Our twenties are often sprinkled with bad dates, hard life lessons and (hopefully occasional) fashion mistakes.

If you learnt the hard way not to throw your favourite dry-clean-only top into the dryer, buy shoes that kill your feet or overpay for name brands, rest assured you are not alone.

Lifestyle asked women in the city about their biggest fashion faux pas.

Ashley Radu, 31, said she wasted money on clothing and accessories that did not stand the test of time.

“I was more budget-oriented then, so I bought some things that were only trendy for a short time and went out of style very fast,” the HR professional said. “Now I spend more on my clothes, but buy less and try to be more professional with how I dress.”

She described her style as “feminine”, adding: “Generally I wear lots of florals and lacy stuff. I’m not really into rough or rugged types of clothes or outdoorsy things.

“I get inspired a lot by looking on Pinterest and checking out what styles are in for this fall.

“I’m really not fashion-forward, but whatever I have I just mix and match and then I might buy a piece occasionally to add to my wardrobe.”

Pamela Airlie’s biggest mistake was revealing too much skin.

“It wasn’t flattering at all,” the 32-year-old flight attendant said. “These days my style is a bit more modest, but still a little bit out there.

“I like crop tops like this one that allows you to show a little bit of skin but in a more elegant way than I used to do when I was younger, when I felt like I had to show off.

“I’m more about dressing modestly and elegant, but still with a little bit of flash.”

Originally from Rwanda, but now living in Toronto, Ms Airlie described her style as “chic and elegant with a twist of hippie”.

“I just feel the way you put yourself out there is important,” she said.

“It gives a woman a lot more confidence when she feels that whatever she is wearing highlights different parts of her body, the parts that she likes.

“I tend to go to Instagram a lot and Pinterest as well. For me, it’s all about colour.

“I’m wearing neutrals today, but these colourful bracelets from my birthplace in Rwanda add a little pop.

“I like looking online to see how others mix and match the colours and how they wear something that fits just right for them and their body type.”

Kristin Shrubb, 30, said she also regretted wearing revealing or tight clothing.

“In hindsight it’s not such a good idea because you don’t leave anything to the imagination,” she said. “It also looks tacky and attracts the wrong kind of attention.

“Now I have a more mature style and am more confident with what I like to wear.”

The real estate agent described her style as “eclectic” and said she liked to dress depending on how she felt on any given day.

“I like to express my mood with what I’m wearing,” she said. “Today is my conservative, running errands day, so I’m wearing more tertiary colours. I like anything off the primary colour scale.”

Ms Shrubb finds inspiration everywhere she goes — be it on the streets or online.

“I’m not into Instagram, but I like Pinterest and fashion blogs as well,” she said.

“I see something and try to add all different styles together with it. I like layers on top of each other, so I might add different styles or create a new style of my own.”