Ok, so first things first, by the title of this post, you can guess that this topic doesn’t really apply to younger people. That is because younger people have the liberty to wear whatever they want. I remember those days. That was so fun! And I didn’t even realize then, that one day, I wouldn’t be able to wear what I want. You don’t really think about that when you’re younger do you? Anyway, I digress. This post is for those who, when you get to be a certain age, have to consider what dressing for your age is and what that would look like.
I am of a certain age and therefore, have considerations. Which is kind of hard to make peace with when you are so used to dressing however you want for such a large portion of your life – to all of a sudden, ok maybe not all of a sudden but as you know time goes by fast – to now have some considerations, or restrictions if you will.
The reality is, is those considerations or restrictions are different for every person. That is why this is a tricky subject to pinpoint answers. You will get many different viewpoints on what dressing for your age would look like because every person has different lifestyles, influences and upbringing. Even geography, the city you live in and the weather play a role. Another important role is you. Your look, outlook, walk, hairstyle, poise, confidence, demeanor etc. etc. So what may work for some, may not work for others of the same age. Tricky…
One thing I find that happens naturally, and luckily, is that our tastes change every year that goes by. We still want to dress on trend and look youthful, however, it becomes a different kind of youthful. So even if you still can rock a crop top, you may not want to because that is naturally no longer your desire or taste.
In my opinion, and this is my opinion, I would say when you get to be over the age of 45, you need to take what you wear into consideration. I am not saying that at age 45 you have to start dressing like an old fashioned school teacher, I do not believe that at all. I am saying that at age 45, there are now some considerations. And every 3 years-ish, different considerations.
Luckily, times have changed from even when our parents were 45+. And luckily, times are continuing to change. People are living longer, living larger, taking better care of themselves and are pushing beyond the ideologies our parents had. So with that comes more freedom for us to dress more youthful than our parents did. This is a good thing! I think it is quite obvious that generations before, people thought so differently than we do about age and fashion and what is appropriate. And I think the way we think now about living healthy, looking and feeling young no matter the age, is positive and a better way of life.
Finding the Right Balance
So what does dressing for your age look like? I think it is, like everything, about finding the right balance.
I am sure you have seen people out there, maybe you have friends or relatives, wearing clothes that are too old for them. Of course, that makes them look older. And I am sure you have seen people along the way wearing clothes that are too young for them. And unfortunately, dressing too young, makes them look older. Either is not doing justice. So how does one, like Goldilocks, find the balance, without veering too far in one direction?
This is the conundrum.
My best advice? Dress leaning toward youthful. The goal is that you want to add ‘an element’ of youth to your appearance. Not lots of elements, an element. This will bring the right kind of youthful.
One example I can think of is that I see a lot of men and women in their 50s or 60s say (and maybe in their 40s), wearing old, old, out of style jeans. Immediately, the outdated jeans make them look way older than they are. If they were to put on a pair of dark denim, cool, new style jeans, they immediately will look 5 years younger. Because trendy jeans will add an element of youth. That’s the ticket. However, people feel they can’t, or don’t think its important, or it wouldn’t make a difference if they were to wear cool jeans at that age, so they don’t. Not realizing that wearing clothes leaning towards youthful does make a difference and will shave years off with just one change to their look.
Dressing too old for your age
You do not want to wear or purchase clothes that add age to your age. How do you know if you are buying clothes that do? If you are not able to look at your clothing choices with a fresh pair of eyes, ask someone that knows fashion or ask a young person (maybe other than your own children). A young person will be more open and will not want you to dress older than your age.
And when you shop, the trick is to be really, really aware of what you choose at the store. Try something different. Do not buy the same old same old. Try on pieces you wouldn’t normally. This is my trick because you will find some good items that way. If you can splurge on a personal shopper or stylist, you will learn what to look for when you are on your own.
A couple of quick tips is to avoid cardigans (unless it is a long cardi), blah dress pants, unflattering sweaters, sweater sets and for a man, pleated dress pants or dress pants that are baggy, sloppy-looking and too big. Material is also very important, limit synthetic materials that can age your look.
Dressing too young for your age
As mentioned above, dressing too young can have a counter effect. However, you shouldn’t have fears that you cannot dress youthful because you can. In my opinion, if the item of clothing is within 3ish-5ish years younger than your age, you can probably wear it. Keep in mind, what I always say is that if you put on an outfit and you hear yourself asking the question “is this too young for me?” then the answer is probably yes. The goal is an element of youth, not overt elements.
I thought of writing a list of what not to wear to dress too young. But after reflection, that would be difficult because it’s not so black and white (plus would make this post really long). For example, I can say not to wear a crop top if you are of a certain age, however, if the crop top is just grazing the top of a high-waisted nice skirt, that would work. But, if the crop top shows more than 1 inch of skin, and is worn with a mini skirt, I would say that is not the best choice. Speaking of skirts, lets talk about appropriate skirt length. My rule of thumb is, the length needs to be longer ie: more in measurement than the width.
The challenge of what is age appropriate is that it is a multi-faceted topic with many variables. Maybe I will continue the age appropriate topic in another post by providing more examples like the crop top example above. Would that be helpful? Let me know.
Final Thoughts
I believe people do struggle with the subject matter of dressing for your age. I, for one, can’t say that I get it right every time because I don’t. I confess that I do feel really young at heart and I forget sometimes and revert back to the time when I had no considerations. The times when, if I liked something, I just bought it. I think I still do this subconsciously from time to time.
It would be so much easier to help if I could shop with people in person. Because I can’t, I can, however, offer my opinion. So if you have a specific question on this topic, send me an email I would be happy to help.
All the best and until next time…
