Who do you trust for your fashion advice when you need a simple, honest opinion or a crucial “heck no?” You might need an opinion on whether the necklace looks right with the dress, or it may be something more pressing, like what you should wear to your upcoming interview. The fashion advice you seek, depending on the person, will vary. You need to know who to ask- what- for specific outfits, events, etc. You also need to know whose fashion opinions, whether they be wanted or unwanted, to cherish or to cross out.
Don’t seek crucial outfit advice from someone whose style is the complete opposite of yours. Your punk rock friend may be able to give a valid fashion opinion on little things like, if the necklace complements the shirt. However, don’t rely on the punk rock style dresser to give you knowledge on whether your outfit is “outing worthy.” A hippy would never ask a country club girl if their cut-up skirt looks good, and the country club girl should never ask the hippy if her Jack Rogers go with her polo.
Does mom or dad have valid fashion knowledge? Every parent is different. Some have style. Some do not. Some may not like what you wear, and you may very well not like what they wear. But when can you rely on your parents for a fashion tip here and there? To avoid frustration with parental fashion advice, know when and for what type of wardrobe ensembles you need their advice. For instance, my mother gives great advice on what I need to wear when I go job hunting. She also gives great advice on what to wear and not to wear for church.
Some of my older relatives criticize my outfits for not color corresponding, “matching,” from head-to-toe. They actually have no clue what they are talking about. Being fashionable does not mean your pink pumps have to your pink ha, which means you have to wear a pink shirt. First of all, that is way too much pink. You will look like a walking bubble gum machine. If any of your relatives are encouraging you to be a matching diva, let’s just say, don’t Belieber!
Your most trusting fashion advice could come from your friends. Watch out! Sometimes they may not always have your best interests at heart. First, always go with your heart or your instincts. In the meantime, ask yourself “Why is Susie giving me the opinion she is giving me?” You can easily tell if your friend is giving an honest opinion. Sometimes your friend may tell you to switch outfits because she doesn’t want you to outdo her. If this happens to you, let it be the last time you seek fashion advice from that particular friend. Luckily, when I was in college, I had girlfriends that put an end to some of the outfits I thought were hot “you-know-what” when really they were a “hot mess!’
Speaking of a hot mess, always remember this: never listen to a friend, or anyone for that matter, who can’t put an outfit together to save her life. This is equivalent to asking a fifth-grader to check over a ninth graders math work, and the 5th grader confirms that “everything looks good.”
Sad to say, don’t trust every celebrity outfit choice you see in Star Magazine or People for fashion knowledge. My immediate reaction when I flip through those books are, “Someone call Joan Rivers” or “Another Stylist Needs to be Fired.” Trusted magazine sources, however, are none other than Vogue, InStyle, Elle and other fashion forward magazines. These magazines can also help you with direct knowledge on style, which is different than fashion.
