Millennials and their preceding generations had some rather specific rules when it came to getting dressed, and a lot of it came from what magazines and stylists told them was “right.” But eventually, the rules no longer mattered. Gen Z started doing their own thing, and Millennials had to either let go or become a laughing stock for their fashion choices. Here are eighteen fashion rules that Millennials used to live by that are now completely out of the picture. For better or worse, these rules disappeared.
Side Parts
Whether it was for middle school photos or a job interview, the side part was the way to go for most Millennials. But then Gen Z declared it an “old person thing,” and suddenly side parts were no longer trendy, and most Millennials didn’t even realize it was a rule until it vanished. Some of them tried switching to middle parts, but they couldn’t recognize themselves in the mirror. If you go on TikTok today, you’ll see plenty of hair tutorials, teaching people how to part their hair straight down the middle. It wasn’t an easy switch.
Black and Navy Don’t Mix
Anyone who came of age in the 2000s knows that pairing navy and black was a complete mistake, and stylists back then treated it like mixing stripes with plaid. However, nowadays, wearing both is just normal, and nobody cares if you wear a navy sweater with black jeans anymore. Even magazines that once called it a “fashion don’t” started showing models in head-to-toe dark neutrals. Once it hit runways and fast fashion caught on, people stopped worrying so much.
No Sneakers With Dresses
People used to believe that if you wore a dress, you needed “girl shoes,” like sandals or wedges. Ballet flats or even heels were acceptable because sneakers were for the gym or the airport. But around 2016, white sneakers started appearing in fashion shoots, and Millennials started to throw them on with everything. People realized they could walk around all day without blisters, and that meant their heels went into storage.
Logos Must Be Discreet
In 2005, unless you were repping Hollister or Abercrombie, showing off logos used to feel too flashy, as you wanted your clothes to speak for themselves, not scream with branding. Then came the logo resurgence. Brands like Champion and Supreme meant that Millennials slowly dropped their love for tiny labels, and suddenly, it was fine to wear a giant FILA sweatshirt or a Guess shirt. On these items, the logo was basically the design.
Matching Belt and Shoes
Most Millennials grew up in a time when wearing black shoes and a brown belt was an invitation for a sly dig from someone, so this generation tried to never mix the two. But eventually, casual fashion took over, and color matching your belt felt like you were trying too hard. Style blogs in the early ’10s started showing tan belts with white sneakers or even avoiding the belt altogether. The focus became what looked good, rather than what matched perfectly.
Heels at Work Events
If you were a woman invited to a work party in the 2010s, there was a good chance you would go in heels, even if they hurt your feet. It was just expected that you’d go with a dressy look, although that’s quite different from fashion rules today. You’ll now see people wearing platform sneakers or flats to the same events without anyone caring, and you might even find some people with open-toe slides at business mixers.
Jean Jackets Aren’t For Work
Speaking of work, there was once a time when people took dress codes far more seriously at the office, and that meant that denim jackets were much too casual. Even on Fridays, a jean jacket was pushing it. But once startup culture became a thing and dress codes relaxed, jean jackets became part of office meetings, and blazers were replaced by denim with rolled sleeves. Some offices even made “casual all week” part of their company policy.
Tights Must Be Black or Nude
Millennials didn’t mess around with crazy tights, and wearing a dress in winter meant that you either went with opaque black or skin-tone sheer. That was it. Colors or patterns were much too risky. But later, fashion stopped being so serious, so that tights became just another way to have fun with outfits. What used to feel too out-there for most became something you could buy at Target.
Don’t Mix Prints
You either wore a plaid shirt or a floral skirt, but not both, as pattern mixing made Millennials nervous. It was too loud with too much going on. That is, until street style got wild and suddenly mixing animal print with stripes was the norm, and matching nothing somehow turned into a whole aesthetic. Now, you can wear three prints and no one questions it or thinks it’s wrong.
Don’t Wear White After Labor Day
One of those rules people didn’t dare to question was that you shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day, and Millennials followed it more out of habit than belief. However, things have changed. White boots and winter whites are a thing even in September, and some retail stores will also sell cream-colored coats or off-white sweaters well into December. The idea that white was just for summer kinda disappeared when stylists kept putting it in cold-weather collections.
Statement Necklaces
Between 2012 and 2015, it felt like every woman had at least one giant, chunky necklace in their closet, as it was a quick way to “dress up” a button-down shirt or a plain tee. Then one day, it just looked dated, with minimal chains and dainty jewelry replacing the oversized statement pieces. Suddenly, everyone was wearing tiny gold hoops and layered necklaces that you could barely see. People went from piling on accessories to barely adding any.
Leggings Aren’t Pants
Millennials were divided over leggings. Some said leggings were fine as pants, others argued that you needed to wear long tops to “cover everything.” But then people’s sense of comfort won, and now, people wear leggings with crop tops without a care in the world. Yoga pants are just as common now, and brands like Lululemon made it feel fashionable, rather than lazy.
Hair and Outfit Must Match the Occasion
For some reason, Millennials were raised with this idea that everything had to coordinate, whether that was your hair or your outfit. But after the pandemic, lazy fashion took over, and people started wearing a messy bun with a blazer. Surprisingly enough, it worked. Mixing polished and messy stopped being a mistake and became a style that meant you didn’t need to straighten your hair for dinner if you didn’t want to.
Brown and Black Never Go Together
Brown boots with black pants were “too close” and looked like a mistake, so Millennials just didn’t do it. Later, though, fashion moved on, and now mixing neutrals is no big deal, and you’ll see lots of department store mannequins showing this once forbidden combination. Of course, some colors do still “clash,” but you’re fine to wear black and brown these days.
Never Wear the Same Outfit Twice
In the early Instagram days, outfit repeating was a huge mistake, and this mindset stuck around until fast fashion burnout started emerging. People also became more concerned about sustainability, so they started to wear the same outfit five times and still post it. Capsule wardrobes and thrift hauls are more popular nowadays, with some influencers doing challenges like “wear one thing ten ways.” The pressure to have a new outfit every time you went out just didn’t exist anymore, and what’s more important is how you style it.
Uggs Are Only For the House
Uggs were strictly shoes, and you could only wear them in public if it was during a coffee run or a very casual day. But then fashion decided Uggs could be cool, so people started pairing them with trench coats or biker jackets, sometimes even skirts. They went from “do not wear outside” to “sold out everywhere,” with some people buying them in unimaginable colors like hot pink or neon green.
Chambray Shirts
From about 2010 to 2016, you’d wear a chambray shirt when you weren’t sure what to wear because it was the perfect take on fast-casual fashion. These shirts worked for weddings or Instagram selfies, but like skinny jeans, they slowly got phased out. You hardly see them anymore, as fashion moved to oversized button-downs or just sweatshirts. Most people still have a chambray shirt hanging in the closet, but it hasn’t seen daylight in years.
Only Skinny People Can Wear Crop Tops
Millennials were raised on “body rules” that made them believe they should only wear crop tops if they had a flat stomach. However, that rule slowly disappeared as fashion became more size-inclusive, and most people believe that crop tops are for everyone now. People stopped caring about abs and started dressing for comfort, meaning that the old rule finally lost its grip.
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