Great subject. I personally don't listen to fashion rules, as you say, there's always an exception!

I'm a size 14 but wear skinny jeans occasionally, I'm short but hardly ever wear heels...To be honest, I'll wear what I like, whether it suits me or not. As long as I feel comfortable in it, that's all that matters.

Posted by: The Bag Lady | July 13, 2006 4:28 PM

I fall guilty of watching What Not To Wear whenever I see it on the TV, but what seems strangely ironic is the fact that Trinny and Susannah are perhaps two of the worst, most frumpy dressed women I've ever seen!

Posted by: Anna | July 13, 2006 5:01 PM

So true Anna! They always make their victims look much, much better, but seem incapable of taking their own advice. And they wear far too much fur, like they're dying to get some attention from PETA.

Posted by: Gemma | July 13, 2006 5:07 PM

I hate it the rules! except of course when they are being bent. I'm a US size 14-16 and find that the rules seem to apply especially to me! While I am careful with certain tops because I am buxom, I also never rule out any garment because of it's shape until I've tried it on. I think most people have an inate sense of what is flattering (beauty is, after all, mathematical-if one is proportional, most people perceive them to be beautiful) and if it doesn't look nice, then you probably shouldn't purchase it. The rules only confuse me and cause me to second guess my natural intuition!

Posted by: Carlen | July 13, 2006 7:11 PM

I think that the 'fashion rules' have value because they show you how to dress in a way that flatters you but in my opinion everyone is gorgeous when they feel terrific. I know that I should really wear heels due to my height but I'm more comfortable, and more myself is fabulous flats and therefore look better!

Posted by: anon | July 13, 2006 7:15 PM

i love the rules! they really have helped me as a big busty girl and also have helped me see that covering up is not usually very flattering!

Posted by: Deb | July 13, 2006 8:53 PM

I respect the rules, but I dont always follow them. I'm one of the "exceptions" on some I agree (like what colors look best on certain skin tones,eye colors,ect.) but some are stupid.

Posted by: Sam | July 13, 2006 10:14 PM

Like you, Gemma, I'm a closet Trinny and Susannah fan; although I agree with previous comments that some of their own clothes can be a bit hideous (and they've had some questionable hairstyles too). I find it encouraging that even these 'style gurus' can make mistakes - like me!

One thing that I love about their style rules, is that inevitably, the women who generally start out looking a bit like bag ladies, do end up looking a LOT more stylish; and I *do* think that has something to do with finding more flattering shapes and colours, aka 'the rules'.

I'll admit that to an extent I'll follow the rules - and as a UK 14-16 with curves all over the place - I've found that my 'JLo ass' looks much nicer in pencil skirts than bias cut, and I don't look nearly as top heavy when I wear a pretty shrug or bolero to cover my upper arms. However, I still like to experiment as well.

So.. I think it's important to have an understanding of what suits you; but I also think the tenacity to experiment and try something a little different pulls it all together in the end.

And as for What Not to Wear - I think it's fab that the women end up looking more chic; but I keep watching the show, because I'm drawn to how these women rediscover themselves through the process of finding their style.

It really is the inner fabulousness that counts!

Posted by: Erin | July 13, 2006 10:21 PM

I like knowing the rules, but they get repetitive after a while. I think knowing the effect certain shapes or colors have on a person's overall appearance is important; for example, I am fair-skinned and I'm glad to know that if I wear pastels I look washed-out. That's not to say I won't wear them, but it is something to look out for when I'm trying things on. These bits of information, though, are repeated over and over and consistently offered to readers as though they were new. How many times do I need to hear that embellishment draws unnecessary attention to a full bust?

As far as where to get advice goes, I do love my Lucky Shopping Manual; it has more advice on what combinations work well together and suggests risks to take. Those are my kind of rules.

Posted by: Kiba | July 13, 2006 11:18 PM

Many of the colour-related rules don't work for me in the first place! I'm Chinese with a medium-tan skin tone, and the light colours that are supposed to work for tanned people just wash me out because my undertones are kind of yellow. So I make my own rules as I go along.

Posted by: Germaine | July 14, 2006 1:05 AM

I do personally make rules for myself, and I also follow some fashion rules but I don't like being dictated to. I like that this site gives advice without preaching. I remember one episode of WNTW where they made a woman throw out almost her whole wardrobe because it was in her favourite colour, and they thought that it didn't suit her.

If anyone did that to me with MY favourite colour, a.) I basically wouldn't have any belongings left at all and b.) I'd be pissed off that they were making me get rid of the part of myself that makes me, ME. So while I admit that we could probably all do with some assistance now and then, there is a line between help and force, and it's an important one!

Plus, I agree with some of the previous commenters - it's not like Trinny and Susannah can really preach, bearing in mind some of the HORRENDOUS things they have worn themselves! check out www.gofugyourself.com for some examples :)

Posted by: Pinksugar | July 14, 2006 10:18 AM

Granted some of them make sence. But i have to agree plain dictatorship isn't the way to go.
Fair enough if you have no chest then wearing a dress meant to expose clevege may not be the first option but there are people out there who pull it off. I'd say take them with a pinch of salt, they are guidlines, but don't dress by the book.

Posted by: Jennifer | July 14, 2006 2:22 PM

I love the rules. I think that if you know a lot about fashion and style and you keep up with the times, you don't need the rules as much. But then there are the people who are busy with jobs or children, etc and they NEED the rules.

I think it all depends on your lifestyle and how much time and effort you really want to put into fashion related things.

I watch TLC's What Not To Wear every week. I like it a lot better than the BBC version. I learned a lot from that show when I knew next to nothing about fashion.

So yes, I think fashion rules are necessary. Without rules there can be no order. Without order, things can get a little out of hand....

I have woman thank me all the time for the advice and "rules" I give them. I think knowing basic fashion rules and tips are essential for everyone. Then you can adapt them to your own personal preferences.

Posted by: The Fashionable Housewife | July 14, 2006 2:35 PM

I'm also a secret WNTW fan, and I do believe there's some merit in the 'rules', but it's also very important to just have fun with fashion...

I personally believe that if you put all women that have been on the show side by side, they'll look almost identical, the hair color is almost always within the same tone, they tend to go for chic outfits and let's face it...no one goes through life looking chic all the time (And they did threw away all of their wardrobe)

I remember one episode where they made a poor woman cry in the changing room in front of the cameras, and that's just mean, shopping should make a woman feel happy and excited, not make her cry!

I also agree with the comments about the horrible choices they've made themselves, but I'll still keep watching, both TLC's and BBC's...it's my guilty pleasure.

Posted by: Daphne | July 14, 2006 2:55 PM

I love the show, but I think all these so called "fashion rules" end up restricting women's creativity when it comes to fashion, which ends up being the biggest no-no. Your sense of style comes from you and from your mistakes, not a fashion "guru" telling you what to do.

Posted by: kori | July 14, 2006 10:40 PM

I rarely bother with rules. Sometimes I do with acccessories like braelets and necklaces, but usually I just pick up something if I like it and try it on. I'm fairly slim for my age but I look terrible in skinny jeans! Just pick something you like, try it on and it'll either look good on you or it won't. You'll never know until you try it. Then again, that rarely stops me from devouring the latest book from T&S. I can't resist.

Posted by: Frapp | July 15, 2006 8:54 AM

If females learn to understand and harness the power of their fashion, they can deliberately control the way men think about them, and consequently, control the men.
For example, if you wear heels, they elevate you to a higher physical position and therefore cause men to follow your wishes more readily. The same woman in heels and a skirt has focused male attention on her lower body, therefore creating a subconsicous "walk on men" effect which, ironically, the men want and crave and cannot escape.
The same woman in sneakers and blue jeans has a totally neutral effect.
Therefore, because of her wardrobe, the Female is in control of the male! FASCNINATING, isn't it? Good luck, girls! Go dominate!

Posted by: John | July 15, 2006 4:26 PM

John's comment is seriously creepy.

I've never seen the British WNTW (it's only on Very Expensive Cable here in Canada), but I've read the books and enjoyed them. Sometimes they get really unpleasant with "wear this or your husband will leave you," and their rules about combining colours are unbelievably strict, and they have a real phobia of black, and what I find especially interesting is that they sometimes contradict the American WNTW rules.

I'm built a lot like Trinny, only shorter, so I find her outfits especially interesting. That said, I don't really want to live by rules that strict, and even if T&S say Trinny's body type is hard to dress...it isn't, really. I like to end up somewhere between Trinny and Susannah's "this colour only goes with this, and never wear this with this" and Lucky magazine's "wearing seven layers of $300 potato sacks is totally flattering! No, really, it is!"

Posted by: Elinor | July 15, 2006 5:41 PM

If your husband leaves you for what you wear....then that is a really crappy ass husband.

Shoulda left HIS ass a long time ago!

With the rules, I dont think you can make rules really. Everyone has so many essential elements of their look that I believe a lot of the 'rules' become ineffective.

Posted by: Berlina | July 15, 2006 6:00 PM

I look at fashion rules like a buffet. Take the ones I want, avoid touching the ones I don't want.

Posted by: shinyshoes | July 16, 2006 4:45 PM

i like reading about the rules but never take it seriously. I am a curvy chic but i love wearing skinny jeans and people even said i look great. So i think fashion rule isnt that bad but u just need to adapt your taste along too.

Posted by: poshbabe | July 18, 2006 4:01 PM

I agree that it hinders women's creativity to have all these rules. It seems like the WNTW hosts are always sooo CONSERVATIVE. It really gets on my nerves.
Why don't they let Betsey Johnson or John Galliano give everyday fashion advice. I'm totally bored with what the average woman wears.

Posted by: madk | July 24, 2006 7:22 AM

Ok im a very small person. Ya i guess like petite. But I still end up wearing what I like. The rules don't really make sense to me, I always end up liking what tall people get to wear so I wear it. Im only 16 so I still end up wearing flats most of the time (because I still have to walk to school), but I don't mind. I wear what I like regardless of what 'rules' there are. And style is meant to show everyone who you are and your personality. If your thinking about rules, its not you whose showing through.

Posted by: chloe | September 8, 2006 12:59 AM

I really enjoy Trinny and Susannah's advice. I don't feel that they are dictating rules that cannot be broken. The rules are just guidelines and for easy dressing and easy shopping: knowing what's good for your body type will cut down your shopping time etc. They're not stopping you from buying what you want. Some rules can be manipulated anyway- as they themselves say and they break their own rules too! e.g. a woman who wore a pink shirt (her favourite colour) just gets washed out in it but worn with a darker coloured jumper or layering on top and she looks fantastic.
People will always say - oh but i'm comfortable in what i wear and that's what matters. That's true to an extent but what's so great about T&S is that they're getting you out of that comfort zone - not to change you- but to remind you that you can look and feel great at a whole new level.

Posted by: cath | December 9, 2006 8:14 PM