A memorable wardrobe item is one that makes a huge eye-catching statement because of it’s colour, pattern, scale or style, and sometimes all of the above. They can be anything at all, from clothing to footwear, right up to handbags, belts and jewelry. It’s the boldness of the item, or the uniqueness of it’s integrity that makes people remember it, thereby making it “memorable”.
I used to think that everyone wanted to wear at least a few memorable wardrobe items, if not as many as possible. But working as a fashion stylist and participating in the online style community has shown me that this is far from true. Some women prefer NOT to wear memorable items. The reason being that others become sick of seeing you in the same eye catching item over and over again, roll their eyes and go: “Oh, there’s Angie in her citron trench and red Kate Spade pumps again. Hasn’t she got anything else to wear?”
When given the choice of purchasing a plain and ordinary dress, or a more bold dress, some opt for the plain precisely because its less memorable, allowing them to wear it over and over again without any comments from the peanut gallery.
Don’t get me wrong, you can absolutely make a style statement in something plain. And your style quotient can sizzle sans the bold colours, patterns, and daring designs. But’s that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about deliberately not choosing a more memorable wardrobe item because you’re influenced by the potential negative judgements of others.
For better or for worse, I am not affected by this type of judgement. I wear what I consider memorable wardrobe pieces over and over again, year after year, until I am sick of them. I do not save these pieces for special occasions unless they are uber formal, and it has never mattered to me that others may be sick of them before I am. Should it?
So I vote yay, because I view wearing memorable wardrobe items as positive no matter how often they come out to play. One can also argue that they become part of your signature style. What’s your verdict? Note that there is no right and wrong answer here. I’m just interested in your point of view.