Fashion People Wear These Basics "Incorrectly"—But It Actually Looks Chicer

Before we dive in, let’s all just take a moment to remember that there’s really no such thing as an outfit "mistake.” You should always wear whatever you love, no matter what the peanut gallery may think. To that, fashion people in particular are the first to abolish any age-old fashion tropes. As style leaders, this set is quite frankly not interested in being told how to wear something—especially when it comes to basic items.

That’s right: As we clocked some of the freshest outfits throughout fashion month, we realized that insiders continuously styled simple items "incorrectly.” To show you what we mean, we rounded up seven ways fashion people "flub” the styling of standard pieces. As many of the items in question are things we all own, you may just be inspired to test out one of these forward-feeling styling tricks this fall. And don’t worry, if you need to refresh the basics in question, we also shopped out the coolest iterations of each below.

A layered look immediately feels high-concept. While it’s quite common to tie a sweater around your neck or tie it around your waist with jeans and a tee, knotting it around your waist over a tailored piece like a blazer is quite unexpected and fresh for the season.

Shop the staple:

Knotting a tee to alter the length is clearly nothing new. That said, tying it multiple times (four or more) in an imperfect way gives your outfit a cool, off-the-cuff vibe that feels so wrong it’s right.

Shop the staple:

Typically, knee-high boots are paired with either skinny jeans or pants or with skirts or dresses—not baggier trousers. Well, not anymore. As the fashion elite continues to prove, stuffing pants into boots is actually incredibly modern.

Shop the staples:

We continue to spot this trick among the fashion crown with both blouses and cardigans. Essentially, you position a long-hemmed button top almost as a next-gen crop top by fastening only one or two buttons toward the center of the shirt to reveal a hint of skin above your trousers.

Shop the staple:

When it comes to blazer styling, sleeves are often left down like normal or folded to about halfway up the forearm—not scrunched all the way above the elbow. Well, you guessed it: That look is all the rage right now.

Shop the staple:

Showcasing knee-high socks with skirts or dresses used to be reserved for grannies as a replacement for pantyhose. Well, not anymore. As the fall 2019 runways proved (and actually S/S 20 as well), exposing a hint of a taller sock is where it’s at.

Shop the staple:

For seasons now, It girls have opted to wear their button-downs backward as an alternative way to make a standard shirt feel new. Take a cue from this look and button the bottom buttons of a striped shirt and tie the ends to keep the top in place.

Shop the staple:

Next, check out the styling "mistakes" women over 40 make.