How to look older (gasp!) without looking worse?

[SnozzberryWibble]

I am 26 but look younger, I am fed up with being treated like a teenager at work and not taken seriously...

Any advice on how to make myself look older, in an elegant way, not in a "you look tired" way!

Also, feel free to call me crazy. Has anyone else ever had this problem though?

Not a stealth boast. It's genuinely annoying. I don't really want to speed up the ageing process but on the other hand it would be nice if people looked at me and saw an adult rather than a university student.

The single biggest difference I've noticed in my office between women in their twenties and the rest of us is shoes. The 20somethings wear either flat shoes or skyscraper heels- never anything in between. Women over 30 generally try and find the magic 3 inch heel- high enough that your mother wouldn't wear it, low enough to actually stand and walk in. Generally as well, the younger women are more casual- they wear boyfriend-type cardigans I'd keep for weekends, and leggings, which are not imo office wear. I'd say if you want to be taken more seriously, dress to look professional and competent, not hot. Don't wear skater dresses- keep your skirts slimmer and longer (but not Lycra tubes). Wear jackets or fitted knitwear, not baggy, slouchy stuff.

Note, in case you're thinking all this sounds as though I'm telling you to dress like a frump at work (I'm not). When you see younger women who are on their way to the top, fast- they wear far sharper, more formal clothes to work than other women their age.