Your twenties – or the early ones at least – are the “wonder years”. You wonder how you’re ever going to pay off these tuition fees. Why people voluntarily choose to get married and have children. Why you drunk so many Jagerbombs last night.

You also wonder what to wear, which is complicated by the fact that your twenties will (hopefully) see you transition from being a student to a young professional. This seemingly superficial concern conceals the deeper question of who you are and what you want to do with your life. No wonder it can seem harder than a degree in rocket science.

The good news is that your twenties are the time to experiment; the bad news is that experiments can go catastrophically wrong. So like an older, wiser voiceover, FashionBeans is lending you our notes that you can avoid some of the most painful mistakes and learn how to dress in your 20s.

How To Dress In Your 20s

Be A Dedicated Follower Of Fashion – To A Point

You’re at the age (and BMI) when you can get away with most things. But you’re also impressionable, yearning to establish your identity and vulnerable to the notion that buying certain kinds of clothes will make you cooler or more attractive.

Becoming a fashion victim is all part of growing up, but don’t mire yourself further in debt for designer labels, however vital they may seem. That’s why God invented affordable fast-fashion knock-offs.

Reduce Your Trial & Error Rate

Too much experimenting will leave you with an incoherent Frankenstein’s wardrobe of mismatching pieces – and a monstrous overdraft. Speaking of bodies, yours should be fully developed. “Many guys are afraid of this, but there’s nothing wrong with getting pointers from shop staff on the best size and cut for you,” says Giles Farnham head of River Island Style Studio.

The result of all those experiments is the knowledge that some things don’t suit you.