Fashion Rules
February 16th 2008 06:47
We all know about season specific clothing. Well, sort of. There seem to be these unspoken rules of seasonal fashion, and some obviously stem from practicality, but others seem to stem from nowhere. Apart from the bleeding obvious, like bikinis are only for summer, I wonder who made these rules up?
For example, practicality says don’t wear boots in summer, but is it really a fashion faux par if you do? In recent weeks I have been forced to don my flat Eskimo boots with teeny summer dresses purely out of necessity after falling off my stilettos and being forced to wear flats for weeks (and weeks...and weeks...) due to a fractured/torn something or other in my ankle, which I like to complain about regularly. Boots are also being donned with skirts and beneath trousers and basically my outfits are now planned around what shoes I can actually wear instead of the other way around. It turns out my new boss thought I had a boot fetish, which I am still not supposed to know. This information was whispered to me only last week by a now much trusted new colleague. So the question is raised, are boots in summer a no-no? Obviously if its really hot, then yes, it’s a no-no. Or should that be no, it’s a no-no? This is getting confusing. Regardless, summer nights, and even summer days recently in Sydney, can still see a temperature drop and sometimes boots can make the difference between you being warm or not. And even if your little feet are a little on the hot side in those funky up the leg type foot covering, if you can actually pull it off, does it still count as breaking a fashion rule? Should boots only come out in winter? I say no.
On the flip seasonal side to this, many believe you can’t wear white in winter. Bar the hot furry ski jacket look, in which case the more white the better judging from all the homie video clips, white is shunned by many during the colder months. On a winter day-to-winter day basis, I know people who openly scorn those daring to be seen in so much as a cream pair of trousers once the skies cloud over. Is a white suit to work really out of the question because the sun isn’t shining? Again, I actually think not, but many disagree. Just like painting a room yellow is supposed to make you happy, surely wearing a white suit in the throws of winter would add a bit of summer to your week? Perhaps this also comes back to practicality and the odds of getting mud or dirty puddle water seeping up your trouser cuffs makes the white ensembles a no-go. Not to mention the chances of getting caught in the rain and looking like you’re entering a wet t-shirt contest instead of a board meeting. So again, I contradict myself but I honestly do think that white in winter is okay.
Other than your snow gear or your beach gear, if it looks good why can't you wear it? A touch of common sense and fashion pizzazz means that any outfit can be adapted to suit the season. Team your white suit with a black shirt and black stiletto boots, for example. Seasons already dictate our fashion enough – long sleeves, jumpers, jackets to cope with the cold, or barely there dresses to cope with a heatwave. I don’t think we should have to compromise even more and lose those outfits that can actually make the transition should we actually try.
For example, practicality says don’t wear boots in summer, but is it really a fashion faux par if you do? In recent weeks I have been forced to don my flat Eskimo boots with teeny summer dresses purely out of necessity after falling off my stilettos and being forced to wear flats for weeks (and weeks...and weeks...) due to a fractured/torn something or other in my ankle, which I like to complain about regularly. Boots are also being donned with skirts and beneath trousers and basically my outfits are now planned around what shoes I can actually wear instead of the other way around. It turns out my new boss thought I had a boot fetish, which I am still not supposed to know. This information was whispered to me only last week by a now much trusted new colleague. So the question is raised, are boots in summer a no-no? Obviously if its really hot, then yes, it’s a no-no. Or should that be no, it’s a no-no? This is getting confusing. Regardless, summer nights, and even summer days recently in Sydney, can still see a temperature drop and sometimes boots can make the difference between you being warm or not. And even if your little feet are a little on the hot side in those funky up the leg type foot covering, if you can actually pull it off, does it still count as breaking a fashion rule? Should boots only come out in winter? I say no.
On the flip seasonal side to this, many believe you can’t wear white in winter. Bar the hot furry ski jacket look, in which case the more white the better judging from all the homie video clips, white is shunned by many during the colder months. On a winter day-to-winter day basis, I know people who openly scorn those daring to be seen in so much as a cream pair of trousers once the skies cloud over. Is a white suit to work really out of the question because the sun isn’t shining? Again, I actually think not, but many disagree. Just like painting a room yellow is supposed to make you happy, surely wearing a white suit in the throws of winter would add a bit of summer to your week? Perhaps this also comes back to practicality and the odds of getting mud or dirty puddle water seeping up your trouser cuffs makes the white ensembles a no-go. Not to mention the chances of getting caught in the rain and looking like you’re entering a wet t-shirt contest instead of a board meeting. So again, I contradict myself but I honestly do think that white in winter is okay.
Other than your snow gear or your beach gear, if it looks good why can't you wear it? A touch of common sense and fashion pizzazz means that any outfit can be adapted to suit the season. Team your white suit with a black shirt and black stiletto boots, for example. Seasons already dictate our fashion enough – long sleeves, jumpers, jackets to cope with the cold, or barely there dresses to cope with a heatwave. I don’t think we should have to compromise even more and lose those outfits that can actually make the transition should we actually try.
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