Why a flattering outfit might be overrated

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what a advantageous outfit should be at all. So really at the core. Apparently a large part of the fashion world is based on exactly this: wearing something that optimizes, stretches, reduces, conceals or brings the figure into the “right” proportions. And for a long time I believed that this was the pinnacle of styling.
An outfit is good if it is flattering – period.
So I internalized it. But the longer I study fashion and the more often I question my own style, the clearer it becomes to me: Maybe this whole idea of ​​advantage is not sacred to fashion, but rather a habit that we have adopted without ever examining it.

The Instagram comment that gave me pause

I recently shared one of my absolute favorite looks on Instagram. A pair of dark blue barrel jeans, my personal hero for days when I want a little structure, a little cool and a little out of the ordinary. There are hardly any pants that I feel as much like I feel.

And then came this comment:

“Yes, the lovely topic of jeans. I don’t like the oversized trousers that much! Makes the figure small and wide 🤩👖”

The comment really wasn’t meant in a bad way. He was factual, honest and completely understandable. It’s the kind of feedback you get when you’ve learned over many years to evaluate looks based on how much they enhance us visually. But suddenly I sat there and thought:
Does that actually matter? So is it really important?
Because if pants make me look wider than I am, what does that mean? And for whom? And why should that even be a problem?

A look doesn’t have to be flattering. He just needs to be honest about who I am.

Who are we actually styling ourselves for?

A advantageous outfit is based on the idea that we must constantly improve. That we should try to get the best out of ourselves visually. And that sounds reasonable at first. Who doesn’t want to feel good? But that raises another question:
Does feeling good really depend on whether I hide my supposed weaknesses and emphasize my strengths? If I feel comfortable in pants that don’t stretch, don’t slim, don’t perfect, is that worth less?
Or isn’t that exactly what feeling good means: wearing something that suits me and not just a formula from a style guide? Maybe an outfit is much more than just an optical trick. Maybe it’s a statement. An expression. A little piece of personality that I put on in the morning before I leave the house.

My recurring fashion faux pas: pants in boots

And here comes the moment when I gloriously expose myself:
I regularly tuck my pants into my boots.
Yes, exactly the pants, exactly the boots, exactly the combination that we’ve been hearing for years that doesn’t “suit” anyone. And yet I do it. Again and again. Because I like it. Because I feel it and because it’s for me functions.
It’s a small rebellious detail that shows me every time:
Fashion is not a competitive sport, but a playground.
And to be honest: the trousers in the boots have become so iconic for me that I almost have to laugh when I realize how naturally I do it again. Others would say: faux pas.
I say: signature.

Trends vs. reality: Why the cityscape looks different

When you spend a lot of time with fashion, at some point you start to believe that every street style silhouette is a reflection of current trends. Wide trousers. Tailored looks. Bold Colors. And of course outfits that look “flattering”. But then you walk through a completely normal city, not Paris, not Milan, not New York, and suddenly you realize that trends are only a small part of reality. There are people walking around in jeans shapes who have supposedly been dead since 2015.
There are people wearing coats that should never have appeared again.
And many seem happier and more relaxed than those who follow every trend. Because for most people, fashion is not a dogma, but everyday life.
A companion.
A feel-good thing.
An expression, but not a competition.

Why an “advantageous outfit” still has its place – but not the main role

I’m not saying that we should throw all fashion rules overboard. I still use them myself. They can be helpful. Provide orientation. Give security. But one advantageous outfit is just an option, not a requirement for style.
Because style is not created where we optimize ourselves, but where we dare to be ourselves.
Sometimes that’s classic.
Sometimes rebellious and
sometimes elegant.
Sometimes… pants-in-boots-just-because-you-can.
And maybe that’s exactly the point:
There’s no better look than one that feels like personality. Not the one that only looks like an advantage.

When clothes tell more than they can hide

In the end, the most exciting question for me is not what advantageous outfit visually makes me look, but what it reveals about me. It’s not the silhouette that’s key, but the attitude behind it. And that’s exactly what makes fashion so versatile: it can follow rules – but it doesn’t have to. It can optimize – or provoke. It can be on trend – or completely out of line and that’s why it looks great. And now I’m really interested:
How do you recognize the point at which a look no longer follows a rule but really says something about you?

Thank you for reading and for your time here on my blog. And if you feel like checking back more often, you can also subscribe to my blog – I’m really happy if we read each other here regularly.
I wish you a wonderful 2nd Advent and a really good week.

THANK YOU 🖤

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