What qualifies as 'mutton dressed as lamb'?

[SinclairSpectrum]

Just wondering in a light hearted way what everyone thinks?

Florascotia your post made me remember a quote a friend put on Facebook by Dita Von Teese.
"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there's still going to be someone who doesn't like peaches."

Mmm... I think it's when someone who is not in the first flush of youth wears clothes designed for someone much younger (generally, short/tight/bright or a combination of all three).

In answer to Iniac Im not sure if there's a name for it but the same is said about older men who dress head to toe in Superdry. I call it Boybanding.

I,m in my 40s and I'm more into clothes now than I ever was.
In my 30s I became very mumsy.
Now I wear what I like. I keep fit and take pride in my appearance.
I wear short dresses and heels, although i can walk in them!

I know which make up suits me and don't go for products because they are fashionable.
Having a very stylish daughter allows me to see what in on trend. So for example I colour in my eyebrows, although because of my skin tone you would probably think they are natural, yet I don't do it as much as younger women do.
This weekend I had a younger woman comment on my hair in the toilets, again I take inspiration from dd1 without copying a 20 year old.

I agree that the phrase is derogatory and as bad as labelling a woman a whore, slag or whatever. My pet hate is fat, beer gutted older men walking around the streets top less but is there a derogatory term for them? No.

Wear what you like.

Oh and my neighbours son, around my age I would guess, mistook me for my dd1s sister! I was in my work clothes at the time.

Liz McDonald from Corrie (I always cringe at her leather handbag effect cleavage when she wears low cut tops)

Horrible phrase. If a woman is slim and good looking, and has a sense of style, she looks good. I don't think age has anything at all to do with style, there are plenty of 20yos who look terrible in their clothes and plenty of 70yos who ooze style.

Weight is much more important than age IMO, although I know that's similarly hurtful to consider if you're not slim.

Haven't RTFT sorry, but just wanted to say I often think "mutton" at men if they're wearing too-trendy jeans for their age, or trainers past their 40s!

I'm early 40's and I probably show more leg (and other bits ) now than I did 20 years ago. Partly because I'm in better shape now than I was then, and partly because, unlike 20 years ago, I dress for myself and don't give a monkeys what others think.

I wear short skirts, heels, show a bit of cleavage, animal prints, red lipstick (god that all sounds awful written down!) but the trick is to only wear one 'high impact' thing per outfit - but that's not an age thing, it's just about not looking like Bet Lynch...

I can honestly say I don't know any women who look like mutton. I think now that women live longer and look after themselves ( well, some do) he boundaries between young and old fashions don't really exist so much .

I can think of one example from when I was overseas on holiday and an older woman ( late 50s or 60s) was in a supermarket wearing a mini skirt ( mid thigh) and a spaghetti strap top. She had terrible skinny, wrinkly legs and fat arms and a crepey cleavage etc with boobs hanging out. I suppose she did look like mutton but equally there are fat 20 yr olds who wear those things and the only difference is they have firmer skin!

I think there are far more women who dress too old for their years and become frumpy when they ought to be looking better.

Stripey - me too. In fact- there was a dad at the school gate todau who was definitely 'mutton' (in a light hearted way, natch )