How to avoid wearing what she's wearing this summer (2024)

If you shop from the same fashion favourites as your friends, and you'll all be at the same weddings, christenings and significant birthday bashes this summer, we all know what's coming.

It's bad enough that you may end up circulating a smart country lawn in the exact same dress as a fellow guest. Far worse may be the chatter among some of your less kind friends on who wore it better.

If the very possibility of this is ­making you want to decline all invites — and having a sense of humour about it is out of the question — then what you need is some fashion ­damage limitation.

So here are the eight most effective ways to avoid wearing what she's wearing — and should all else fail, the tips and tricks to make sure you're the one who comes out on top!

Wear the unexpected

Wearing white to a wedding is one way of almost guaranteeing you won’t match any other guest. Who else would be brave enough? Opt for softer off-white tones of ecru, latte or caramel and you may sail just the right side of acceptable.

By the same token, a sharp ­tuxedo jacket in a jewel colour for a formal dinner greatly decreases your chances of ­doubling up with another female guest.

Make it so last season

Contrary to perceived wisdom, you don’t need a new dress for your big summer party. In fact, this may be the time to pull something considerably older from the back of the wardrobe — a favourite that maybe deserves another outing.

Or for the total avoidance of a fashion ­double dip, look to a vintage fashion website. The Collectibles has a stellar selection of Chanel, Miu Miu, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli that you can be confident no one else will be wearing — though they may wish they were. Budget a little tighter? Get to your local pre-loved ­boutique or Vinted.

Be stylish, not fashionable

That enormous bow on your shoulder; the floral neck corsage or the fluttering flower appliques running down each arm of your jacket (see Nadine Merabi) are all joyful statements. Trouble is, you won’t be the only who thinks so.

If these can be easily removed (should you need to), you may think them worth the risk. If not, show your style savvy with accessories instead. You’ll get far more fashion mileage from this Rixo bag, than you ever will from that dress with the plume feathers.

Separates will save you

You may only be ­getting it half-wrong if someone else has copied your look.

If you’re both in a pink trouser suit, the simple act of removing your jacket could save the day, especially if you haven’t made an obvious choice with what you’re ­wearing underneath (that would be the white tee or the matching waistcoat).

Opt for a sleeveless shirt in a contrasting-coloured stripe or Aspiga’s Ilana Frill organic cotton gauze top that can be worn on or off the shoulder. The High Street is awash with elevated separates.

If it's Insta-famous, avoid it!

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

You’ll probably want to swerve the M&S dress of the season — a white cotton square-neck midi dress, 45 of which sold every hour during the Saturday of its launch. Fine for a BBQ in your garden, but too high-risk for any serious summer parties.

Go for more classic pieces — a halterneck dress with a tiered skirt (like Wyse London’s Bethany dress in midnight) or a flattering fit-and-flare or shirt dress (Lexy London has masses) — styles that won’t necessarily set the fashion crowd alight, but will still be wearable more than six weeks after you bought them.

Buy block colour (but not yellow)

Fashion is fickle. Yellow was the most popular colour at the Chelsea flower show this year and the shade will inevitably filter into wardrobes as a result.

Steer clear and opt for other block colours. You only need dial the fashion barometer back as far as 2022 to see that raspberry, cerulean blue and tangerine orange were filing the runways and are every bit as beautiful now as they were then.

Remember, a standout print will be much harder to hide if two of you are wearing it. With a base of one core colour, your outfit can be styled to look entirely different. If you have the full-length white embroidered Romina dress from Sezane, for example, then remove the plain belt it comes with and add something of your own that’s colourful and more structured.

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

These accessories will pull the look away from your doppelganger, leaving you ­victorious in the style stakes.

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

If you’ve ignored all the advice given here and now find yourself in the intolerable position of being out-dressed by someone who has aced the very same look you’re wearing, there is only one thing for it – hide your outfit and pretend none of this is happening.

A lightweight party coat will do this for you instantly. It adds a different layer without swamping you in fabric or making you too hot. Problem beautifully solved.