your uniqueness and dress for your real life. Have fun with fashion as a tool for creativity, not a burden of perfection.
I challenge you to critically assess your closet and habits for these common fashion mistakes. Weed out the clothes that make you feel less than fabulous. Try out my tips for refining your style. And embrace fashion as an exciting avenue for self-love and personal growth. Trust me, life’s too short to blend in or feel boxed in. Dare to own your style and watch your confidence soar!