The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/30393
Laygirl Fashion by Emily Popek Not waiting for Memorial Day Fashion has a lot of “rules.” Some of them make sense to me, like the idea of wearing just one statement piece at a time. Others are just annoying, like the dic- tate about not wearing white between Labor Day and Memorial Day. Many fashion mavens would say rules are made to be broken, and indeed, many of fashion’s foremost icons have done just that. But for those of us who aren’t fashion icons, it can be hard to muster up the courage to break free of such sartorial shackles. I have been eyeing a pair of white heels in my closet for weeks now. I keep thinking of outfits that would look perfect with them. But it’s still April. Worse yet, it doesn’t even feel like post- Memorial Day weather, which would be the other justification I would accept for breaking this rule. The more I think about it, the more stupid this seems. After all, I follow very few other fashion rules. Certainly my belt, shoes and handbag never match. (I pretty much carry only one handbag, which is turquoise, so … yeah.) I’m probably not tall and thin enough to pull off horizontal stripes, but I wear them anyway. And I’m going to go ahead and wear gold jewelry and accessories, even though my wedding band and earrings are silver. Problem? So why am I so hung up on the white- shoes-after-Labor-Day thing? I don’t know, but I would guess we all have our fashion hang- ups: “rules” we picked up somewhere along the way that we are almost superstitiously afraid to break. Well, I say, break ’em. What’s the worst that will happen? Someone might not like your outfit? I can live with that reality. Other people’s ap- proval of your appearance should play a distant second fiddle to how you feel about your look. Granted, many of us have dress codes at our work or school that we must meet. But there can be infinite creativity and diversity even within the most stringent limitations. Besides, I’m pretty sure most office dress codes don’t say “No white after Labor Day.” Emily F. Popek is totally wearing those white heels to work this week. She is also assistant editor at The Daily Star. Many fashion mavens would say rules are made to be broken, and indeed, many of fashion’s foremost icons have done just that. April 28, 2011 O-Town Scene 15