Denim jackets and white trainers

[outoftouch123]

Just went to a comedy show tonight. I have been living under a rock and haven't really been out for a loooonng time, I obviously haven't been paying attention when I have been out previously.

I was so surprised to see several woman in their 70's 80's ( very generic comedian) wearing demin jackets, wide leg trousers and white trainers. This is a look I would have associated with a much younger age bracket. I thought they all looked great and very trendy. As a woman in my early 40's and in a mid life crisis when it comes to fashion as I've grown too old to wear what I have always worn ( short pleated skirts) , I would have comfortably worn a denim jacket and wide leg trousers, Now I feel all it's going to do is age me.

AIBU to even care about this in my forties or should I be paying more attention if I don't want to look like I'm dressing like my mother.

😁

At 65+ I still haven't had the memo about how to dress - guess I should be trawling the charity shops for crimplene trouser suits and zip up booties...

Don’t get the angst. Wear what you want if it’s clean, comfortable and appropriate for the situation. There aren’t rules about colour, fabric and age. I agree with PP - in a couple of years you really won’t give a shit what anyone thinks anymore. Happened to me at 40 and it’s liberating.

Why do we make so many rules for ourselves or why do we allow bloody influencers on tiktok to tell us what is OK for women of different ages to wear. If you like wide legged trousers and trainers and they look good on you wear them. Does it matter if you have seen older women wearing them??

The ageism comes from the fact that people are saying that they won’t wear something if they’ve seen an ‘old lady’ wearing it. It’s ridiculous and offensive.

Sorry but this is misogynistic clap trap. And a hideous article. People's bodies age. So what? Wear the short skirt if it makes you feel good.

This is a look I would have associated with a much younger age bracket

It was but years ago

It's just how fashion works, trends go mainstream & is all the shops so everyone including older people buy into it.

Style should not be confused with fashion - clothes should make you happy, fit, suit your life and not a life you'd like to have, but the one you live. I've always had a style of my own, now at 63 loving the multiverse of jeans shapes, embracing crochet (always a favourite), going with the flow on oversized everything (so comfortable and fun). Some women do gravitate to a uniform (go people watching) but clothing doesn't age us, believing marketeers shifting the next trend does. I often think of my Nans at my age and realise that they were following rules for their role / age and today we can do as we please. No ageing in fashion, just whether or not you bind yourself to conventions.

I know now why I avoid DM links. Ageist, misogynistic bollocks. And I bet the person who wrote it was a shiny red fat man in a nasty suit.

It's interesting to reflect on how personal preferences change and wider society.
I look back at the clothes I wore when my DCs were young and it was often comfortable and on repeat. At the sametime I gave their outfits more thought for enjoyment as well as comfort. When I was depressed in my last job I wore similar tops on repeat like a uniform.
Now, in my new job, even though I mainly WFH, I often choose more colourful clothes that make me happy.
More widely, I think the borders between clothes and age have over the years broken down. Jeans for example are worn by anyone who likes them. I'm glad to see my Mum (70) is comfortable in them and enjoys new clothes.

It is different though isn't it? Has anyone ever said that they wouldn't wear something a young person wears because they might be mistaken for younger than they are? Clothes that young people wear are automatically thought of as fashionable and desirable. The only question we are supposed to ask ourselves as older women is are we 'allowed' to wear such things? Are we worthy once we're past the age of about 35?

The op suggests that the minute a 70 year old woman wears something it becomes 'old woman clothes' and we should avoid them at all costs in case we end up looking older - something that we've been socialised to believe is the worst thing you can be as a woman.

The op may have had a point about clothes aging people 20 or 30 years ago. My grandmother and her peers had a very distinct look - beige clothes from m and s and short grey hair 'set' in waves.

My mum at the same age has brightly coloured DMs, a big collection of trainers and all kinds of different styles of clothes. It seems crazy to me that I should mentally cross off anything she wears as somehow aging because she happens to be in her 70s.

I'm 66 and wear wide leg trousers and trainers constantly. I'm 6 feet tall and it's a look i can carry off. Dont possess a denim jacket but only because I have big boobs.

Agree

It is different though isn't it? Has anyone ever said that they wouldn't wear something a young person wears because they might be mistaken for younger than they are?

I definitely don't take my clothing inspiration from teenagers!

More widely, I think the borders between clothes and age have over the years broken down.

They have

So honestly, it seems really fucked up to me that simply because someone older than you wore it you now won't?

I don't think it's that, I've seen older women wearing something & have taken inspiration from it. For me it's more the ubiquity of something & when a look is adopted by the masses it becomes boring as everyone looks the same. I have just bought two dresses that my mum recently bought. But they are timeless styles & we will style them differently.

That isn't what the op said though? That might be what it's about for you but it's not what the op is about. The op isn't concerned about the ubiquity of that look she's concerned about the clothes aging her.

I think it's two sides of the same coin tbh. If the OP only saw one older woman in said outfit I doubt she would have noticed but because she saw a number of older people dressed the same she questioned it. I don't think it's controversial to acknowledge that older people tend to pick up on trends later.

I agree with this. My DM only recently discovered the denim jacket/white trainer combo. And she loves it…. I won’t wear it now because I don’t want to look the same as her! (She’s only 72).
Is it ageist to not want to dress like your mother?! I wouldn’t care if anyone else wore it!

Im 63 and love fashion. I trawl the fashion pages to see what's in. But I only wear what suits me. I look awful in wide leg trousers so I don't wear them.
I can still wear shorts because I have nice legs but I keep my upper arms covered. I'm working on weight training for them but I'll never be 20 again.
I wouldn't be seen dead in white trainers and a dress, Ive never owned a pair. Loafers look much better.
There are so .any great looks out there anyone can look good at any age.

I thought white trainers/denim jacket was considered a bit passé by the young crowd now? I’m not bothered, I’m 45 and love my denim jacket but I don’t think it’s a young person’s style at the moment.

I'm in my 50s and I dress how I want. I keep myself in shape, so balance it between accentuating my strong parts and not wearing short skirts or such like. There's a boundary, for me but I don't judge what other women wear. Flowed dresses and knee length skirts I will wear with Adidas Gazelles because i refuse to wear high heels. I've never followed fashion and don't intend to start now. Be yourself.

Never have been a fan of being told what I should or shouldn't be wearing, be it because something is 'in' or not or because of my age.
I'll wear what the fuck I want because I like it and it looks good, if you or anyone else has an issue with that that's your problem.

I'm keeping a nervous eye on the emergence of bingo wings. I'm still desperately trying to keep those at bay. How difficult is it to tone your arms as a woman?