A fashion faux-pas is what is considered a style blunder. It is something one must not do, in order to not deviate from the societal norm, and spare oneself embarrassment. So they say.
Concepts of what's fashionable and what's not, are subjective and ever-changing.
Wearing funky socks was once frowned upon; but now, they are highly on-trend.
Jeans and sportcoats were once out of the question, until Mr.Andy Warhol made his statement.
The beauty of style is that it is flexible, and some rules can be broken, provided you know what you are doing.
I bring to light five fashion faux-pas that actually shouldn't be avoided, because the notions are outdated. They have been disproved by stylish individuals of all types, style bloggers, celebrities, and even runway models. Let's get with the times.
Watch out, fashion police, you will have more outlaws running amok, from now.
Here goes...
1. Blue And Green Never To Be Seen
Silly rhymes from times with silly ideas. Blue and green is a colour combination that is present in nature itself. Peacocks, blueberries on the branch, and rainbows, you can't deny they look nice. Not everyone wants to look like an exotic bird, I get it, but there are things we can always learn from the natural world. Mixing blue and green is easy, either wear a dark blue with a light green, or light blue with a dark green.
Photo Credit: Bernardo Cardoso
2. Red And Green Should Only Be Seen On An Irish Queen
Another outdated saying. I never had the honour of meeting an Irish Queen, so I can't say why she would so inclined to outlaw the wearing of red and green on one body. Maybe she just didn't like Christmas. The secret to rock the red-and-green look without the jingle-bells, is to wear shades of green and red that contrast in lightness and darkness. Burgundy and mint, or army green with carmine.
Photo Credit: Bernardo Cardoso
OK, no more rhymes, I promise.
3. Black And Navy Clash
The notion is that black and navy are too similar to each other to be in harmony within the same outfit. It may be surprising, but there are different grades of Black and different shades of navy. If you ever played with paint, you probably discovered that navy is simply a combination of blue and black. So long as the navy is more towards the blue-side it will look great with black. It is a look that is employed by bold men.
Photo Credit: Bernardo Cardoso
4. Black And Brown Are A No-Go
Again, it is the worry of wearing two shades that are too close. This advice is one-third right and two-thirds wrong. Dark brown and black are a no-go. Medium-brown or light-brown with black, are a definite go. Balance the darkness of the black with a relatively lighter brown. One popular combination is a black suit with cognac dress shoes, or using light-brown boat shoes with black shorts.
Photo Credit: Bernardo Cardoso
5. You Cannot Pull Off The Double-Denim Look
As a Canadian, I am not proud the "Canadian Tux". Out of all the things the Great North could've come up with. When the two denims are too alike, the result is not too pretty. The idea is to wear two denims that are in complete contrast with each other. An example would be a light blue denim shirt with dark indigo pair of jeans, or just go all out and pair a light blue denim jacket with black jeans (and light brown shoes).
Photo Credit: Bernardo Cardoso
Take-home point: So long as there is deliberate light-to-dark contrast, it will be fine. Say no to the fashion police, and wear whatever you want, within reason.
Thank you for reading Principles of Style. I hope you enjoy this post and found the blog useful. If you have any questions, feedback, or want to share some of your style and scent tips, tricks, and insights, please leave your input in the comments section below, or send me a PM.
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