Fuck Fashion Rules

There are certain things a person with incredibly short legs should just not wear. This ASOS Minimal Jumpsuit is probably one of them, but like culottes and Birkenstocks, I’ve always been one with a penchant for “ugly” items. Anything of a minimal aesthetic and relaxed fit magnetises to me like nothing else, and I knew this piece would be perfect for light layering in the transitional period. In future I’m going to pop a simple white off the shoulder underneath, but for now, I coupled it with a lightweight tee from Zara and my trusty original Stans. Also a pair of white ribbed socks, because, you know, I wanted to erase the existence of my ankle completely.

If I was reading a magazine or some hodge podge online guide, I’m sure a fashion how-to on how to make the most of my figure would tell me to dress the exact opposite of how I have here (or normally do, in fact). ‘Wear a belt to distinguish your waist’, ‘always tuck your t-shirt in’, ‘never wear a wide leg’ – a number of the fashion “rules” I’ve come across for petite girls, in the endless pursuit of appearing that little less stumpy. Thing is, I don’t want to be boxed in in terms of what I can, or cannot wear.

I have always worn weird shit. When I was a tween I was a verifiable emo kid, so you best believe I back-combed the crap out of my hair and wore polka dots, bandanas and fluorescent sunglasses until people stopped commenting that I didn’t look the same (I had my “chav” stage too, don’t worry). I mean, what even is “flattering”? When I take a few minutes to think about it, “flattering” is just a codeword for “impressive to other people”. If I’m basing the way I dress around making other people happy, then I’m dressing as someone else, not myself.

I’m a strong believer of ‘if you like it, wear it’. It’s extremely rare that I will ask someone else’s opinion before I pop something into my online basket, and if I do, it’s normally just to say ‘should I get black, white, or both?’ If somebody asks me if I like something that they want to buy, I will always say yes. The reason? That person already likes the item, they’re just worried it’s too “out there” for them, or that it won’t “suit them” (unless I believe it is a truly horrific purchase, then the sass in me comes out).

Basically, fuck fashion rules. If you like it, wear it (and on that note, shop this post below!)