Bobby Bank/Getty ImagesAs the big 4-0 looms closer with every passing birthday, I've noticed a trend in the conversations I have with my 30 or 40-something girlfriends. It seems that there are particular things we all believe we should do or stop doing (usually in regard to our appearance) once we hit the 40's. LifeScript.com actually compiled a list of 10 Things You're Too Old To Wear several months ago, StyleGoesStrong.com has a whole tab to click labeled Too Old To Wear It, and many newspapers and blogs have discussed the "too young" fashions in the new Sex and the City movie.
So, I've compiled a list of things I've heard my own friends mention "Oh, I'm too old to..." to get your feedback.
When are you "too old" to wear:
Shorts?
Jeans?
Long hair?
A bikini?
Low rise anything?
Fitted exercise clothing?
Mini skirts?
Colored nail polish?
Stilettos?
Sleeveless tops?
Do you play the number game when choosing to wear certain fashions, or do you go by what the mirror is telling you? It's Feedback Friday!
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Jeans and nail polish for all ages!! I know some 20 y/o that shouldn't wear some of the things you mentioned LOL....If you fl good and think it looks good, then go for it...but please LOOK in the mirror before you leave the house :-)
ReplyDeleteI think often it depends on how you look in it! If my arms begin to look more like bat wings... I will stop with the sleeveless shirts!!!!! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI do have a pair of new Silver Jeans that have holes in them. At almost 39 I was wondering if I am too old. But I love, love, love them. And I did wear a headband last night with a flower on it. Hope I didn't look like I was trying to be 15!!!!
I say go with what feels good, and on your own time, who cares what other people think? If you're in a business environment, it's a different story... but if not? Make yourself feel good before worrying about what others might say.
ReplyDeleteVery timely post...just yesterday I was at my bank drive through, when a lady in her late 40's came out. She was wearing low riding jeans (did not have the midriff for them) and a white eyelet blouse with short poofy sleeves..kind of like Cinderella's dress. Not a good look on a woman her age. Sometimes I wonder if people even look in the mirror before they leave the house! Basically, I believe that as the years advance on us ladies, we should be going for chic and classic and not trendy...trendy is almost always aimed at the teen/twenty age group.
ReplyDeleteBefore you leave the house, take a good look at in the mirror......if you have any doubts about anything , don't wear it. If you are second guessing a fashion choice then others most certainly are doing the same.
However their is another view to all of this and that is " who the heck cares what other people think"
You decide ladies!
oooh! I think I will never be too old for nail polish. What a small thing that can bring color and sparkle into your day. Go find your friend that said that, give her a smack on the back of the head, and tell her it's from me. :)
ReplyDeleteNail polish is fine I think. Jeans are for all ages! OH! Goodness... I guess I'd wear what I felt comfortable in.
ReplyDelete~blessings
Dorcas
As I get closer (and closer) to 60, I realize that I don't feel any differently than I did when I was in my 30s or 40s. I do look different, however, so I take that into consideration when I am dressing. My policy is if it looks good on me, I wear it. I wear heels at a comfortable height, never go totally sleeveless, keep my hair fairly long because I like the styling options with long hair and prefer a mid-rise pair of jeans. My body would frighten someone if I wore a bikini, I look ridiculous in a short skirt...and I KNOW it!
ReplyDeleteMmm... great questions. The hair- I feel as long as you keep it looking stylish while long, you can hold onto it at any age. The other stuff I think is more about figure that age. I am only 30 and don't wear half of that because it doesn't look good on my body. Just because its in your size, doesn't mean you should be wearing it!! ;)
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, if you're 50 and have a rockin' body- then by all means- rock that body!
You crack me up! Miss "I still look great in my wedding dress" ;) if you have the body for it, why not...but with some moderation (do you really want to be a 30 year old in tween clothing?). I have to laugh because, when we were at that big flea market, we walked out behind this cute little old couple...you know the kind where they're holding on to each other more for stability than love ;). Anyway, she was wearing HiGH heels, boot cut low rides, a leather jacket with chain fringe and a plastic (not silk!) blue flower in her hair...we laughed all the way home!
ReplyDeleteThere is a woman in my church who is in her late 60's and she wears very chic dark denim jeans. AND she looks awesome in them. I think some of the really skin tight stuff looks a little inappropriate, but I'll keep painting my nails, wearing jeans, wearing my hair long, as long as I can! I'm not so crazy about anything skin tight because I notice as I age things aren't looking so firm anymore!
ReplyDeleteDef. a case by case basis depending on your lifestyle and how you maintain your appearance in general -
ReplyDelete40 on Demi and Madonna can look WAY different than other 40 yr old women.
I've got several classy/sassy friends that are closing in on 40 and they seem to make the right choice without looking too young OR frumpified - but they are really fit, take good care of their skin etc. so the clothes and jewlery they choose don't look out of place - ya know?
I think whatever any person wears should be appropriate for their body type, comfort level, and context. To some extent that does include age, but I think that body type and context are really going to cover that. A mini skirt does not belong at a Little League game whether you have the legs for it or not, for example... especially if you don't know how to sit in one in bleachers... oh my, it was bad.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday!
OMG! I was just thinking in the shower about this very issue! I'm 37 now and I think I'm going to leave my hair long until......uhhhmmm 40. I'm already struggling to find things to wear. I'm in that middle of the intersection....to old to head down to the "Young Miss Department" and too young to head over to the "Misses Department". Does that leave me naked?!?!?!
ReplyDeleteI only go by the mirror, girl!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I pretty much wear everything on that list. Except for the long hair... mine just happens to look better short. Well, and stilettos. I've never really done any type of heels.
I'm 35 and still do all of the above with the exception of mini skirts and colored nailpolish. The shorts are getting iffy depending on my weight but jeans? Do you EVER stop wearing those?
ReplyDeleteI think it is an individual thing. Everyone's body is different, so to say that once you hit an "age" you can't wear something doesn't seem logical. I've seen young people wear low-rise pants, a sleeveless top, and stilettos, and look ridiculous. I have a friend who is over fifty and looks absolutely sexy wearing the same clothes her kids do.
ReplyDeleteI think it's not about age, but good taste.
Hey, if you've got it, FLAUNT IT. But not in a trashy, yucky way ~ no muffin tops or plumber butt please ;). However, there does come a time when skirts and shorts should get longer. I mean who wants to see "grandma" wearing a mini and stilettos? As for colored nail polish, I usually only use on my toes, but that's just me. Fitted exercise clothes (wearing them as I type actually ☺) There are some pretty fit older women at the health club I belong to and they look great! And long hair, I told my daughter I would have long gray hair when I was older. hee hee hee! Have a great weekend Jen!
ReplyDeleteI think it's all an individual choice. Me and my mom can wear the same clothes but she refuses to wear short shorts or any of my shorter skirts even though her legs are in better shape than mine. I wouldn't say I shouldn't be wearing the skirts but if she shouldn't then there is no way I should be, her choice is comfort related not based on how it looks. I don't think the "line" is necessarily age related at all. There are some 20 year olds that shouldn't wear somethings that a much older person can pull off.
ReplyDeleteThis is too funny. I'm still in my mid-twenties and have to think about if things are "too old" for me. I know exactly how I want to look from 40-60 (and up?) but sometimes have a hard time linking that to twenty-something who doesn't want to look like a teenager. Good post!
ReplyDeleteSame thoughts running in my head. I'm 39 !gulp! and it's hard to find clothes that fit, are not fuddy duddy, yet don't look like they belong to my 16 yo.
ReplyDeleteHey Jennifer~I've been busy with visiting family. Summer weather may not be upon us, but the summer guests are.
ReplyDeleteI did take time to sneak out of the kitchen (from time to time) to see what you'd been up to.
It's nice to finally have time to chat. I let the mirror and hubby be my gauge. When I ask my hubs..."how does this look"and he stutters and stammers looking like a deer in headlights, that's a pretty good indicator the I may have tanked in the tankini. I strongly feel...if you reach for a classic style, you'll be classy at any age. You looked divine in your wedding dress!
FYI~I sooo didn't see the gorilla in the selective attention test.
Did you?
Sweet wishes,
Sara
Great topic. I approach the big 3-0 in September, and still wear a bikini, though not to church functions, lol I think jeans are forever and always, and if you can pull it off, go for it! Just in a classy, chic way, not trashy. And quite frankly, even teens can look trashy in some of the above mentioned clothes.
ReplyDeleteShorts?
ReplyDeleteNope. Yikes
Jeans?
Nope. Don't want to fit 20 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound sack.
Long hair?
Absolutely yes.
A bikini?
Ha Ha. No way.
Low rise anything?
Nope. I'm not a plumber.
Fitted exercise clothing?
In public? Ewwwwwwwwww.
Mini skirts?
Nope. Don't want men hooting and hollering at me.
Colored nail polish?
Over 40. Light Pink or white
Stilettos?
Yeah, right........
Sleeveless tops?
Nope. Got those bat wings coming on......... LOL
I say forget the rules. They're made by those who think to control how others dress. If someone is comfortable in what they're wearing then it's all right with me.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm a fashion anarchist.
Short shorts is on my list. I used to have these sweet daisy dukes...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you've seen SATC2 yet or not. But there's a part in there, which you'll appreciate, based on your post. Without ruining anything, a retail employee tells Samantha that a dress she's looking at is too young for her and it starts a funny segment.
ReplyDeleteOK, yes, I saw the movie. I was one of four guys in the theater that night with our wives. The movie was fine - I was worried it would ruin the first, but it didn't.
Looking at clothes on a hanger, nobody should buy shorts or skirts that are wider than they are long. The length needs to be at least the width on a hanger.
ReplyDelete