The millennial era is one where a lot of people want to be different, look different, or do different! In my opinion, there are alot of people who master the skill of embracing their uniqueness, but there also a lot of monkey see, monkey do ass people out there as well. Whether it is in the fashion world or not. Due to social media, we witness people conform daily, to the thoughts and opinions of others ..just to fit in.

I’m a fine believer that people should learn to live certain aspects of their life, unconventionally, and fashion is one of them!

To me, Fashion is a field where a lot of rules, if not most, should be broken and shaken. I realized this notion early in my style journey, especially in my Sophomore year of high school. In that year specifically, I really began to experiment with my style, but the more I began to experiment, the more criticizicim from the other classmates, I would receive! What’s crazy was that the criticizicim all stemmed from the fact that, I was doing my own thing, but in their eyes I was breaking major style rules.

In their eyes, I wasn’t conforming to fashion expectations. I was doing my own thing, and when you are really different, and really trying to find yourself. Sometimes instead of supporting your journey, people may try their best to bring you down. I wasn’t teased, at least not to my knowledge, but I was definitely talked a lot of shit about, to and behind my face. About what I wore and how I wore it.

I used to really think to myself, like wow, people are this concerned with what I put on my own body?!

People are really this concerned with how I choose to express who I’m?

I couldn’t understand it, but for some reason it gave me more fuel, to do what the heck I wanted to do. Looking back on that experience, I’m glad I didn’t submit to all the peer pressure. I’m glad I stayed true to myself. My style journey in high school was a very liberating moment for me, because of its profound influence not only on my style, but on my life.

Ya’ll ready to break some rules?

Lets get to this list!

1) No White After Labor Day

This is a style rule, that even from the time I was a teen, and I heard about it, it didn’t make sense to me then, and it still doesn’t now! My thought process has always been,

“okay, if you are telling us to not wear white after Labor Day, then when do we start wearing white again? Is there a societal date where everyone in society is like? “Oh it’s the 1st of March now” we can start wearing white again. Or are we supposed to wait all the way until Memorial Day?”

The ending of this rule, has always remained so unclear to me! And because of that, the rule was highly breakable! I completely understand that Labor Day is a national holiday, and that national holidays are supposed to be honored or respected. But think about it,

“are you really going to get arrested if you wear a off white sweater in December?”

No! loll

So don’t be afraid to break this rule! If you want to wear white after Labor Day, then shit, do what you want to do! I’ve been seeing a few fashionistas wearing some nice crisp white booties this past fall/winter season, and I must say that I’m loving the look!

2) Matchin From Head To Toe

Now, this was one of the main reasons why I used to receive trash talk back in High School, because my outfits hardly ever matched! Back then, I really liked to mesh colors and prints, which is a component of my style, that has stuck with me since then. But in High School, for a lot of people if you didn’t match, “than you couldn’t dress”, if you didn’t match your latest Jordan’s with a matching outfit to the T, than you weren’t swaggy.” I never got that!

Personally, I think overly matching your looks, takes away from your style innovation. Try to mesh your looks more, and watch how creative your mind will get when it comes to your style! Watch how many ideas will start flowing. Soon you will be putting items together, that you wouldn’t think would work, but you made them work! It’s intriguing to me, when I see people put colors, or prints or even fabric together, and they make it work! Those creative fashion moments, are the ones where you truly transition from fashion, to style.

3) Wearing Past Trends

When Trends are here, we enjoy the trends, many of us follow the trends, and several of us wear the trends and make them our own. But when the trends are over, and they become “out of season”, the rule is that you are expected to leave those trends behind. This is a very confusing rule to me. Especially since I’m someone who shops heavily at thrift stores! As a thrift shopper, I enjoy purchasing past trends, and incorporating them into my modern day style. To my knowledge fashion is a cycle, that reinvents itself, but it also repeats and recycles its looks.

For example many of the looks from today, were inspired by the looks from the 80’s or the 90’s. I’m sure many of us can relate to being told by an older relative, how a current trend that you wearing, was “the look” back in their day. So why do we care so much when people wear “out of season trends”, or wear things that are “no longer in style anymore”. If a trend fits you, and it fits your style, who cares if it’s it’s out of season, slay that shit! That trend will always come back again, and by the time it comes back, YOU will be the trendsetter.

4) Constantly Wearing Your Actual Size

Thrifting defineltly has changed my view on wearing items that are solely my exact size. For example, I’ve found really nice gems to add to my wardrobe that weren’t my actual size. I’m a big fan of oversized looks, especially for sweaters or jackets, and I’ve found several pieces that are not my exact size, but they fit my style so well! My challenge for you all, is the next time you go shopping, or thrifting, look in a section that isn’t your size, and see what you may find!

5) Following Fashion Rules

The moral of it all: you make the rules! You decide what you wear, and how you want to wear it! Who cares if you decide to wear denim on denim, if you can make it work. But most importantly make it work for you, then that’s all that matters! Instead of focusing on the fashion rules of today, focus on your style rules of today.

What are your personal style rules?

What are your Do’s or your Dont’s? If you haven’t figured that out yet, I encourage you all to do so! This is YOUR style, so never be afraid to do what you want!

I hope I succeeded with my mission of leaving you all with information that you can learn from, but also grow from. Before I go, I want to ask readers:

What are universal fashion rules that you LOVE to Break?

What are the style rules that you follow?

Before I go, as always, thank you readers for stopping by! I hope you all have a great day today!

XoXo

Key Michel