Style Slip-Ups: 8 Common Mistakes Ingénue Women Make with Clothing and Accessories
The Ingénue style is all about celebrating femininity with a playful, delicate twist. But mastering this style involves avoiding some common pitfalls.
In this piece, we're shining a light on eight frequent missteps that can disrupt the harmony and delicacy of an Ingénue look. These insights will help ensure your style continues to charm and inspire in all the right ways.
Dressing Too Youthfully
Ingénue style is all things feminine and youthful but there's a fine line between youthful and child-like. Dressing too young can look strange and a bit off-putting, which is the last thing an Ingénue wants!
Aim for pieces that exude a fresh, youthful vibe without looking like children's clothing.
Avoiding Structure
Ingénue style often leans towards softer, flowy lines, but ignoring structure entirely can make an outfit lack definition and look baggy, slouchy or messy.
Incorporate some softly structured pieces (whether through tailoring or fabric) to balance your look.
Lacking Colour
Sticking to muted or dark colours might be tempting, especially if you’re a little overwhelmed by the girlishness of the Ingénue style personalities, but it can make your outfits seem a little flat and dull.
Ingénue women often shine in light and cheery colours, so make sure you lift darker tones with pops of brighter hues.
Ignoring Proportions
Failing to balance proportions is a common mistake Ingénue women make. The delicate balance of the Ingénue style can be thrown off by oversized, boxy and ill-fitting pieces.
Avoid this pitfall by avoiding anything big, baggy or boxy (the three Bs!) and by making sure each part of your outfit complements the others — mix-and-match separates are a great option for Ingénue women. If you’re worried about looking too matchy-matchy, opt for a tonal or complementary look with a variety of textures.
Neglecting Accessories
Delicate and feminine accessories are a really key aspect of Ingénue style. Forgetting to accessorise can leave your outfits feeling incomplete and plain.
Make sure you build up a little treasure trove of lovely accessories that you can dip into when building an outfit. Choose medium-scale pieces in your best colours, and it’ll help you tick off number 3 on this list too!
Wearing Excessively Large And Bold Patterns
While some patterns work beautifully with an Ingénue style, excessively bold or large-scale patterns are veering into Romantic territory, and will overwhelm the Ingénue woman’s delicate, youthful appearance.
Opt for medium-scale patterns that align with the soft, feminine aspect of your style — gingham, paisley, florals, polka dots, and other rounded motifs.
Choosing the Wrong Fabrics
Ingénue style is often characterised by light, soft fabrics — chiffons, satins, silks and fine knits like cashmere and merino. Opting for too many heavy or stiff fabrics can make your look feel less authentic to your style personality.
Leave stiff, sculpted and overly structured fabrics to the Romantics and Dramatics. Instead, look for light to medium-weight garments with soft-structured tailoring such as darts and pleats.
Forgetting to Dress for the Occasion
Even though the Ingénue style is girly and whimsical, it's important to adapt it to different settings and occasions. As with every style personality, you may need to tone down the Ingénue loveliness for more serious settings such as business meetings.
Easy ways to do this: choose some of the deeper, more subtle shades in your seasonal palette; limit your Ingénue accessories to one or two more understated pieces; and hold back on the fancy tailoring (looking at you, scalloped hems!).
The Short Version
Navigating these style slip-ups can help you stay true to your delightful Ingénue personality and make sure your outfits are balanced, appropriate and uniquely you.
Remember to keep your look fresh without straying into childlike territory, embrace soft structure through fabric and fit, and use colour effectively.
Be mindful of proportions, incorporate medium-scale feminine accessories, choose your patterns wisely, and select fabrics that align with your aesthetic.
And always, dress for the occasion while staying true to your whimsical charm. With these tips, your ingénue style will continue to captivate and enchant, wherever life takes you!