As we enter the summer party season, seven ways to avoid the nightmare of wearing what she’s wearing

If you shop at the same fashion favorites as your friends, and you’ll all be at the same weddings, baptisms and important birthday parties this summer, we all know what’s going to happen.

It’s bad enough that you end up walking around on a beautiful lawn in the exact same dress as another guest. Much worse can be the chatter among some of your less friendly friends about who wore it better.

If the mere possibility of this makes you want to decline all invitations – and having no sense of humor about it is out of the question – then you need fashion harm reduction.

So here are the eight most effective ways to avoid wearing what she wears – and if all else fails: the tips and tricks to ensure you’re the one who comes out on top!

Wear the unexpected

Wearing white to a wedding is a way to almost guarantee that you won’t match with any other guests. Who else would be brave enough? Choose softer off-white shades of ecru, latte or caramel and you might just be on the right side of acceptable.

Likewise, a sharp tuxedo jacket in a jewel color for a formal dinner will significantly reduce your chances of doubling down with another female guest.

Let that be the case last season

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a new dress for your big summer party. In fact, now might be the time to pull out something much older – a favorite that might deserve another outing.

Or to completely avoid a double fashion dip, look to a vintage fashion website. The Collectibles has a great selection of Chanel, Miu Miu, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli that you can be sure no one else will wear – even though they might want to. Budget a little tighter? Go to your local second-hand boutique or Vinted.

Dress, hire from £130.58, Valentino at hurrcollective.com

Be stylish, not fashionable

That huge bow on your shoulder; the floral neck corsage or the fluttering floral applications on each arm of your jacket (see Nadine Merabi) are all cheerful statements. The problem is that you won’t be the only one who thinks this way.

If these can be easily removed (if necessary), you may think they are worth the risk. If not, show your style-consciousness with accessories. With this Rixo bag you will get much more fashion mileage than ever with that dress with the plume feathers.

Bag, £120, risolondon.com

Individual things will save you

You may only half-misunderstand if someone else has copied your appearance.

If you’re both wearing a pink pantsuit, simply taking off your jacket can save the day, especially if you haven’t made an obvious choice with what to wear underneath (that would be the white T-shirt or the matching shirt ). vest).

Choose a sleeveless shirt with a contrasting color stripe or Aspiga’s Ilana Frill organic cotton mesh top that can be worn on or off the shoulder. The High Street is awash with raised partitions.

Shirt, £110, trousers, £140 and bag, £160, sezane.com

If it’s Insta-famous, avoid it!

Remember that year when Zara’s polka dot dress was so ubiquitous that it spawned its own Instagram account? It was a lesson in avoiding the obvious and it’s happening again.

You’ll probably want to deviate from the M&S dress of the season: a white cotton square-neck midi dress, 45 of which will be sold every hour on the Saturday of the launch. Great for a BBQ in your garden, but too risky for serious summer parties.

Go for more classic pieces – a halterneck dress with a tiered skirt (like Wyse London’s Bethany dress at Midnight) or a flattering fit-and-flare or shirt dress (Lexy London has loads) – styles that won’t necessarily appeal to the fashion crowd. will take off, but will still be wearable more than six weeks after you buy them.

Dress Me+Em, £195, meandem.com

Buy block color (but not yellow)

Fashion is fickle. Yellow was the most popular color at Chelsea’s flower show this year and the shade will inevitably find its way into wardrobes as a result.

Stay away and opt for other block colors. You only have to turn the fashion barometer back to 2022 to see that raspberry, cerulean blue and tangerine orange dominated the catwalks and are just as beautiful now as they were then.

Keep in mind that a bold print is much harder to hide if the two of you are wearing it. With a base of one core color, your outfit can be styled completely differently. For example, if you have the long white embroidered Romina dress from Sezane, remove the plain belt that comes with it and add something of your own that is colorful and more structured.

Take a pair of neutral wide-leg trousers and blazer or a linen tailored suit and dress it up with transformative pieces like Sezane’s High Clarisse bow mules in orange satin.

These accessories will distract from your look-alike, making you the winner of the style stakes.

Dress, £340, cefinn.com

And if all else fails, put your party coat back on…

If you have ignored all the advice given here and now find yourself in the excruciating position of being undressed by someone who has the exact same look as you, then there is only one thing to do: hide your outfit and pretend that none of this is happening .

A lightweight party jacket will do this for you immediately. It adds a new layer without covering you up or making you feel too warm. Problem nicely solved.

Jacket, £400, stinegoya.com