Can you dress too young for your age?

[Elliebobhobnob]

Can you dress too young for your age, and if so how would you define dressing too young?

It could be a man or woman.

I'm interested to know how someone would describe a person dressing too young.

In the real world I haven't heard anyone use that saying for decades. It belongs in the past, along with any dinosaurs who still say it.

A few posters mentioning jeans/hoodies/trainers.

My immediate thought is that that isn't what springs to mind as 'young' at all. (depending on the brand i guess). Everyone born since the end of the 60s sees jeans and hoodies as just basic clothing surely?

Same with joggers and a t shirt.

I never think a style is too young or too old, ill fitting clothes are the thing I think fails an outfit. Someone determined to squeeze into size 12 when they are a 16, dress to flatter your shape.

If Snoop wasn’t mega famous and was just your average Joe wandering around Lidl he would look like he was dressed too young for his age.

Young person judges older person.

Older person knows life is too short and none of this matters.

Young person still caught up in all the hideous insecurities that hold women back when young.

Here here, me too.

I think when you’re younger, you can get away with clothes that don’t suit your shape more. When you’re older, maybe less so.

I think your teenage son needs to learn better manners.

I think I'm in denial that I'm starting to look my age. Have always looked younger, but with the stress of 4 family deaths and putting on weight I'm starting to look like a 43 year old. I was out somewhere the other day, a woman was wearing pretty much the same clothes as me, oversized sweatshirt, leggings, converse. But her face gave away her age and I thought to myself wow she needs to dress for her age.... she was probably about my age! I suddenly realised that I'm probably someone people look at in the same way!

With a red hat? 🤞🏻
Gosh, there is some judgey, sexist, ageist nonsense on this thread.
To me the only time someone looks like they are dressing too young is if they look specifically like they are trying to look younger. There is a difference between wearing something super trendy because you love the cut, the colour, the style and wearing something because 20 somethings are and you think you'll look 20 something.
Wear the miniskirt, rock the long hair, line your eyes. Life is to short to pay attention to the cats bum mouths from people who think you 'should' be wearing something different because of the number at the start of your age.

Well this is exactly what I'm wondering myself.

Does too young mean too fashionable/trendy. Or is it too revealing. Or too childish?

I saw someone upthread say that men in their 40s shouldn't wear hoodies.

I think a hoodie is a generic item suitable for any age.

And I always think it's a bit tragic seeing 40 odd year olds with blue hair..., trying too hard!

I go to different festivals and live in a multi cultural city and no-one would look at black men dressed like that and think they look too old to be wearing what they are.
People really need to think what difference does what someone is wearing make, to the person wearing it, or anyone who happens to look at them.

Trying too hard for what?

My gut reaction is: I agree.

But in the spirit of the thread, what is 'suiting your shape'? It's an interesting thought. Is it 'makes you look slimmer'? Makes you look taller, shorter? Makes you look closer to some ideal?

If so - why must we all try to strive towards looking a certain way?

If not, what does make something 'suit' a 'shape' ?

Again i'm not being snippy. I'm the first to worry about how i look! Sometimes it's nice to step back and think about what, exactly, we're all worrying about.

I probably see more 40+ women with blue hair than any other age group. Perhaps it’s the others that are trying too hard.

Well aren’t you just lovely! 🤣

Yet when I was younger, once you went grey you got a blue rinse. People have blue hair because they like having blue hair. As asked, why are you assuming motivation and why does it have a age limit?

Maybe, certainly the rubber buttons have "pinged off' my liberty bodice now I have filled out a bit.

For a woman or a man I would say you dress too young when you have the mindset of a teenager "please look at me". It feels and looks insecure, like you need validation.

I’m all for wear what you want but if I started wearing urban outfitters exclusively like me teen dd and friends I might raise a few eyebrows

What on earth is age inappropriate about leggings an oversized sweatshirt and converse on a 40 something? Loads of middle aged women wear those clothes. Converse are the footwear of choice in my 50 something circle.

It’s bollocks.

hth.

Hmm. I want to say it doesn't matter.
But i always remember, seeing this woman from behind and she had on a very short skirt, blonde hair extensions, thigh high boots etc. I basically expected her to be in her 20s or there abouts. She turned around and oh my gosh the wrinkles! She was at least 60 with either sun damaged and/or smokers skin. It was jarring.

That was actually about 15 years ago! Yet has stuck in my mind all this time. I think because at the time I just thought ok you can be "too old" to wear certain things! I was 40 at the time and still dressed relatively "young" but it made me acutely aware that the clock was ticking!

I mean sure, maybe she didn't care and you could argue she doesn't need to care! But she'd clearly gone to a lot of effort and I don't think "horrified shock" was the impression she was going for.

@cantthinkofausername26

yeah, what exactly do you think she should have been wearing to look more ‘age appropriate’? Per Una waterfall cardigan and some nice boot cut jeans?