Breaking Your Own Style Rules

What style rules have you imposed upon yourself?  Perhaps you think you can’t wear a particular color or a certain shape or maybe you are still of the mind that one can’t wear white after Labor Day or before Easter.  We all have rules we like to follow, but as the saying goes rules are made to be broken.  I surprised myself this week by breaking two of my rules in one outfit.

I wore a “jean suit,” a fitted medium blue jean jacket with black skinny jeans.  I told myself I would never wear two pieces of denim in an outfit, and here I’ve done it.  And I sort of liked it.  I never enjoyed the fact that my jean jackets could only be worn with a limited number of pieces.  Sometimes I just wanted to throw on a jean jacket with my *gasp* jeans!  So, I finally did it.  Will I make a habit of it?  Maybe not.  But I’m glad I broke my rule, which frees me to break it again if I’m so inclined.  The key to wearing a jean suit is to be sure the two pieces of denim are different colors, depths or tones, and if possible, it helps if the denims are different weights so that it does not look like you are trying to wear a denim suit.

The second rule I broke in this particular outfit was I wore skinny jeans, which I have always sworn are completely wrong for my body shape.  I am a slender person, but I do not have slim “model” legs.  My legs are the muscular sort, shaped by years of dance, weight lifting and running.  A straight leg jean is better for me, but these jeans are black, which are slimming and are much more forgiving than a skinny jean in bright yellow or stark white.  Now that I am a mom to adorable twin toddlers, skinny jeans make sense for the toddler-type activities in my life like playing on the floor, chasing them in two different directions or pushing them on the swings in the park.  Skinny jeans look a heck of a lot better than yoga pants or gym shorts, which I strenuously believe belong in the gym.  Skinny jeans are my stylish compromise.

How about you?  What style rules are you ready to break?  Give yourself permission to get out of your style box from time to time.  It opens your eyes to greater opportunities to wear and enjoy your wardrobe in different ways you had not previously considered.  If you need help seeing the possibilities, call me.  Outfit making with my clients’ wardrobes is one of my favorite things to do.  Have a fun, stylish weekend!