Emo fashion is all about wearing the clothes you want to wear and being individual, so don’t be tempted to be lazy and just throw on the archetypal skinny black jeans and stripy scarf and think you have create a top emo look.
You need to get creative and original, so take time to think about what clothes suit you and what patterns and designs you like best, and build your top emo outfits up from scratch.
Tops
The modern emo look is all about skinny lines and no frills, so don’t be tempted on floaty, fussy tops or total black on black colour otherwise you will look more eighties than emo. Think skinny fit when buying vests, t-shirts, shirts and jumpers, but get creative in how you layer these items together to create interesting and dramatic colour and pattern combinations. A skinny black t-shirt over a stripy top is a classic emo look, but jazz it up a bit by throwing a few more colours into the mix such as a dark military green t-shirt over a bright red and black stripy jumper.
Trousers
Again think skinny fit when it comes to trousers, or if you have the figure for it you could try going completely the other way and get really baggy with casual skater style utility trousers, which look pretty sexy and cool when matched with teeny, tight t-shirts and vests with a bit of toned belly showing. Jeans should be skinny fit for the best emo look, and can be very dark or very light (in the middle tones are bit wishy washy for emo), but if you have chunky legs then avoid skinny jeans as they will be very unflattering, and try a slim line fit in a more tailored trouser instead.
Skirts
Skirts can be emo too, and a top emo look is a sexy short skirt combined with long stripy socks or killer patterned black tights and sky-high chunky heels. Avoid long black floaty skirts as this is a bit too goth, but a tight long black skirt teemed with a tight fitted shirt, chunky belt and killer heels can look very hot and emo if accessorised well.
Shoes
The emo look loves flat shoes (unless you are wearing a skirt and want high heels) so think sneakers, pumps and flats, and avoid anything with a mid heel unless the design is particularly funky, as this will just look too conservative.
Choosing fashionable clothing can be tricky, as it can be tempting just to grab the latest hot fashion styles off the shelves and assume you are going to look great in them. However everyone has a different shape and colouring, and so just because an outfit is fashionable doesn’t necessary mean you are going to look good in it, so to help you avoid any fashion disasters here are the top 5 ‘must nots’ when it comes to choosing the latest styles:
1. Sizing - one of the worst fashion disasters you see time and time again is poor fit, which can either mean someone trying to squeeze into a pair of trousers or a shirt two sizes too small, or wearing an outfit that is too big and baggy. Try everything on before you buy it, and if it doesn’t fit don’t just get it anyway in the hope you will one day fit into it.
2. Bright Colours – it takes a lot of confidence to wear very bright colours successfully, and you will need to match and accessorize carefully to avoid creating eye watering clashes, so if you are unsure what colours go together or are uncomfortable with the thought of standing out from the crowd then you will probably not be able to get away with outfits in very bold, daring colours.
3. Skinny Trousers – skinny trousers also come and go in fashion, but remember that if you have slightly thick, muscular or dumpy legs then skinny trousers are going to highlight all of these negative aspects, so only wear them if you are sure you have long, slim enough legs to carry them off.
4. Stripes – stripes come and go in fashion, but the important thing to remember is that horizontal stripes make you appear wider, so are not very flattering for fuller figures, and vertical strips make you appear taller and slimmer, and can make you look a bit gangly if you are already quite tall and skinny.
5. High Heels - ask yourself this question before you buy any high heels, ‘can I walk in them?’ If you can’t walk in high heels then stick to a mid sized heel (under 3 inches) until you have practiced some more, as anything that is sexy about high heels is lost if you can only wobble around in them in an ungainly fashion.
Some tips on managing scarves, hats and gloves in your wardrobe.
If you live in a climate where it gets cold in the winter months then make sure you have a nice selection of scarves, hats and gloves to choose from to keep you nice and snug.
If you can only afford a few items then stay away from brightly coloured, stripy scarves and gloves, and pick a couple of matching sets in muted autumnal colours such as deep orange, rich brown or deep purple, as these make a nice statement but will also go with many different outfits.