In the spirit of experimentation and challenging myself, I thought about all the "rules" I have, conscious and unconscious. And there are lots I want to break.
Personal Rules To Break
1) Never wear jeans. I think this one is because I feel jeans are so ubiquitous that they're just...boring. And make me look boring, from hip to ankle. The remedy? Jeans that aren't boring! Introducing my latest online purchase, which should be flying towards me as we speak:
Yes, high waisted flares! 70's vibe, 40's silhouette - yes please!
2) Never wear T-shirts. I felt that t-shirts were too casual for my aesthetic - but I think there are occasions at which being casual would be quite fun. And I have one that says "So many books, so little time" - and as a future librarian, I think it would practically criminal not to wear it.
3) Never have bare legs. Even in summer, I never have bare legs. I wear nude stockings if I want the look of bare legs. This isn't something I'll completely give up on, but nude stockings with shorts is really getting silly.
4) Never wear your hair up. I confess, I can't stand how I look with my hair up, but I'm learning to get used to it and to have fun with it, particularly since it's getting quite long.
5) Tuck everything in. This was a reaction to never tucking anything in, I think. But I'm getting really rather interested in wearing blouses un-tucked - perhaps even with pencil skirts, which leads me to the next one.
6) Only wear skirts that flare from the waist. This is because I am rather conscious of the fact I was not blessed with curves in the hip and buttock region, and flared skirts hide that fact. I am, however, a bit sick of only wearing flared skirts, and will embrace my junkless trunk (a real pop culture reference - probably another rule broken there!). Though, how wonderfully absurd are these; padded panties.
7) Always emphasise the waist. Probably a product of being sick of awful smocks everywhere, but I'm now really getting into shift dresses, as the last post shows.
8) Never wear the same colored shoes and tights. This was because I always used to wear black shoes and black tights because I was too shy to wear colored tights, but it's time to get rid of that one! I'm also quite keen on putting cream tights and cream shoes together, and maybe red and red - I'm sure some people won't love it, but I think it will be a tad awesome.
So, I am somewhat liberated! What are your personal "rules", dear readers?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Rules to Break
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24 comments:
My rules are actually quite close to yours! I have the opposite problem with jeans. I'm quite bottom heavy so I look hideously out of proportion in jeans so I just don't wear them much even though I own a fair few pairs.
I always have this random urge to put a belt with everything to emphasise my waist! Its getting ridiculous, so I think I'll join you in wearing my shift dresses sans-belt.
Also loving tees, particularly the nice white sheer tee with a casual outfit for summer (like nice linen shorts and a scarf!).
Yay! Rules are for breaking. I'm not sure if I have any rules, I kind of break all the rules all the time anyway.
I do look stumpy in bootleg jeans though, but nothing will persuade me to start wearing those!
try everything on! just because that pair of orange high waisted plaid pants looks good on the mannequin doesnt mean it will look good on me.
no trends, whatsoever - this one i am breaking, because i really liked big scarfs this season. this rule was probably due to my intense hatred for fluro!
no strapless - no boobs to hold it up, so no strapless tops / dresses for me. regardless, the act of pulling up ones dress or shirt looks absolutely awful!
no black and colour - this is born from watching too much trinny and susannah, but i do agree that bright colours are cheapened by black. not a nice burgundy or scarlet or navy, though! but rich pinks and greens and blues just dont look that great with black! (im thinking by way of t-shirts or knittes tops with black business pants, ugh).
thats all ive got for now... love your work!
=]
I'm wary of breaking some of my own fashion rules, because sometimes rules are there for a reason!
- I've never been one to wear my hair down, it's crazy/curly/frizzy/boofy but recently I've started to really embrace it because I love big hair more than anything - just not on myself! But why can't I like it on myself?!
- I don't wear pants (apart from trackies/pajamas) and I'll go to great lengths to avoid wearing them. I just hate them so much, they make me look like shit! Not a fashion rule I'll be breaking anytime soon.
- No singlet tops! My arms look ridiculous in singlets, but they look awesome with cap sleeves. I break this rule if I find a fabbo singlet though, last year Myer had a whole bunch with ruffles at the arms - they were great, makeshift cap sleeves and so lovely! I'm going to DIY a whole bunch of frilly sleeved singlets this year.
- No coloured tights. They make my legs look absolutely ridic, it's black or navy for me!
- No cardigans. Nothing about cardigans appeals to me, and it's only made worse by the fact that they have buttons. Sometimes you just need something light to throw on over an outfit without adding bulk though so I may have to rethink this rule, I thrifted a cute cardie today so we'll see how it goes!
- No buttons! I've imposed this rule since I was about 2! I made my grandma sew velcro onto my school dress because I hated buttons so much! I wouldn't be caught dead in a button front skirt, nor a button down shirt. The only time buttons are acceptable is when they're like a hook and eye closure at the back of a skirt. That's it!
Although I think some people can pull off the stockings with toe-less shoes look, I think this is one rule I'll never be able to bring myself to break.
-no jeans. i only break this if i absolutely have to. it's less aesthetic and more a matter of just thinking dresses and skirts are way more comfortable.
-big sunglasses are always necessary.
hi, been reading your blog for a bit now. i really love your style, very pretty and feminine! :) you've inspired me to start exploring vintage clothes/accessories.
but i must admit, my jaw kind of dropped with your "no bare legs, even in summer" rule.. i was curious, how have you managed to do that? sydney summers can get quite hot!
(ps - you look lovely with your hair up!)
I love the style of jeans there! I'm pretty similar also - no jeans (although I've broken that one so my new rule is no trousers as I don't own any). I also never go bare-legged and probably never will.
Hmm... I don't think this is going to be a very constructive comment on my part, mainly because I can't think of any of my 'rules' to share. Now I'm wondering if I even have any at all. I wish my brain was working.
Mainly, I can't wait to see your post on those jeans. I think they'll look fabulous on you. For some reason I can picture you wearing them with some kind of frilly white top, and a beret. Is that weird? lol.
xx soph
this is a great post. i'm with you on the no-jeans and t-shirts one, but since i'm wearing jeans right now i suppose i'm a hypocrite. i just hate the fact that they are so normal and commonplace, something that i do not wish to be!
Wow to #3! I don't think I could stand the heat of summer without bare legs =P
Ah!
You've mentioned one very dear to my heart, although opposite to me! I love flared skirts because I hate being able to see my trunk! (it just feels a little too big in proportion to my body size lol)
If I wear skirts that are too fitting I feel like it lifts up at the back due to my trunk taking up too much space haha
Oh my...those padded panties made me crack up!!! Wish I needed them... lol
I loved reading all your rules..it is amazing how many we give ourselves without noticing! I bet that some fabbo outfit combinations will come from breaking them!
My rule was "never wear shoes with ankle straps or that cut across the ankle" but so many gorgeous sandals have straps that cut across the ankle this season so I'm going to break my rule!
I look forward to seeing you break your rules!
Wow my rules are soo similar! especially the jeans! i actually broke my jeans rule this week too so i was so surprised when i saw someone else had done the same! I bought a pair of high wasted ones 2 days ago! good luck to us all i say.
ha i probably have the opposite rules for myself. (but i dont think i really have any - except no baby doll tops - they make me look preggers)
anyway i thought it was funny because im pretty sure i bought the EXACT same pair of jeans (etsy-brownies vintage??) a couple of months ago. they are SUPPER long so you might have to take them up but they fit amazing on me. and theyre just as awesome as they look in the picture and very trouser like so you can ease into the jeans (i dont get it - i LOVE jeans, there are also SO SO many options in cut and style now you have to get into them!!) anyway hope you like them too and good luck with the rule breaking
I don't really have any rules, but my mind seems to work in much the same way as yours. I've been making a bit of an effort to break my habits, though, and even wore jeans AND a t-shirt today! Shock!
I don't think I'll be breaking my emphasis-the-waist "rule" any time soon, though. I'm pretty well-endowed both above and below, and smock-y things just don't sit right on me.
those are very intense personal rules. the one article of clothing i resist wearing is the Polo shirt. i look like a boy when i wear it.
I like the jeans – I have a very similar pair and love wearing them. I also like wearing the same tight+shoe colours, such as grey and red.
I don't really have any rules, but I am wary of some babydoll dresses, as they can make me look like a giant child. Not good! :)
I love all the thought you put into this! I'm feeling the same way lately, only maybe too lazy to write down all the changes I'd like to make.
I'm with you on jeans. I have a pair of high waisted ones from the '70s that certainly aren't boring, but I guess I'm half afraid of all the "Wow, you're wearing jeans!" comments I'd get from the people around me. Which is a silly reason not to wear them.
I love your blog and all your amazing vintage finds. I am especially in awe of your ability to navigate through ebay. You seem you find such wonderful things. Do you have any tips?
Woman, how can you manage to not be barelegged in the hot summers of the land down under? I mean I am considering even now to stop hiding behind tights as it's so warm!
My rules are pretty much based around my body and what I am capable of wearing, I have hips, thus I can't have tight skirts, pencil skirts don't work on me. I also am an intense hater of everything pink, so I do not wear anything pink (underwear might be the exception sometimes) and skinny jeans: my hips look too outrageous with my legs like that. Hm, this was an interesting post, I need to think about it further...
padded panties!
how odd.
Hi, I love your blog and I love making up personal fashion rules, even though (like most of the girls who've been posting) I usually end up breaking them. One of my rules is no jeans/t-shirt combos out of the house. But I was in a hurry running errands yesterday so I threw them on with a silk scarf around the neck boy-scout style. Not ideal, but it did get me a flirty compliment from the checkout boy :)
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