Faux pas is literally French for ‘false step’. A fashion faux pas refers to mistakes one might make with their attire. This could be something as minute as wearing a shirt with a wee bit of coffee stain or something as drastic as showing up to a white tie affair wearing jeans.
These mistakes take away from your appearance and won’t make you look your absolute best.
Wondering if you’ve ever committed one of these fashion sins? I’ve outlined ten fashion faux pas that you might be unknowingly making.
1. Dirty, Smelly Clothing
Always make sure that you wear clean clothes that don’t have any stains on them. Also, some fabrics don’t react well with your natural scent and might end up giving off a bad odour when you start sweating. Stick to breathable fabrics like cotton or linen.
2. Ill-fitting clothing
Shirts two sizes too small that squashes your bust isn’t the best look. Pants that are too tight can cause unsightly camel toes or accentuate love handles. Constantly having to tug and pull up your pants isn’t what you should go for either.
3. Unironed clothes
If it needs to be ironed, you better do so. Wrinkled clothing not only looks unprofessional but it also gives off a messy and untidy appearance.
4. Uncomfortable footwear
There’s nothing more awful that hobbling around in heels that are too high for you. Shoes that are too tight or too big should be out of the question as well. You want to be able to sashay gracefully, not look like you’re stepping on broken glass.
5. Excessive accessories
For me, the only thing that should have lots of ornaments is a Christmas tree. Wearing tons of accessories can throw off your entire look. It should compliment your outfit, not overpower it. If you’re wearing a statement piece, let that do the talking. Pair earrings with bracelets and necklaces with rings. Never wear them all at once. In the words of the ever iconic Coco Chanel “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory”.
Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory
Coco Chanel
6. Extremely distressed pants/shirts with holes
A little ripped jeans never hurt anyone. However, if your pants are more holes than fabric, there’s something wrong. In my personal opinion, tops should never have holes apart from the ones your head and arms go through. Whether it’s a $2,600 sweater a la Yeezy or your old band T-shirts that you can’t part ways with, holes are a no.
7. Brand logos plastered everywhere
I like to call this ‘brand modesty’. There’s something about creating an air of mystery that makes your designer pieces feel a little bit more luxurious. You should invest in designer brands for the quality of the products, not just because you want to flaunt it around. You might just end up coming off as tacky if you’re dressed from head to toe in Louis Vuitton monogram print.
8. Jumping on every trend
Trends come and go like the wind. What’s in today can be out by tomorrow. You can definitely incorporate trendy items into your outfits, but make sure your wardrobe has a strong foundation consisting of timeless pieces that will always be fashionable.
9. Visible underwear
People shouldn’t be able to know what colour bra you’re wearing. Wear undergarments that match with your outerwear. Make sure that underwear lines dont show through your pants or skirt and avoid having it show over the top of your pants if you’re wearing low rise jeans.
10. Showing too much skin
Similarly to over accessorising, showing too much skin can be an overkill. It also increases the risk of having a wardrobe malfunction. To avoid making this faux pas, aim to strategically bare some skin. A rule of thumb is that if you show legs, skip out on a plunging neckline. Try to create a balanced look. Focus on one feature at a time and draw attention to that.
If you find yourself making any of these mistakes, that is totally okay! The goal is to recognise your missteps and do something about it. Like I always say, we’re all on a self improvement journey. One little change can make the world of a difference. If you look good, you’ll feel good.
Giovanna
xx
Featured image by The 5th from Pexels
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