A friend of mine sent me an article last week about style at England’s Grand National horse race. Or, should I say, lack of style? As you can see from the photos, many female attendees turned up in “eye-popping” ensembles that did them no favors. Garish prints, heavy-handed accessories, Technicolor hair, and an excess of cleavage on display … it was one fashion disaster after another. Instead of looking elegant, they looked crass.
Few of us may have occasion to attend a horse race (and if you do, look to Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” for inspiration), but we can still pick up a few style lessons from these women. Read on for tips on avoiding their fashion blunders.
-If you’re wearing a dramatic hat or fascinator, avoid wearing big statement earrings. Earrings will interfere with the flow of the look and make your head appear weighed down. Stick to studs or small hoops and keep your locks sleek and simple.
-Flashing lots of cleavage will draw the wrong kind of attention. Always wear a bra that works with the lines of your dress, and avoid scandalously plunging necklines.
-Skunk stripes and Technicolor hair may be okay for some teenage punk rocker, but they’re not exactly sophisticated or age-appropriate. A female lawyer I know once jokingly asked her boss what he would do if she turned up at the office with blue highlights. He told her he would question her judgment and be reluctant to assign her high-profile cases. Enough said.
-I love prints, but it’s important to be wary of wild patterns that can come off as garish or adolescent. Intense animal prints or large, neon flowers can be overwhelming. One solution is to wear a solid dress with a printed bag or scarf. A little goes a long way!
-Don’t try to cram too many trends into one outfit. Classics are classics for a reason—they’re timeless, effortlessly chic, and designed to offset the trendiness of, say, this season’s color-blocked stripes and maxi skirts. If you want to look up-to-date, pick just one trend and build your outfit around that.