Friend Friday: Fashion Dos & Don'ts?

This week's Friend Friday, organised by Kate of Modly Chic, is about 'Fashion Dos and Don'ts'. I haven't been able to take part in Friend Friday for a while, but I couldn't resist the images this conjured up...

1. What do you think are some of the top fashion don’ts? (Things you would never be caught dead in and cringe when other people wear them.)

I still remember the days when everyone I knew had a shellsuit; on one holiday 8 family members each wore one in varying shades of horrible. Why did nobody arrest us, and more importantly, didn't we own any mirrors?! It may be these vivid memories of the early nineties that put me off sportswear for good - wet-look lycra still makes me shudder. Beyond that...I hate Crocs, as do a lot of people, and I can't bring myself to wear anything with a logo on the front. And much as I admire people who are brave with colour, I would never wear green with either red or brown - I just think it's difficult not to look like a Christmas elf, or a tree, respectively.

Shellsuits: always sexy.

2. What previous fashion don’t do you now wear with pride? 

All my fashion don'ts were heavily influenced by my mum, who, for example, said I should never wear navy, brown or black together (if I do it now I feel rebellious, which is strange for such conservative colours). As someone with auburn hair, I was also told never to wear red, and I took great delight in buying red dresses, capes and shoes when the time came for me to buy my own clothes. One of my favourite 'previous fashion don'ts', however, is the wearing of ankle boots with skirts - a secret part of me must have been wanting to do it for years. And ankle boots with harems? Never saw that one coming.

Ankle boots and leopard print: two 'don'ts' birds, one stone.

3. Do you think there is a universal fashion do? 

DO avoid cap sleeves...

Perhaps, DO use current fashions to inject some sparkle into your favourite looks. I think if a look works for you, there's no shame in sticking to it. But get your friends to make you try on something new once in a while - my cousin got me out of my all-black rut, and my sister stopped me hiding 'the girls' in sack dresses.

On the subject of universal fashion 'dos': I don't know how much I buy into the idea of certain 'staple items'. For all the classic black trousers and white shirts (both of which I've lived without so far) there are also some items that are surprisingly tricky; beige trenchcoats make some of us look like dead people, and don't even get me started on the broadening capabilities of breton tops.

4. What items lately, either recently in style or coming in now, do you think should never make it off the retail shelves? 

I really despise jeggings - surely the worst of both worlds. And I can't help but hate those long sheer skirts with a shorter black skirt underneath - bizarre.  Most sheer clothes have a lot to answer for - these Haider Ackerman shorts on the Fashion Police website, for example...

5. In your opinion, is there any blogger, fashion icon, celebrity who some how manages to pull off some fashion don’ts and still look good? 

I would probably have said Mary-Kate Olsen at one time, but lately she has started to look a bit scary, and Agyness Deyn is an obvious one but not to my taste. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal gets away with a lot, as does Drew Barrymore - maybe it's their inner quirkiness, or maybe it's just their delightfully un-Hollywood approach to dressing. 

To be honest, though, my hat goes off to Susie Bubble. She breaks every 'rule' in the book in terms of colour, pattern, layering, fabrics and footwear....but she always looks fabulous and authentic. And still would in sheer shorts, I'll warrant.

*Shellsuit picture from erhartclothing.com.