When do you consider yourself too old to wear something- and why?

[ameliagrey]

Hardly a day goes by on this forum without someone asking "Am I too old to wear X,Y.Z."

Usually these posts make me laugh because the poster is a child- compared to me

But it does worry me that so many MNs seem to think that 30 -FFS -is too "old" for some things. These days that's barely out of uni age.

I'm 56 and still wear all the things that younger women wear but with care- skinnies, ( but not painted on), Converse,leggings and tunics, jeans into boots etc etc. I do take care not to show the bits that aren't too good- like my upper arms which are a bit flabby- but overall all my friends are very fashionable in a "toned down" way that suits our age and we all take care of our weight etc and are a size 10-12.

Conversely ( get the pun?) I see much younger women sometimes wearing things they shouldn't which simply accentuate the bad bits of their bodies usually leggings when they have very fat legs, huge muffin tops, and so on.

I just wonder if YOU have a cut off age when you think you are too old for something- and why?

I'm too old to wear playsuits.

But that's because I'm not 5 and it's not 1970.

Beyond that, I don't really get it either.

Some people seem to think they should be heading for blue rinses - that's their choice.

I am 34. Imo it is too old to wear heavily branded Jack Wills/Hollister stuff without looking like a desperate teen-wannabe. But I wouldn't want to wear that anyway

Agree re: playsuits.

Tis more about what suits you than age imo.

Oh and ripped jeans. Too old for them.

And fake suspender tights.

I think you just need to wear things differently. My mum is in her 50s (I'm 30 in a few months) and we often spot the same item of clothing we like but would wear differently. I wear sweater dresses with leggings and funky boots, she wears them with 70 denier tights and plain boots.

We actually have the same coat but wear it very differently.

When you say "too old" do you actually mean "too old and wise", as in you are old enough to realise that the item of clothing you are talking about looks silly in general, and only 17 yr olds can wear it because no-one expects them to realise?

Agree with Trills that I do automatically reject certain items of clothing...not because I'm too old to wear them, but because I'm old enough (and self-aware enough) to realise that it is a hideous piece of clothing and will do nobody any favours, not even a size 8 waif. Playsuits are an excellent example...I could easily carry it off, but I am too old and wise to be taken in by this "trend". This is a good thing.

Good point Trills.

The things that I don't wear are things I'd never wear anyway- but at a certain younger age you can wear them without looking a complete disaster- eg T shirts with slogans, shorts with tights underneath, etc etc., really strappy tops, halter necks, and "cute" styles which have puffy sleeves .

I do not consider myself to wear anything -- styled properly for my body shape.

I think the point is that posters often ask if they can wear what I'd consider very tame things- such as a short-ish skirt, skinny jeans, etc.

I would consider myself too old (42) to wear a boob tube, a crop top, very short mini skirts, obviously logoed or slogan type clothing, shorts with tights underneath - or anything else that looks very teenage.
I think I'm fashionable & contemporary but in a way that suits me & not like I was when I was a teenager & wore things just because they were "of the moment" rather than because they suited me.

I wear shorts with tights underneath. I am 34

Maybe this is something that only worries younger women, ironically? Maybe you/they are judging themselves against teens- and once you get into your 30s it all changes?

When you get to your 50s you can hardly recall what you wore as a teenager!

My fashion/age compass tends to start at around 35 - I don't even register "teenagers today" clothes, but I do notice what 35+ women wear.

I agree the 'too old?' question can end up like a straitjacket - ther'ed soon be nothing left if you took it to its logical conclusion.

Flattering clothes which suit your lifestyle and personality are the way to go.

I also don't understand the not going into certain shops because of your age - Topshop is a great source of basics, and I occasionally find great shoes there.

Okay, you won't be spoilt for choice once you're no longer a fashion victim young thing, but it's definitely worth popping in occasionally.

There are limits to this approach, clearly - Jane Norman et al spring to mind!

What Nan and Trills said.

And would add that I avoid obviously wacky head-to-toe looks - great on teenagers, undignified on me (44).

That said, I love the odd wacky piece - Miu Miu shoes or Tatty Devine earrings, say. So I often very nearly break my own rule.

I have some unbreakable rules: no clothes with writing, no shoes with bows, no ruffles, no patent, no waterfall anything, no block colour-dyed hair, on it goes. But they're less to do with age and more to do with preference.

amelia I agree it's surprising to see women aged 30 fretting about something as tame as Converse or whatever.

There'd

I'm 37 and am worrying a bit about short skirts/dresses. I have quite a few similar ones that seem to have shrunk a bit in the wash and are now probably best described as being just on the long side of mini. I'm still wearing them with tights (as opposed to leggings or jeans) but seem to get a lot of looks in the street and can't work out whether they're approving looks or not!

I am sorry I stick to anyone over thirty being too old for converse.

Apart from that only the obvious things that others have already mentioned in the thread.

melted Are you really serious with this remark?

I am sorry I stick to anyone over thirty being too old for converse.

We are tralking plain converse aren't we- and not the bootie type?

I find your idea unbelievable! Get yourself out in London and in the summer you will see every other woman wearing a pair- maybe a staid colour like mine- dark blue- with denims and capris etc- even 60 year olds. They're plimsolls, at the end of the day- not a fashion statement.

My mum at 62 looks great in converse and I think they are suitable at any age personally.

Generally she dresses beautifully and yes, slightly differently to me, but many of her clothes are much admired by me and she looks very fashionable in a kind of classic with a (younger?)twist way.

I think I am realising more, at 32, what suits me and what doesn't. Although I love tea dresses and think they look great on others, I find they always come up slightly short on me (at 5'8") in a way that doesn't look inappropriate but does make me feel not quite right.

I am definitely reassessing my look in general at the moment, but in doing so am thinking about looks I can experiment with that I've never tried before.I hope I look as good and well put together as my mum in 30 years though!

For me, having recently turned 30, it's about being mistaken for someone younger and hence taken less seriously. For instance, I occasionally work on London Fashion Week and find if I try to incorporate a few trend driven pieces in to my wardrobe I'm mistaken for an intern rather than an important member of the production team. Don't get me wrong, people thinking I look much younger than I am is great in one sense, but very frustrating in others.

I find another factor is disposable income. At around 30 many are still fairly new to the property ladder and are still setting up home, have young families etc that take financial priority over investing in a stylish wardrobe. Combine that with only just being established in their chosen careers, or just thinking about returning to work and the resultant child care costs and many don't have the disposable income that they hope to have once they get a little older. Of course, the ideal would be to invest in some costlier investment pieces and combine them with cheaper high street items, but I personally find I can't afford to buy enough investment pieces to make a difference! Combining converse or a short skirt with more expensive items can look great on someone over 30, but if you're stuck with a budget that only allows head to toe high street fast fashion it can be difficult to avoid wearing the same things that those in their teens/early 20's are wearing.

I also think its a very transitional period in many women's lives. It can take a while to adjust to leaving aspects of your youth behind and settling into a new role of wife and/or mother with new responsibilities and a new lifestyle. In some ways I think it can be likened to those teenage years where you just start to experiment, push boundaries and find your new identity. Only this time round you're less convinced you're always right and more wary of making mistakes!

I am serious. I have seen many women wearing them and always thinks it looks awful.

Equivalent to a 40 year old man in a baseball cap when he is not at any sort of sporting event...

if you have a child wearing the same items, eg a 14yr old dd wearing jack wills gilet, hollister hoodie and ugg boots, then you are probably too old to wear it yourself and dare i say look a touch foolish, dressing identically to your teen.

I've rediscovered fashion a bit since a large weight loss, gone from a 24/26 to a 12/14, but at 35 i am still careful over what i wear. I don;t wear jeans anyway as i don;t find them comfortable and i have a more girly dress style than casual. I favour above knee dresses with thick tights, nice cardi, knee high boots in the winter months to then sleeveless or short sleeve dresses in the summer. my arms are good an no sign of a bingo wing so figure those type of dresses are fine.

my taste in what to wear hasn;t really chnaged since the weight loss, just i have a lot more storesand brands opened up to me now. even the odd topshop or french connection item.

the rugby pitch sidelines were a field of 30/40 something mums in jack wills or hollister this weekend. I just don't get it tbh.

I'm too old for Topshop at 26. Not just because I'm no longer a size 10, but because it is expensive for what is the same quality as, eg, Primark.

I'm also too fat old for bodycon.