Clothing and age?

[Val]

Is there an age where clothes need to change to reflect your maturity? I was watching a show that said "No mini-skirts once you turn 25" And I wondered what magically changed at 25 that mini skirts should be forbidden.
But then I was at the grocery store and there was a guy of about 18 there. He was shopping with a girl who was wearing the low rise workout kind of pants, and a shirt that showed her torso. I assumed this was a girlfriend. When we were checking out I realized the girlfriend was his MOM. Now, she was very slim and looked in the mid-upper 50's but she also tanned and smoked so she might have been a bit younger. That freaked me out a little. A middle aged mother wearing the same things as popular teenage trends.
So- Do your clothes grow up with you? Or is it silly to dress according to age?

[Jejune]

I think that ideally people dress appropriately, but I worry about hard and fast rules.

And just to be cocky for a moment, I'm 28, but my legs are my best feature. If I'm entirely forbidden mini skirts, I'll be very sad indeed.

However, this is unfortunately a case of "I know it when I see it". Some women look fabulous in outfits that a younger woman would look overdressed in, and some women can dress in the latest fashions for most of their lives and always look appropriate. I think it has more to do with attitude and carriage than age. I'm thinking as I type of an ex of my father's, a woman in her late 30's who was trying to become a starlet. She wore clothing that consistently made her look older than she was, just because it was too young for her.

[Jo]

LOL I LOVE What Not To Wear!

I think that fashion suggestions do change as you age. I don't want to look like I am 18(well, maybe face wise:giggle) at this point in time. There are different expectations for different periods of your life. I would rather dress more maturely than I did at 18. That doesn't mean I can't be fashionable but it just means my fashion choices will be different. I do feel you get more respect if you are dressed age appropriate once you are an adult.

[Lori]

I wouldn't say my clothing has really changed, but I've never really dressed particularly "young." I'm pretty sure I've never worn any skirt that wasn't a long hippie skirt, since I was old enough to pick out my own clothes. I don't know if I'm supposed to start wearing pantsuits when I turn 30 or something, but given that my lifestyle hasn't changed a huge amount, either (I dress the same way as a teacher as I did as a grad student as I did as a college student), I don't really see any need to change.

I've always been mainly a jeans and t-shirts/sweaters dresser, which I think is pretty appropriate for any age person. Although if they had their way with me on What Not To Wear, they'd probably agree that my wardrobe has never been okay for any person of any age. ;)

[Desirae]

I think I'm a bit young to answer this for me... however, my mom (42) is CONSTANTLY trying to dress like my 16 year old sister. There are SOME things that are meant only for teens...I'd feel the same way as you over the workout pants lady:giggle

[Corey]

I don't know about an exact age but there does come a point where you shouldn't wear certain things, I guess. I just don't know specifically "when". :p

I am 29 and though I dress modestly, I still dress young - but I don't think I go overboard. I shop at the same stores the teens at my church do and I am comfortable in what I wear.

I went through a time when I first started having kids (between 18 and 22) where I thought I had to dress like a "mom" and was so confused because I didn't fit in anywhere. I finally realized that I was going to dress for ME and not care what everyone else thinks. I am not in denial about getting older or being a mom - I just like what I wear.

Now, I do get harrassed by a certain mom in my homeschool group - saying I look too much like a teen and I need to dress like a mom. I kinda let it get to me after a while (this lady says something every time I saw her), so I seriously talked about this with some of my closer friends - some moms and some teens LOL - and they all think I dress fine. So, whatever. :p Oh, and the lady has eased up since one of my other "mom" friends stepped in while she was harrassing me and told her she was just jealous! :giggle

[Erika]

Like Kristen, I think it more depends on the actual woman than hard and fast rules. I have a friend in her 30s who looks incredible in a mini skirt and kick ass boots. Whereas I've never had legs for mini skirts (mores the pity).

I have found though, that I have smartened up my dress sense. I like to dress well now. But I still have my combats and skechers and eventhough I will be 29 in 2 weeks, I still have my eyebrow piercing :giggle

[Kristen]

I think it really depends. Like someone else said, you just know it when you see it.

I do think about this every so often, because the cut of clothes in the junior's department fits my lower body better(I'm just not very curvy, more's the pity!), and sometimes I wonder if I am dressing too young for my age. I think I'm ok, though...although I buy stuff from the junior's department, I buy pretty non-trendy stuff, like basic pants/jeans and shirts.

[Lisa]

I think people should be able to wear what they want. As long as it's legal. Now do I want to see someone who is saggy and dressed like that? No LOL but I don't think my opinion should matter and I can always look the other way.

[Christine]

Definitely depends on the person.

I've never been one to dress real trendy, so as long as jeans and tee-shirts are fine, I'm good. ;)

Of course, I see teens all the time dressing in ways that are very unflattering for their bodies. I'm hoping as we get older we become more aware of what looks good on us and dress according to that, not some imaginary standard.

[Shana]

Most importantly, I think I need to dress based on what is flattering on me and my body type.

As to my "age" or dressing like a "mom", forget about it :rolleyes I shop at store that have clothes that I like, I buy what I think looks nice on me, and that is about it.

The whole "mom" thing is not a thought process in my head, when choosing my clothes ;)

[Jejune]

Of course, I see teens all the time dressing in ways that are very unflattering for their bodies. I'm hoping as we get older we become more aware of what looks good on us and dress according to that, not some imaginary standard.

Beautifully said, Christine. I was just thinking about what I wore as a teen. LOL I think I dress a lot better now, but not necessarily a lot older. It seems like it's all about getting to know yourself and your tastes as you grow older.

[Lori]

Along those lines, I find younger girls dressing a lot older than their age a lot more troubling than anyone dressing younger than their age.

[Kate]

I can't say I dress like a mother...part of today's attire included Doc Martens and fishnets and right now my hair is black with purple highlights, but I like dressing like that, and I've never had had any negative comments, so I figure I can't look too inappropriate.

That said, I have a friend who dresses almost identically to her 15 year old daughter, and on her it just looks wrong...possibly because she always seems so selfconscious about it, so maybe that's a big part of it...I strongly believe that you can't look really good in something you don't feel good in, so the reasons for choosing an outfit may therefore have an impact on it's appearance too.

[Kristi]

I would say it is more about dressing what flatters your body.

Kristen I think about the same thing because the stuff in the JR's department fits me better too. mainly because I am so darn short LOL. But most of the stuff I buy is pretty basic so I don't THINK i dress too young. I already look younger than I am so I don't need my clothes to make people think I am even younger :lmao