Tips & Trends | Do Fashion Faux Pas Exist?

Quintessential fashion myths and urban legends constituting what a fashion faux pas is, have been around for decades. No white after Labour Day, or socks and sandals being a definite no-go… the list goes on. But in recent years, we have seen them resurface in the form of the year’s biggest trends, making those “fashion faux pas,” a complete contra.

With the slew of fashion blogs that crowd the virtual spaces of the Internet, it can be difficult to decipher what the truth to all this is. The blogs act as a directory for getting the masses into the know about what’s in and what’s out, what’s old news and what’s the new hip and up and coming trend. But how do we know what’s really right and what’s wrong? And what are you supposed to be wearing right now? Thus, the question can be begged, do fashion faux pas actually exist?

Fashion is a medium that’s cyclical in nature. It isn’t news that trends come and go, and therefore, as a result, inevitably repeat themselves. For example, almost forty years later the 70’s trend is back, flared bell-bottoms and 70’s silhouettes reigning supreme. But if you were caught wearing flared bell bottoms in the grunge filled 90’s you’d be deemed out of date and not with the times, evidently scorned for the commitment of a fashion faux pas.

With so much emphasis being placed on the latest trend and whether you’re in the midst of creating a fashion faux pas, the entire vision of what fashion is really about seems to have become but a distant vision. In theory, fashion is an artistic medium that is meant to be expressive in nature for the subject; in essence, wearing whatever you’d like. Fashion can also be an individualistic media, where the individual’s wardrobe acts as a capsule or curation of their personal story. With these definitions in mind then, the entire idea of a fashion faux pas doesn’t seem to exist. Faux pas cannot be committed if you’re just having fun!

So to answer the question: they don’t exist. Fashion is what you make it, so make it something you’re proud of and feel awesome wearing. And the next time you see a fashion blog bulleting a list of the season’s fashion don’t’s, be rest assured that those same things will inevitably become the do’s within the next few seasons.

 So what’s your take on the idea of the fashion faux pas? Let us know.

Designer Swap is Canada’s online luxury consignment shop and Toronto-based fashion blog. We sell authentic and pre-loved designer pieces and write about the newest fashion and beauty trends. Make sure to check us out on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest!

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Images Courtesy lifestyleasia.com, hero-magazine.com, highsnobiety.com, thefashionspot.com