Fashion And Age - Appropriate Dressing

[charlottesometimes]

I've had a few glasses of champers for a Christmas lunch, so not sure if this will come out OK, but here goes

as an older tfs-er, I believe that fashion is generally targeted to the under 40s market. I can understand this to a degree because I believe that (from personal experience), as one gets older, one tends to follow the trends less and stick to what looks flattering. I think that the problem arises when older women want to stick to current trends too slavishly, for whatever reason (perhaps to try and look younger) and due to lack of choice, end up shopping in stores more suitable for their daughters. The result is the "mutton dressed as lamb' look. Honestly, IMO, no matter how good the body is, some things look better on a younger person.

It's sort of sad that older women aren't well catered for in the fashion industry (well in Australia anyway). Surely we have an enormous buying power, we just need someone to understand our needs. We don't all want to do the "classic" look, well I certainly don't. Sorry, I've turned this into my own personal whinge session.

 

[tiffany]

Originally posted by *midnight*golightly*@Dec 7th, 2003 - 8:26 pm
Besides looking great, expressing yourself, and following the trend, in my neighborhood, it's become a wealth contest, and the age most people (usually girls, but guys too) are into this unofficial "who can show off the most brandname ownership" competition. So girls as young as 13 are carrying gucci purses (real or fake who knows) and guys it's all about cars and cell phones.

My opinion...fashion and class goes with age...things a 30 year old would wear and could afford, being on a 13-14 old...just looks kinda tacky no? And should clothes/accessories just be a sign of wealth, or something stylish and something that brings out the best in your features etc...

I agree - I think fashion should be all about expressing oneself, and the whole buying thing for the brandname seems very lame to me
13 year olds with gucci bags bought because of the brandname is so tacky

 

[oanadobre]

Let me tell you a little something about myself. The other day I went to work wearing jeans, a nice white shirt and an orange pashmina. Yesterday I wore grey classic trousers, a rather modern black bluse. Today I'm wearing a black deux-pieces, very classic, but with a slight modern touch: leather bands on the pockets of the coat. Three days, three different styles. And I'm 23 years old. Therefore, I think one could mix'n match different styles, regardless of their age, as long as goos taste is involved.

 

[pinkmonkey]

I think if you are older you can still follow fashion. I think it looks cool when you see older women in Mikaye, Yohji, Dries or Comme. But you can get cool stuff from these labels that isnt revealing or fashion victim , just interesting. I think thats the way to go when you get older.

 

[banana]

Originally posted by mehg@Dec 11th, 2003 - 3:33 pm
I see this thread attacking poorly dressed teens and older aged peopled but what about everyone in between? There are many 20 and 30 somethings who dress inappropriately and in an unflattering way.

I see a lot of people in their 20s and 30s wearing clothes intented for teen/pre-teen market. There are also people who get stuck in that rut of wearing sweatpants everyday as though they are university frosh.

 

[LadyIllusion]

Originally posted by Shahna@Jan 16th, 2004 - 3:04 pm
There are also people who get stuck in that rut of wearing sweatpants everyday as though they are university frosh.

thats me doing the school run in Jeans (5 pairs,1 a-day) everyday

 

[twilight fairy]

haha, I'm 14, and there's a girl who's just 4 months older than me, and last year (when she was 13) we were all packed to go to a ski trip, and most of us took rucksacks and bags and stuff like that. Well, this girl took the tinies LV bag with her, plus knee length boots and a short skirt. It was definately quite a shock.

 

[xoxmisspinupxox]

I think that the style someone wears should depend on them and their personality, not their age. It's different if someone wears something just for the status or because they think they're being trendy, of course. But if people are dressing the way they do because they honestly believe they look good, and it makes them feel good about themselves (as well as truly flatters them) then all the power to them.

 

[crankypants]

I see this thread attacking poorly dressed teens and older aged peopled but what about everyone in between? There are many 20 and 30 somethings who dress inappropriately and in an unflattering way.

I've been wondering about this lately.

What is appropriate for each decade? Vogue has had their age issues, but ... it's Vogue and not altogether relevant for my life.

So I wonder, for example, at what age does one put away the mini skirts? Is that the province of the young?

If you look younger and have the body to get away with younger clothes, does that mean you should?

What should you be aiming for as you grow older? More sophistication? How does that translate? Better accessories? Better quality?

Well, I know these are a lot of questions, but I'm throwing a lot out into the water hoping someone will bite. Come on, people, help me bump this thread!

 

[trip]

i think around 35 a woman settles into her own style, whatever that might be, and does away with the bells and whistles which are and should be, the domain of the young. i have not worn a mini skirt since then but as my body/legs are good, i do wear skirts to the knee and slim fitting pants/jeans. however i would not, at this age venture into the trendy waters of skinny jeans, preferring to leave them to my daughters. i wore them in the 80's after all. all that said, i still wear my hair long (cut well tho) very little makeup, and stylish tho not obviously trendy, kinda rock chick clothes cos that is what i am and always will be. my fashion heroines are women like catherine deneuve,jane birkin, marianne faithful, marissa berenson and patti smith - all of whom have stayed true to their own particular style w/small adjustments as they have aged. i like to think of myself as a woman of a certain age in good company.

 

[pixiewytch]

I'm really enjoying this discussion. I am turning 30 this year and I've been dealing with a lot of inner conflicts on the whole fashion thing. I've always been a somewhat flashy, provocative dresser. I've also gone through many subculture fashion trends from metalhead to goth to hippie. I still struggle sometimes to develop my signature personal style that doesn't completely reflect trends or intentionally make myself look younger.

I think there is some psychological value to this as well. I say this because I do ashamedly gravitate toward the trendy teen stuff like Juicy, Guess, and provocative clothing. I have started to realize that besides just having a very girly and feminine personality which I like to express with clothing that I think I many times pick these styles because of my own nostalgia and perhaps wistfulness about being that age again.

Now I don't think I look as old as I am so I can pull those looks off but I've learned to use a lot of restraint. Instead of wearing a bright candy colored miniskirt with knee high socks, mary janes, and a cropped top, I try to pick one of those items and pair it with other things that look a bit more mature and sophisticated.

I think the bottom line is that I will always enjoy youthful looking things to some degree in the same way that I will always enjoy certain pop music. I think it is okay to go outside of your "age appropriate" boundaries as long as you mix and match and don't go overboard.

 

[softgrey]

someone said to me yesterday that they can't tell the difference between 30 and 40...
and i had to agree...
it looks the same...

**and now...
ever since sex and the city....
you have young twenty-somethings dressing as those characters did-
(who were all in their mid to late 30's)...
so the lines have become even more blurred...

 

[fash ho']

i was looking through one of those 'introduce yourself on TFS' threads yesterday and most of the posters were under 20. then i wondered what are the demographics for this site? am I, at 30yrs one of the 'elders' here?
quite shocking for me . . . .

I loved that SATC made dressing up viable for over 30s (and SJP did a nice style evolution from really thrift-storey to a bit more upscale).

I have heard that you find a signature style as your grow older. I am still waiting for that to happen . . . .

 

[Baizilla]

i was looking through one of those 'introduce yourself on TFS' threads yesterday and most of the posters were under 20. then i wondered what are the demographics for this site? am I, at 30yrs one of the 'elders' here?
quite shocking for me . . . .

There is a nice spread of age here on this board. I would say, the predominant age is circa 17-22-years-old.. that is based on the age thread..

But I think we have a fair share of "old" members as well...

I personally think it is great, because it gives so much diversity and people with more life experience can share with us youngsters

 

[xLeoniex]

I think it all depends if it looks good on the person.. some 14 year old girls who look mature and pretty can definetly get away with a Gucci handbag.

I agree with you, to some extent! if something suits you and looks good then yes you can get away with it at that age! As you get older I think you have to be a bit more careful..a lot of fashions are quite revealing an getting to your older years you still want to fell young, wearing younger clothes is what a lot of people turn to but it doesnt always work.....

 

[mme]

I think it all depends if it looks good on the person.. some 14 year old girls who look mature and pretty can definetly get away with a Gucci handbag.

But what bugs me is that everyone thinks they can pull it off At least all the girls I know who can afford a Gucci do so.

 

[cinnamon-toast]

I think fashion is an expression of WHO you are--not WHAT you are. Age, demographic, financial class--is what people are. But who a person is comes from within--and if they're smart, it will show in how they dress. Just my own little theory.

 

[shallow_waters]

well said, cinnamon-toast

 

[jun3machina]

i really dont like it when magazines do age issues...i myself am 21 years old and i always am drawn to the outfits they have in the 30 something crowd, somtimes the 40 ish thing too...but i never liked what they'd come up with for the younger groups, especially when there are a lot of fashionable 20 something celebs....i like kirsten dunst, selma blair, mischa barton, etc....where they wear high end stuff, but not in a sl*tty way that the britenys and jessicas of the world flaunt. just because im young doesn't mean it makes me feel sexy showing as much skin as possible....i dont like juicy or guess or j-lo brands or any of that stuff. to me it is young, but it also looks cheap. i guess that's why im drawn to vintage 1930's and 1940's dress....

i just cant stand any "age issue" whether it be vogue magazine or not.

 

[Couture_Tribe]

First, I am a teen here~~~

Ok, after reading all the post, I still think age should play a big role towards what a person wears. If a young person wears an extremely trendy yet with a lot of personality outfit, that person would be considered as "cool". If a mature women dresses too extreme, she will not be taken seriously for sure.

I think there is a wider range of clothing options for young people, because they can pull off almost anything that are extremely trendy, colorful, playful etc. But once you have reached a certain age, being extremely trendy, colorful, and too playful will always end up looking tacky and trashy.

I actually hate it when I see a young girl (around 20) who wears a classic and sophisicated outfil with neutural colors. I think she is aging too fast, she is too early to "give up" trends and the playfulness she can have for her age.

In conclusion, I think not only mature women should dress age apropriately, young people should also dress age appropriately. There is really no need to try to look more mature, because you will eventually get there, but you will never ever be young again, so play up with your style when you are still young.