RIP Fashion Rules! How 2014 signaled the end of dos and don’ts
See some of 2014’s rule-breaking moments »
A lot went down in 2014, but between Internet breakage and elevator free-for-alls, let’s not forget the most exciting thing: the complete abandonment of fashion rules. (Cue a choirs of angels)
And it’s about time, because let’s face it: since fashion’s inception (a.k.a. when clothes became more than necessity), there have been trends, rules, dos, don’ts and a long list of commandments forbidding everything from socks with sandals to white after Labour Day. Clothes, for what seems like forever, have been defined by complacency, by the ability to take risks while falling in line with a season’s manifesto. Case in point: this year, you could finally wear head-to-toe knits, but only because an established label like The Row decked out their models in oversize sweaters. For years, we also shamed anyone who dared wear jogging pants outside of the house, but thanks to casualwear supporters like Cara Delevingne and Samira Wiley, we now get a free pass to comfort.
Photography by George Pimentel
Photography by Peter Stigter
Photography by Peter Stigter
But the exciting thing about 2014 wasn’t that just one or two designers (or celebrities) took risks—it was that every designer and celebrity took risks. Jeremy Scott at Moschino gave us elementary school chic with Barbie-inspired graphics for next spring, while one of the biggest trends to come out of Paris Fashion Week was seasonless dressing (which is almost the complete abandonment of the fashion calendar as we know it). Fur, leather, feathers, brights, darks, jogging pants, socks and sandals, beanies, mini backpacks, graphic sweatshirts, power suits, all-white, and logo T-shirts were just some of the looks to come out of various fashion weeks, which all beautifully contradicted each other. For once, there was no singular way to “nail” a look or a season. This year, we were forced to develop our own tastes and invest in trends we liked. In fact, following rules seemed dated and boring. (Which made Rihanna’s completely sheer CFDA gown so exciting and welcome.)
Which is another indicator of the year’s “f*ck this!” to rights and wrongs: Rihanna showed up in a see-through gown adorned with Swarovski crystals and a fur boa and we loved it. Lupita Nyong’o wore a cape to the Golden Globes and it was a gift. Kendall Jenner wore a dress with slits so high at the MMVAs that she couldn’t wear underpants, and she pulled it off perfectly.
But I digress.
2014 also blurred gender convention, with “tomboy” (though that word can be retired forever) pieces like high tops and Varsity jackets popping in collections by Saint Laurent and Fay (who, for the record, also brought Charlie Brown graphics to the party). But what’s better is that these looks didn’t replace traditional femininity, either. This year, you could be whoever you wanted to be depending on your mood: one day you could step out in peplum and a pencil skirt, and the next, oxfords and a bowtie. Some designer, some store, somewhere was making sure you had a place.
And this approach to style as art and personal interpretation is long overdue — especially since it’s art, subjective, and can’t really be “wrong.” (You hear that, Fashion Police?) This year, fashion encouraged risk and controversy (which is what the best art does), and pieces like Rihanna’s crystal dress perpetuated just that: on top of how great she looked in it, her gown also created an important conversation about self-expression and a woman’s right to wear whatever she wants. (Much like the conversations generated from Jenner’s MMVA dress, and sister Kim Kardashian’s Paper Magazine cover, too.
Which backs up the best point: because our fashion sense has become completely dependent on our personal tastes, the idea of following “rules” seems outdated—finally. Trends have now become a way of helping us curate our own looks as opposed to making us feel like we’re abiding by a glorified dress code, so why wouldn’t we use 2014’s diverse style game to be the version of ourselves we aspire to. One day you can wear Moschino’s McDonalds tribute, and the next, Chanel’s Victorian collars. It’s like playing dress up, but indulging in only what we feel like wearing, not what we “should” be.
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