Here, we’re going to discuss the latest and greatest in style mistakes.
Let’s start by saying that even ‘mistakes’ can become fashionable - modern fashion is pretty eclectic, or even chaotic. Some modern fashion mistakes look like fashion and vice-versa - fashion is a crazy world after all!
For example, check out these Vogue summer fashion trends as an example, there’s plenty of great stuff in there, and even a good helping of casual or practical day-to-day wear.
You may notice how quite a lot of outfits are eclectic - they mix materials, colours and even styles, sometimes to excess. This is reflected in the latest fashion accessory trends - it’s now very popular to really layer up different types of jewellery, for example, to create a ‘maximal’ look. Some of these fashions look mistake-y by their very nature.
We’re not really trying to say that these styles are ‘mistakes’ per se, but more that one person’s style mistake is another person’s style success.
That said, there are some solid style mistakes out there, mistakes that can't really pass as 'yeah I meant to do that!'
Here are the top 10 style mistakes that we see regularly!
1: Accessories Don’t Match the Outfit
It’s pretty common to splurge some cash on clothes without grabbing accessories to match. Of course, the opposite is also true, but whilst you can dress up cheap clothes with superb accessories, it’s difficult to do the reverse.
The thing is, fashion accessories ranging from quality leather purses to fashion handbags, jewellery, scarves, hats, you name it, do not need to break the bank.
Gorjus London is a big advocate of this - our bags and purses suit every outfit for every occasion. By swapping out your old accessories with new ones, you can really put your mark on your favourite outfits and bring them to a new level.
Fashion Editor Lauren Eggertsen tells Who What Wear; "It always bothers me when a cute outfit is ruined by an overworked, scuffed, or dirty handbag. I'm not saying you have to go out and buy a designer bag, but ignoring the fact that your handbag (and accessories overall) can make or break your look is a mistake I always tend to notice."
2: Throwing Together Too Many Brands
It’s become quite trendy to throw together several different brands, which would have been unheard of some 10 to 20 years ago. But, this can go too far, and some brands just look better when used sparingly.
Nicole Akhatrzad from Who What Wear says; "I always notice when people simply throw on a bunch of expensive designer pieces thinking that's enough to make an outfit nice, rather than carefully selecting things that go well together, regardless of the price or brand name. It's one of those shortcuts that just doesn't work."
Focus on what works - colours, styles, shapes. Throwing together brands is likely to look ok to a point, but then the returns will quickly diminish.
3: Obsessing With Your Age
Of course, it’s sensible to be mindful of how to dress at different times in life. Age is just one factor of many. Whilst most wish to add more mature pieces to their wardrobes as they age, this isn’t a signal that you need to cast all of your more youthful or nostalgic pieces to the rubbish!
Instead of considering your age like ‘am I too old/young to wear that?!’ just concentrate on how you look, and most importantly, how you feel. Looking and feeling good is all you need to do.
4: Not Thinking About Your Shoes
Super-high stilettos aren’t likely to go out of fashion anytime soon...so long as you can walk in them.
Let’s be honest, very tall heels are a liability and when there’s alcohol and/or partying and dancing involved, things can get pretty tricky quite quickly.
Whilst many women carry comfier flats for when they start skating around the floor like Bambie, it’s probably best to just stick to shoes you can walk in, as Emily Schuman from Who What Wear also believes;
“Never wear shoes you can't walk in. No matter how gorgeous they are, if you're wobbling around like a newborn deer, there's nothing fashionable about that."
The same goes with the weather and/or time of year. Boots look great in winter - get them out! Contrastingly, slushing through puddles in flats just because there was a bit of sun in spring is probably not ideal. Of course, we can’t always prepare for these moments, but fashion imitates the season and the weather too.
5: You’re Too Unadventurous
If you open your drawers and wardrobe and see endless grey and black clothing then it’s a surefire sign you’re too unadventurous. Don’t get us wrong, grey and black clothing always have their place in any wardrobe and a good deal of clothes will likely be either grey, black or some other similar neutral tone.
Speaking of neutral tones, there’s plenty of choices out there besides grey and black. Think earth tones; khaki, dark, rusty or brown reds, ochre and blue-grey slate. Earth tones with subtle colouration look really classy and allow you to ‘blend in’ on days where this is what you need, whilst also offering something a little different.
If you want to look adventurous then put some thought into your colour choices and opt for bolder, brighter and more saturated colours. Contrasting clothing can be both loud or subtle; loud in the case of opposite colours like blue and red or subtle in the case of two contrasting pastels.
The very loudest combos? You’d have to say bright pink and black, or red and black, or blue and red and purple and yellow. Block colour fashion is very fashionable now, according to Vogue, and will probably remain so.
Check out our articles on the best colour combinations and the best winter colour combinations for 2021/2022.
6: Your Clothes Don’t Fit Properly
We live in an era of many different types of fitting. We’ve got tight, fitted styles and loose, baggy and oversized styles. So, what counts as not fitting properly?
Well, for starters, whilst even the baggiest fits are very loose around the body and/or legs, the sleeves are likely still designed to match the length of your arms. Baggy sleeves end up draped over the hands which look pretty sloppy. Sure, you can often roll up your sleeves and be done with it - this is a good tactic if your sleeves are a little too long. But, keeping your sleeves rolled up is a different matter and this will also likely stretch the fabric. This makes your sleeves even baggier and ill-fitting!
It’s best to simply choose sleeves that fit your arms. If you’re very short or petite then oversized styles might pose an issue for you. Try and go a size down if possible. We know that some very petite women have to go for kids’ jumpers - if it works and it looks good then go for it.
7: Pairing Neat and Distressed Clothes
Distressed and ripped jeans will never die - they’re a casualwear staple. But, pairing these with more formal or smart fine fabrics? It’s a risky choice! It can work, but it’s a tough one, is all we’re saying. Take the smart fitted blazer with ripped jeans and smart heels, for example.
This could look super-chic and smart-casual in the perfect proportions, or it could look like you couldn’t be arsed to properly match your top and bottom halves. Imagine a super-clean pair of dark denim bootcut Levis combined with a light denim biker-style ripped denim jacket - it’s just not working, is it?
It goes without saying that distressed or ripped fabric is not a natural bedfellow with smarter, more formal clothing - find out more in our article that covers how to look classy or fancy.
Another aspect to this is overloading on the ripped clothing. As we know, double, triple, quadruple or whatever denim is perfectly allowed these days, but if you chuck together any old pieces in any old distressed style, things are going to look messy.
8: Going Too Costume-y
We’ve compiled a massive article on fashion styles and how to find your own personal style - check that out here.
Amongst the massive list of styles, you can find styles like boho and hippie, retro, gothic, punk, etc, etc. All of these styles are great and are easily achievable by selecting a couple of suitable pieces. There is one risk, though - going too costumey. Boho and hippie outfits are an excellent example - push things too far and it’ll give off too many 1960s Woodstock flower power vibes! Too many of those vibes and you’re pushing fancy dress. There is one place at least where that’s fine: at festivals. But, for casualwear, keep things controlled and even.
The same goes for other styles. Now, this might be what you want. A punk outfit, for example, is somewhat of a costume by default - but you need to really own the outfit to make it part of you and not just something you’re wearing for the looks only! So long as you’re backing your outfit with your personality and confidence, it’s all good. Don’t be put off if you like to really push the boat out with your costume-like outfit, but still, awareness is key!
9: Too Hot or Cold
Being too hot or too cold in your outfit really sucks, especially if you’re at the limit of your layers! You might have a beautiful summery outfit but come August? It might be worth thinking twice! In hot weather, ensuring you have layers to properly remove is a style tip in itself. In winter, ensuring you have layers to put on is hugely important.
A good outfit is a complete outfit - don’t be left in the cold or heat!
10: Not Gelling With Your Clothing
Your clothes need to fit you both physically and mentally. This is not to say that trying new styles is wrong - on the contrary! But, pay attention to how you feel when you’re wearing an outfit, as well as how you look. If you feel great in an outfit - about the fit, the look, the colours, the comfort, then that’s ideal. On the other hand, a great looking outfit that makes you feel stressed or even anxious after a while will probably affect the enjoyment you get whilst wearing it.
Style and fashion are about extracting enjoyment from what you’re wearing. If you feel great, then you have every chance of also looking great. Sounds like a stereotype? Maybe a bit, but you’ve got to feel good on the inside to look good on the outside.
Put some thought into how you gel with your clothing - how your clothing becomes part of you. This will greatly enhance your style and pull you closer in touch with your own personal style and fashion vibes!
Summary: Top 10 Most Common Style Mistakes
And there we have it, 10 common style mistakes that everyone, and we mean everyone, will make from time to time.
Mistakes aren’t the end of the world, though. Don’t overthink your outfits!
Keep a sense of perspective over what you wear whilst focussing your efforts on outfits that make you look AND feel good. So long as you feel good, you won’t go too far wrong.
Also, sometimes mistakes turn into something successful - a mistake is not the end for an outfit or style!
FAQ: Common Style Mistakes
What are the worst style mistakes?
The worst style mistakes happen when someone just doesn't gel with their outfit and they look and feel uncomfortable. This can happen even if the outfit itself looks awesome on paper. Even the fanciest LV and Gucci won't work if the person doesn't really gel with the outfit and even the highest class brands won't create confidence. Instead, focus on building personal style - find your personal style and build your outfits around styles that make you feel good! If you feel good - if you feel confident - then mistakes become pretty much impossible.
What are the worst fashion mistakes?
Fashion mistakes occur when clothing is mismatched. For example, a super-smart blazer combined with ripped and torn jeans is a big no-no. Clothing needs to synergies. This applies to accessories too. Chandelier earrings with a punk/biker chick outfit? It'll take some work to make that work! Keep a close eye on how your clothes gel together and how they make you feel as well as how they make you look.
How can I make my style work?
Check out our tips for finding your own personal style. Finding your style, your groove, is an essential first step to creating an awesome style that makes you feel great. Select complementary pieces in colours that work together. Colour matching and coding is really important - read up on the colour combinations that work best together