Balancing Function & Fun: The Fashion of a Twenty Something

For years, I was a “What Not to Wear” addict. I watched every episode, taking Stacy London and Clinton Kelly’s words to heart. Pointy toed shoes–check. Skip the capris–check. Form fitting blazer–check. Scrap the holey jeans, halter tops, and graphic tees–check. While watching the show, I started to feel like my entire wardrobe was a don’t and that I was dressing for disaster instead of success.

The show’s now over, and I do miss the friendly banter, the fashion advice, and the awesome transformations. However, I’ve come to realize one thing: there isn’t necessarily a formula for perfect fashion.

I do agree–you have to dress for the job you want. There isn’t a school out there who will hire a teacher wearing a skimpy leather mini and a crop top. However, there also isn’t a rule that once you hit twenty-one, you have to opt only for black pants suits and silk blouses in neutral colors.

I tried the “professional” route; I tried to follow the rules. I avoided the junior’s section like the plague, deciding I was too old for it. Do you know what I found? Sometimes following rules can be boring, especially when it comes to fashion.

Cast away from the Juniors department, I too often found myself facing a department of elastic waisted pants suits and gaudy florals. I felt like I was professional looking, sure  . . .but I also felt like I lacked any type of pizzazz.

In the past few years, I’ve started floating back toward the fashion don’ts. I’ve been bending the rules. I shop the Junior’s section from time to time. I buy shirts with flashy sequins. I even (gasp) have a few tees with words. I’ve traded the pointy-toed stilettos for more comfortable ballet flats or bedazzled flip flops.

I still believe “What Not To Wear” was one one of the best shows out there, and I feel the pain of its absence. However, I’ve also learned that as with everything in life, there isn’t a one size fits all approach to fashion. Thus, I’ve taken their ideas and molded them into my own life. I’d like to think that I’ve found a way to balance mature professional with funky twenty-something. Do I always get it right? Absolutely not. In fact, today what I thought was a funky, trendy patterned shirt was deemed to look like nurse’s scrubs by my husband. Hey, we can’t all be straight from a magazine, right? But I’ve learned that my clothes can still have personality, even if that personality results in sequined hot pink tops that may or may not be a don’t.

Lindsay Detwiler, Voice of Innocence author