Mumsnet Talk

I am 35. I am mutton - or at least mutton waiting to happen. I may Wrll end up like that Liz off Corrie one day.

I like thigh high boots, animal print, tight dresses and a bit of cleavage on a night out.

Are the rest of you really all wearing lovely, ladylike LK Bennet dresses or Joules/Boden/Great Plains mumwear? Is there nobody else that will admit to being a wanton whore? <sadface>

Is it really just me? (peplum dress from Topshop for one!)

I'll get me (fur) coat....

well

M&S all the way for me.

Go for your life!

I don't agree with what you're wearing, but I'd defend to the death your right to wear it (well perhaps not to the death).

Cooo-eeee! waving at you gracelessly wearing my New Look duffle coat that I keep seeing on teenagers around town, short floaty skirt (which I actually shortened to show more thigh) and long messy hair

I'm going to be 40 in two months!

Milf or mutton? Milf or mutton? Do I care? No I don't!

Gah, forgot that twitter punctuation turns things bold on here.

Oh I know I am a bit of a tart sometimes but crikey, you're a long time dead arent you? One day youre in Mint Velvet ladies....the next you are browsing the comfy trousers rail at Marks. I have to milk these over-the-knee boots days for all their worth....

ahem...well, i have been looking for an interview outfit for the past week or so, with the help of the lovely ladies in 'Style and Beauty' and it would appear I have an eye for a snake-skin dress yes

i was trying to buy he lady-like s'fistimacated ones that was recommended...but I kept getting drawn to the snake and leopard print!!

I settled for floral in the end, but it were a struggle. I can possibly see some mutton on the horizon! (am 40)

but but... <maybe she didn't see me waving... I'm only little>

Ooh me, me! I'm 37 and a stjoodent. I look younger though . I only ever wear tight vest tops and hot pants and tights every day. I have loads of different colour combinations. I mostly wear low converse. I look the dogs.

And I have very long, tousled, messy bed hair. I wear loads of make-up too. My best course mates are the 21 year old lads.

I noticed the Mint Velvet section when i was in JL today...that's not mutton atire surely??

Mint velvet is the antithesis of mutton, surely? My hot pants are too long if me arse isn't hanging out of them.

No no no....Mint Velvet is NOT mutton. Sorry, my point was not well made. I am shamelessly Topshop/Oasis/River Island. Christ, I even bought a Lipsy dress last week. Hussy.

It's Edinburgh Woollen Mill for me.

I'm primarni only. <skint>

I live in Next, Landsend and M&S - the plainer the better in all cases - and comfy handknits. Animal print isn't really my thing, BUT, I have a deep pink leopard print top that I call my Sod It top. I put it on when I've had a crap start to the day and it does cheer me up.

I'm wearing it today.

Ooo ouryve I think everyone should have a Sod It top

But no - I generally don't do the mutton dressed as lamb thing.

Dont get me wring....I dress conservatively for work and I wear jeans and boring tops for school run etc....but I do love a nice Kim Kardashian styleeee dress for a night out <ropey emoticon>

I love animal print - zebra, leopard, snake...

I love right shiny jeans
Tight dresses
Big hair
Dark smoky eyes
A nice touch of bronzer
And long chain necklaces
And heels as high as they go!

Forgot to add:

Mini skirts

Op at 35, you are still very much lamb.

I'm 36 and agree we should all wear what the hell we like Nothing wrong with a bit of mutton on occasion.
I have a job where the client base is predominantly male so I tend to dress more conservatively there - Boden dress or tweed jacket, Next straight leg jeans or White Stuff denim skirt with a white shirt etc...
weekends are mostly spent with the kids in Topshop skinnys, Lands End bretons and Ash wedges. Hardly mutton either.
When I dress up to go out is perhaps when I unleash my inner mutton. H&M shorts, fitted dresses in lace or animal prints, high high heels, fishnets....

Too fat (and tall) to be mutton.
I'm more hogged dressed as mutton.

Everything I'm wearing today (excerpt for my Merrel Haven) came from the kid's section at Asda.
Short denim skirt, striped T shirt with sequinned animal from the muppets and cropped grey cardi with black stars.
Don't know if I look muttony or just stupid but I like it. I have leopard print tights too and wedge hi tops.

When I was 35, I was at my best - best figure Ive ever had, skin great, confident. I did look quite young and was single and childless as well. At 47, Im quite sad to see women at 35 even mentioning the mutton word. You are at your female best! Enjoy !

You just reminded me, I need to get dressed netto!!

I'm never normally even up at this time, but have hospital appointment in Glasgow at 9 and want to beat rush hour.

Err - excuse me! I am 37 and I am still a bloody lamb, thank you very much!

Wearing leather jeans to work today. Wore woollen hot pants shorts yesterday. Wore a short skater skirt last week. It was also leather. Heels every day. I could wear jeans, converse and a Bretton top but where's the fun in that?!

I'm 43. And people think I'm about 5 years younger.

Arf @ hog dressed as mutton.
Well I'm just over 50 OP and I love a bit of animal print and am definitely a boots girl. Low heel or high depending on the occasion. I don't really do shoes. Just gotmsome fab grey leopardprint tights from M&S of all places.

My name is peggyblackett, I am 37, and I like a bit of animal print and smoky eyed make up. In fact, make that LOVES animal print (in moderation).

You're 35!!!???? Young!!!

Definitely NOT even near mutton age!!

Quite frankly if you weren't wearing those things I'd be more worried!

I'm 32 and I still consider myself to be young... there's no way I'd suddenly start abandonning topshop or river island or short dresses just because I'd reached mid thirties.

I would have thought that 35 is about when Topshop finally becomes affordable!

You go for it navy blue glitter nail polish and orange cord mini here today

Maybe it's more a question of personal preference rather than mutton or not. I don't particularly like thigh high boots - not got the legs for them, but don't think anything of someone else my age (40s) wearing them. Got some animal print. Generally not keen on River Island, Topshop I quite like, Oasis sometimes good and sometimes crap. Lipsy - no thanks. I'll leave that for my 21 year old dd to drool over.

I agree with laptopdancer. At 37 I look the best I ever have, despite having had three kids.

It's because I've found my style, am more confident, and look after myself better - hence good skin, well conditioned (and still long) hair, and a knowledge of how to dress for my shape and what colours suit me.

I like to think of my style as smart and sophisticated, but with tantalising hints of muttonous sluttyness

Sky high heels all the way. Definitely. Don't care if I wobble.

I am mutton

Was having this discussion the other day, how people don't look or dress their age anymore. And how this was a good thing: you're a long-time dead, etc.

As a man I admire the confidence of a woman who wears what she likes, makes an effort, and isn't going to go gentle into that good M&S!

But then, I'm probably a bit mutton myself! Or whatever the male equivalent is.

thigh high boots, animal print, tight dresses and a bit of cleavage on a night out.

What do you like about them?

I wore leather leggings to DD's nativity yesterday.

And if you regularly read S&B you'll know there's a lot of love for animal print/sequins/shorts on here

I don't actually want to look mutton but I do like to look stylish or at least try.

I'm paranoid about being Mutton...However I often see very stylish women of my age (Very, very late 30's, 46) dressed in Mutton clothes & they look fantastic.
If you have the panache to carry it off go for it.

I don't care about mutton, but Bet Lynch is never a good look IMO

Its more fun though Hully than the sad greige clothes that so many women cover themselves up with.

I get that other people aren't so interested in clothes as some of us but I love to see people who clearly enjoy what they wear.

Netto your outfit sounds fab, I've just been on the Asda website looking for your Animal top! I have lost weight recently and can fit into the kids' sections again which is great but I do wonder sometimes if a nearly 40 year old should be choosing from the same selection as her 10 year old daughter!

I live in fear of being mutton but my liking of animal print/sparkle/biker jackets and most of what I wore as a teenager plus my generous cleavage means I am bordering on it most of the time. I can't walk in high heels though so that's a bonus I suppose

I think people worry too much about being mutton. I mean I rarely see anyone who I think is too mutton.

Ooh what Leather leggings have you got MrsCB??

49 here and slightly muttonous. I like to think of it as ^youthful*.
I agree, so many women, of all ages, seem to wear a series of interchangeable shapeless jeans/baggy tops/soft-soled shoes.
In fact, I look back at myself 25, 15, 10 years ago and realise that a lot of the styles I wore were very aging - thinking of long, droopy skirts in particular.
I don't have the budget to really let rip, but I make the most of what I can afford, and save the fleeces for walking the dog in isolated countryside.

But, until you know what suits you, it's difficult to avoid opting for the sensible, read aging, approach.
Those of you into super-high heels and animal print, probably just have a dramatic/natural element to your style, which will always look right on them, whereas someone whose style is naturally more subdued will look uncomfortable and never quite right in leopard, whether young or old.

Must say, though, I bought a velvet mini the other week, it's well above the knee, and it came from <coughs> Mistral!

'always look right on you'

Sometimes I do describe my dressed up look as "Footballer's Mum"

Or Rock Hen...

So it's not just you, op

I just dislike the idea that women, once they are a 'certain age' should try to be invisible.

The underlying message is that once you are no longer fertile, there is no need for men to notice you, so the only dignified thing to do is to fade into the background.

Well sod that! I'm knocking on forty but I feel the most attractive I've ever felt. And if I want to make the most of that and wear what I like, then I will!

Better to be a bit of mutton than a touch of frump.

OH, I'm atomic mutton when I get going (though everyday wear is more likely to be jeans, wellies, frumpy coat etc just because I CBA when I'm not going anywhere). Nights out mean dodgy slogan t-shirts, leggings, New Rocks, sweary badges, steampunk trimmings, leopardprint.

But the way I dress has been annoying other people for most of my life so I see no need to change.

Oh and I am 48. Mind you, having always been more of a rock chick/steampunk type, my social circle is a bit more forgiving in terms of what to wear than mainstream fashion (again, true all my life. Most of my teens involved half my friends going 'But you can't wear that!')

Lovely to see so many fellow mutton-ers! OK OK ....lambs

Me me me!

I'm 45. It's true - you're a long time dead. Also, I'm not generally much of a dresser-upper; I look like a road accident much of the time. I dress for comfort and warmth, especially in this weather. But when I go "out out" I like to look very different than I do day to day. If that means a short skirt or dress or a "tit top" as my DH calls it, then fine.

I'd never look at someone and think "You're dressed too young".

However, I do look at some teenagers and wonder if they've actually got any friends. Or a mirror. Tight, stretched-to-seethroughness leggings over massive arses teamed with tight stretchy tops that are SO tight you can see every contour of their navel. I don't think it's an age thing.

Not sure I'm quite up to your standards of youthful dressing but I'm not averse to a veeery tight pair of skinny jeans, bum skimming mini skirts, long hair, short dresses etc. Having said that, I also like quite conservative brands like Hobbs and Boden .

God, wish I could summon up the wearwithal (hah) to be mutton. Am just scruffy.

35 -way too young to be considered mutton!

Tee hee. Loving that at35 I am 'too young'

to answer the question 'what do you like about these things' (miaow)...I like feeling glammed up and after finally (four years later!) losing my baby weight and having a waist again, I like having a figure I dont have to swamp in lose fitting tunics or hide with 'clever dressing'. It will probably have all gone to pot in 10 yrs time, so feel I need to make the most of it now.

I'm 24 but I love animal print, faux fur, red lipstick, thigh highs, fish nets, jump suits, fuck me shoes, really really tight clothes, love having my legs out although pencil skirts not mini minis apart from on a night out I wear eyeliner most days, and I do like tunics but ones with a belt for my waist and tights.

Hahahaha at atomic mutton!!!!

Today I am wearing skull top, black lacy jumper and shiny tight black jeans. And I am the same age as Helena Bonham Carter- cough cough

I had the best fun dressing up wearing wonderful clothes in my 30s and 40s, I wore jumpsuits and stilettos, fishtail strapless dresses, mini skirts and maxi skirts, had my head shaved at the back. I regret nothing!
My favourite outfit, which I first wore to see Tina Turner in concert so it was a tribute thing; round necked black top,
leather mini skirts with zips up the front of each leg.
fishnet tights,
DM boots,
Leather biker jacket. Blonde spiky hair (Depleted the ozone layer on my own!!)

I love to see my DD doing the same, though she isn't as crazy as I was, she always looks stunning.

Someone said earlier it is about expressing your personality and being comfortable enough to carry your look. One of my friend does the Boden thing and she always looks great as she accessorises with quirky scarves and boots.

I have chosen a very different look for my middle age, still different from the M&S look that is often seen as requisite on MN for grandmothers. The freedom from needing to be seen as a predominately sexual being is indeed liberating.

I'm feeling so much love for everyone on this thread.
I am Lesley Joseph only 4st heavier
I have leopard print skinnies, slagboots aplenty, hotpants, minis...
Full face of Joan Collins slap everyday and a huge shiny showpony mane.
I.Love.It.
I will never, ever be invisible. I will be the old woman in purple. Today I wore a bowtie weirdo

I suspect I'm a 1664. But to my mind that's better than looking 64 all round.

to muttonhood!