What old fashion rules still apply? Which are outdated
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Anonymous
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Spinoff from the enamel bracelet thread where someone said you can’t wear simple diamond studs during the day. I’m curious which fashion rules are still considered gauche if you break them and which you just ignore?
Off the top of my head: Diamonds during the day — I wouldn’t wear a multiple diamond necklace but a simple pendant or stud earrings? Perfectly fine. White after Labor Day — this was a rule built in classism to show those who were able to afford to wear white. Winter white is perfectly fine and lovely. I tend to not wear white sneakers after the summer but no rule you can’t Proper to always cover legs in dresses and skirts — pantyhose are dead. Anyone wearing pantyhose is horribly old fashioned. Mixing brown and black — I’ve seen it done well and I’ve seen it go wrong. All depends on the how. Mixing metal colors in jewelry — I do it all the time. I have a dual tone watch and mix white and yellow across all my jewelry. What are the rules you break? Which do you follow? |
Anonymous
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My teen loves pantyhose/tights. They have made a bit of a comeback, especially the sheer black kind. Not sure if it will stick around.
I don't mix grays/browns or hot/cold colors. That's pretty much the only rule I follow. I wear my diamond hoop earring all the time. I don't care. |
Anonymous
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Full disclosure, I'm a WASP from Chevy Chase and I grew up with a lot of fashion and etiquette rules that the rest of the country had dropped at least a generation before. Even now, if I showed up wearing a white dress to lunch with my 80 year old father in, say, October there is a 100% chance he'd make a comment about it. I still follow a lot of these rules for my own personal style, but I have lots of friends who dress totally differently and I love that for them. I'm 42 and a stay at home mom.
-I love black tights and wear them all the time in fall/winter. I also like colored tights sometimes. I do actually wear pantyhose but only to church when it's chilly outside, like today. Most people at my church are over 60 anyway. -I don't wear diamond jewelry in general. I prefer solid gold pieces. -I don't mix metals. All gold (usually) or all silver tone. This includes handbag hardware. If I'm wearing colored pieces then they should coordinate with the rest of the outfit. For nicer occasions I'd also make sure my nails coordinate. -Nails are short and should be polished only in light pinks, nudes, coral, red, or burgundy. I might do fuchsia for vacation. No brightly colored eyeshadow or flashy makeup. My grandmother is long dead but she strongly disapproved of red or burgundy lips or nails. -I don't wear white after Labor Day. I do wear winter white frequently but winter white is a different color than true white. -I don't mix brown and black. To be fair, I rarely wear brown anything. -Foundation garments are crucial to looking put together. I wouldn't leave the house without a proper bra and I am evangelical about proper bra fitting. No visible bra straps or lace peeking through a thin shirt. No VPL. Slipshorts are great for under dresses to prevent VPL and for modesty if there is a sudden gust of wind. -Sneakers should be worn for athletic activity or with athletic clothes. Skirts and dresses should be paired with a proper shoe or a sandal in the summer or spring. Sandals require pedicured toes so I don't wear them very often. -I don't care about having styled hair. My hair is straight and I don't think it makes much of a difference if I blow dry it or air dry it. I don't dye it but I probably will when I start getting gray hairs. -Synthetic sweaters are yuck. Real wool (merino, cashmere, etc) only. I would not wear fake leather shoes or bags. Of course cloth or woven shoes and bags are fine. Writing this has kind of made me realize I might need some therapy. |
Anonymous
Agree, bare legs outside of peak summer is dead. |
Anonymous
Fellow WASP here, I am with you on most of these. |
Anonymous
| Tights are not the same as pantyhose. Pantyhose out, tights fine. And as another fellow late 40s something, raised in a very WASPY household, I cannot bring myself to wear diamond jewelry during the day. It sounds like some younger women wear studs--and maybe they do so in a law firm where there is lots of one-upping--so though I may not judge them, I would still not do it. I mean, why bother? When there are so many other more understated options? There is just no point in wearing diamonds during the day. Same goes for white outside of summer. Winter white? Of course. True white--unless I'm in Florida or on a beach vacation, nope. |
Anonymous
NP. WASP (55) raised by a Silent Gen military protocol officer and a Southern Belle - so double whammy of strict adherence to proper dress and etiquette. I agree with all above and will add: - tuxedos are improper for weddings that take place before 6 p.m. (My late father insisted that for my own noon wedding that the men wear rented morning suits) - strapless wedding gowns are improper for a church wedding. - absolutely no cleavage should be shown in women’s professional clothing. (This is tough for me as I’m voluptuous and have to get professionally fitted bras, have tanks and camisoles to conceal) - rules of scale should be followed based upon your height and frame. |
Anonymous
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Broken rules - I occasionally wear small fake diamond studs during day. I wear sneakers with dresses if casual running errands.
Other than that, I follow rules. No white outside of mem day-labor day, no velvet Valentine’s Day-Thanksgiving, pantyhose for dressy occasions. Short, understated nails. No mixing metals. |
Anonymous
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I am late 40s and grew up in a very WASPy family in (mostly) the South.
I still follow most of the rules that have been written here. I will add no Linen before Easter (white or not) and while I try not to wear mixed metal jewelry, I do wear my Dad's watch that is mixed metal so.....hard not to mix then. I'll also add (for mostly laughs) that I was taught how fabrics can really make a difference in how you look. I would never wear thin or shiny polyester (I think you will understand what I mean). Pretty much live in Poplin and Linen in the Summer. I wear Diamond Studs (in a tasteful size) every single day. They were a gift from my husband and like my engagement ring, I appreciate them and feel they are classic and timeless. Not sure why people wouldn't wear them every day? I have friends that wear pearl studs every day. |
Anonymous
| Perfume is not only outdated, it instantly brands the wearer as completely clueless. Only tweens and old ladies wear perfume. |
Anonymous
I'm glad you recognize that about yourself, LOL! It sounds exhausting. |
Anonymous
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This is a fascinating discussion. I grew up in a working class family going to Catholic school where we wore uniforms. It was the 90s grunge era so I didn’t absorb a lot of fashion rules outside of school. Went to college at an Ivy and spent summers working in NYC where I picked up a Euro-style approach to fashion on a budget: a small number of high quality pieces in mostly dark neutrals (black, charcoal, navy), very little jewelry and makeup except for a red lip.
This looked chic when I was younger but as a fair-skinned blonde middle aged lady it’s making me look washed out and I need to start over from scratch! |
Anonymous
| Interesting so far… for all the self-identified WASP posters, do you judge women if they are breaking these rules? Any rule more than others? |
Anonymous
What’s the velvet thing? |
Anonymous
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I'm a European aristocrat. There are no rules.
I sometimes wear expensive, very low denier hose because the skin of my legs is imperfect and I want to smooth it out. You'd need to be an expert to see it. I'm not a jewelry person, but you can wear whatever jewelry you want at any time you want. There is no such thing as colors for specific seasons. I tend to wear seasonal colors, like earthy tones in the fall and pastel tones in the spring, and hate white and black, but these are personal preferences. Some people are better at color and texture harmonizing than others, but I've seen people wear clashing outfits with panache. If you have the confidence of your choices, you can get away with anything. Wear what you bloody well want. You only have one life. |