Old-fashioned fashion rules to break

My dad tells a story about my grandmother travelling three hours from her home in the north of the state to attend a special church service and then realising she had forgotten her hat. Though church rules about head coverings had relaxed by that time, Grandma could not bring herself to attend without the proper noggin attire. She stood God up rather than offend Him with her locks and returned home spiritually bereft.

Clothing rules change.* Here are five fashion rules from my childhood that need banishing.

1. Shoes and bags must always match

Your shoes have to go with your outfit but a contrasting or complementary bag can often create a jazzier look than strictly matching accessories. In fact, sometimes matching shoes and bags can make you look like a try hard. A mismatched handbag can dress down a style that’s a bit 'too much' and a bag with a pleasant clash adds some zing to a conservative outfit.

2. Shoes and bags must be leather

Leather is no longer a must. Pleather, raffia, canvas, silk and other fabrics are fantastic alternatives for handbags adding spice and texture – and often costing a lot less, so you can have lots of different bags without melting your credit card.

Synthetic footwear is also okay but a leather lining is advisable for closed shoes, so your feet don’t sweat too much. Yes, they wear out sooner – but you’re probably sick of them by the time they do, anyway.

3. Don’t wear black with brown or navy

You’d wipe out the wardrobes of half the city’s young women if you enforced this rule. I particularly like the black tights/brown knee highs look that’s popular right now.

You are also meant to skip brown shoes or suits after 5pm if you want to be taken seriously. But you’re probably meant to skip the glass of sparkling, too. To hell with it.

On a similar note, my mother used to say: ‘Blue and green should never be seen without a colour in between’. What a load of piffle!

4. Women must wear stockings or pantihose to work

Maybe this was true in the days before waxing and spray tanning but smooth, (faux) tanned bare legs are perfectly acceptable – and more comfortable – especially in the summer.

5. Don’t wear high heels with jeans

What??? And look like a squat midget? It’s stilettos all the way, babe.


* Some clothing rules will never change, so if you own Superman blue tights, anything with a Sportsgirl logo on the front, real fur or tensel overalls, just burn these items now.

Image: Tea