*Most of these "fashion don'ts" are taken from my own experiences. I've made the mistakes (possibly many times) and later thought "what was I thinking?!" As with most advice, please take this with a grain of salt. If something makes you happy and you feel fabulous wearing it--rock it, baby! Nothing looks better than true confidence. :)
1. Super frilly tops and dresses.
I know these are "in" right now and in theory they sound cute and oh-so-bohemian. But, let's get real--super frilly pieces generally don't flatter adult women. These styles are simultaneously too dated and too 'young'. So, let's make a pact and leave them where they belong... in our childhoods.
2. See-through whites.
Unless you live on a beach in Costa Rica and you barely wear anything other than a bikini most days (lucky duck!), do not wear see-through white fabrics. Please, for the love of all that is fashionable and chic, check to see if your skin color shows through the fabric. If it does, DO NOT wear! I repeat: Do not wear! It looks trashy and cheap. Instead, wear whites that are lined or thick enough to hide your goodies. It's best to leave some things to the imagination!
3. Ankle pants that are too short.
As a vertically challenged gal, I love a good ankle pant. No hemming required? Where do I sign up?!
However, if the bottom of the pant hits too far above your ankle bone, the pants are too short and they're going to look like clamdiggers. Proportion is key when it comes to dressing well, and ankle pants that don't hit at the right spot can make you look wider and shorter than you probably intended.
4. Shorts that are too short.
You might look amazing in a pair of itsy bitsy booty shorts. But, if you're above the age of 30, it might be time to let those babies go, regardless of how awesome you look in them. Your legs might say "hottie tottie", but the little voice inside your head probably says "I'm an adult with responsibilities". Listen to that voice. Booty shorts look juvenile. And honestly, who really wants to re-live their teenage years? Not me!
5. "It looks great on the model...I'll take it!"
I still remember the day that I discovered that products modeled in online stores and catalogs are often altered to fit the body of that particular model. I was shocked. SHOCKED!
I always knew that retailers used photoshop and that model's bodies did not represent the bodies of us normies. But, to perfectly tailor the products and then try to sell them to us like they came that way? Liar liar, pants on fire!
My point is, just because something looks a certain way on a model doesn't mean that it will look that way in real life (even if you have a similar body shape as said model). Read the reviews. Often times, if there is something truly "off" about the product, someone will have already given it a poor review.
Dressing your age, size, and to your specific shape is a beautiful thing. The more you embrace this concept, the more fun you can have with clothes that truly flatter you. Our bodies will change a lot over our lifetimes (mine already has and I'm only 30!). There are things that we can wear at 20 that will look ridiculous at 50, and vice versa.
Isn't it kind of a relief to know that we can dress well our whole lives, regardless of age?!
