A word on why we shouldn’t let ‘influencers’ influence us to buy stuff we don’t really want
Since starting Instagram I’ve realised I don’t wear that much colour. Maybe it’s because it’s been winter and winter doesn’t lend itself well to rainbow brights, or perhaps styling softer colours is just easier. Whatever the reason, I definitely seem to lean towards a more neutral palette.
When Fran of the Fashion Lift did her ‘januarybrights’ hashtag I desperately wanted to join in. I looked in my wardrobe and felt a bit deflated that it didn’t offer up much colour. And then, as we tend to do, I pondered for too long on the fact that I wasn’t dressing well enough without this burst of brights, and I must try harder to get some into my wardrobe.
I stopped short of shopping. Because I realised that my style didn’t depend on having what everyone else had but rather on wearing things I actually like. My rule of thumb when buying anything is that I have to love it, so if I’m uhming & aahing I know it’s not meant to be. I’m clearly not drawn to colourful clothes, so I could buy as many as Barclaycard would allow, but I’m not going to wear them am I? Because if they don’t scream at me when they’re shiny and new, they’ll be a mere whisper in my wardrobe once the label has been torn off.
My point is that just because Instagram looks like a pantone chart, doesn’t mean I have to. It doesn’t mean I must rush to New Look to stock up on midi dresses in 12 different colours or wipe out stocks of every yellow top on the High Street (yellow looks awful against my skin tone anyway to be fair). This isn’t a colour specific issue, it’s about trying to wear stuff that just isn’t for you solely because you feel like you want to keep up with the fash pack.
Basically, don’t let what everyone else is wearing make you feel like you must wear it too. It’s just one way we end up over buying to satisfy the knob-head known as self doubt. Your style is your style, what you wear is part of who you are and you don’t need to buy into the notion that you need to dress like everybody else. Because once you buy into that you’re only one trend led decision away from buying more fast fashion. And that’s what the marketers thrive on.
Right now, I am loving the shades of pistachio and sorbet pink I keep seeing on my feed. They’re my kind of colours and should they stick around I may well add a couple of items into my summer wardrobe. So I’m not saying don’t be influenced by things you love. What I try to ask myself is, if I saw it in the shops would I try it on? Or do I only want it because my favourite blogger looks great in it? If it’s not your style and you would never have noticed it when you walked by then I would say don’t bother. Some stuff comes to life when you see it on someone else and so, of course, let that guide you towards what looks good. But don’t feel you need to shoehorn yourself into a certain look because every Tom, Dick & Influencer is doing it. That’s all I’m getting at. So, I’m afraid folks that I’m going to keep cracking on with the neutrals, because as much as I enjoy joining in a hashtag I like being me even more, and surely the best way to look good is to just be yourself?!
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