Fashion Faux Pas: 5 Unsightly Mistakes To Avoid Making

A fashion faux pas is possibly the worst style mistake anyone can make. These usually result in clothes looking terrible or fitting badly once worn. From unironed clothing to underwear peeking out of an outfit, there are many faux pas to avoid.

Ensuring you are wearing fresh, clean clothing that flatters your body is a good place to start when trying to be stylish. Thereafter, avoid making these 5 fashion mistakes.

1. Ill-Fitting Clothes

Unless a clothing item is specifically designed to be oversized, wearing ill-fitting clothing is not cute. Clothing should never be so tight that you are uncomfortable nor so big it is falling off your frame. Signs of an outfit that is the wrong size is the need to constantly tugged, pulled and adjusted.

It is important to buy clothing that is your perfect size. Do not buy a size 8 if you are actually a size 10. The tight fit will only make you feel more self-conscious. In the same vein, do not buy clothing that is multiple sizes too big for you. They create the appearance that you are heavier or bigger than you are. Do not be afraid to get items tailored to fit perfectly.

2. Wearing Super Trendy Items

The following trends can be tempting. However, the rise of fast fashion means many trends end as quickly as they start. Therefore to stay fashionable it is better to avoid trendy items and opt instead for classic and timeless pieces.

"Please don't ask me about trends. I’m into buying clothes that make me feel pretty, that flatter me, but I have never cared about having the latest thing."

French model Julia Roitfeld told Vogue:.

3. Overly Revealing

While there is nothing wrong with showing a little skin, overly revealing clothing often treads dangerously close to being tacky. Strategic cutouts, low necklines, backless gowns, and even thigh-high slits can all look extremely stunning.

However, all together they can look entirely too much. Instead, a good style tip is to pick one. This also reduces the possibility of an unsightly wardrobe malfunction that could completely ruin your entire outfit.

4. Over Accessorising

A common fashion faux pas is over-accessorizing. Wearing too many accessories can often detract from your outfit instead of adding to it. Instead, pick one statement piece. If the pieces are dainty or understated wearing a necklace, bracelet, and earrings can look stunning.

However, if all the pieces are eye-catching or chunky, they often clash or look like you are trying too hard to be stylish. Chanel advises that you “always take off one accessory before you leave the house.” Let your statement piece shine on its own.

5. Dressing to Impress

Dressing to impress and looking a specific way to fit society’s standards has become a norm. However, fashion, as author Caroline de Maigret says in the book "How To Be Parisian Wherever You Are," "the idea is to find the real you and to not be a product of what society wants you to be."

"You should dress to feel good, not show off. It takes life to learn that."

Former French model Iné de la Fressange told The Guardian.