"AmI too old to wear...?" No. You are not.

[Trills]

You are never "too old" to wear anything.

There are many things that you might not look good in, or might not feel comfortable in*, but your age is not the reason.

This also applies to hairstyles and makeup.

(*not feeling comfortable in something is a quick way to not look good in it, because your body language will show that you're not happy with it)

This is not a TAAT, this is a TA Many Ts.

DaemonPantalaemon said
And if you are over the age of 40 or 45, hot pants look ridiculous, as do mid-riff baring tops, thigh high boots and huge platform wedges!

BuzzKillington
What about something really short or dungarees?

I am mid forties and within the last year have worn short shorts (not sure what counts as hot pants) usually with tights, over knee boots (not sure if that's thigh high), platform wedges, short dresses, and dungarees. (No mid-riff baring tops as I've had 2 CS.)

So sue me!

Thanks Trills for the thread, and I agree with almost all the posters that life is too short and you should enjoy it by wearing what you want.

Flo is so right, no one else is looking at you (they're too busy with their own life) so enjoy yourself and wear what is right for you, not what you think is right for the number of years you've lived.

Much of how we dress is related to the confidence you have, so it's a shame to see those threads where women are wanting to rely or are advised on outdated, ageist, sexist conventions based on a number to teach them how to dress or what to wear. We should be building up our confidence rather than limiting ourselves.

I think you are too old when you walk into the shop and notice all the clothes are shit! It's more about valuing yourself above new look :-)

I am 51 and wear what the hell I like. Mainly skinny jeans/leather jacket combo to be fair. I also have long blonde hair due to my Nordic heritage and I'm not cutting it though I know some people (cunts) think long hair on women over 30 is shocking.
Wear what you want. What difference does it make to anyone.

Kylie and j lo can still look good in hot pants, and they are about 50?? Or 45?? It's about what you want to wear and whether you think you look good. It can be about whether you care if others think you look good as well. But I don't think it should be about age. That's just too depressing (as I reach 40 and am led to believe from a lot of s&b that i should just want to look classic and expensive. I DO NOT want to look expensive, I find that a shallow materialistic concept)

You can tell how old a person is by mentioning "Kylie" in a fashion context and seeing if they think you mean Minogue or Jenner.

This thread belongs in chat or feminism. Of course women can wear what the hell they like, but style and beauty is a section for people who care what they look like. I'm very much a jeans/boots person with no intention of embracing an elasticated waist quite yet.
But my mother in her seventies continues with the 'scruffy rock chick' look that looked so adorable when I was a kid but now looks a bit seedy. Of course she's free to wear chipped nail varnish, visible bra straps and jeans on their second week without washing. She's harming nobody.
But I just wish she wouldn't. It's horrible when people double take on your mum in a not good way.
I could take the feminist view that looks don't matter and the naysayers should fuck off. But looks do matter to most of us. I'm far from high maintenance and mostly don't care, but a basic level of presentability is a good thing imo.

Morris what does "seedy" and "presentability" mean for you? It will be different for each person, won't it?

"style and beauty is a section for people who care what they look like" and I do care what I look like, I just don't want that look to be defined or restricted by the year I was born in - as much an s&b idea as it is a feminist one.

I'm always without fail flabbergasted when someone asks this as it usually something very middle of the road, like converse, lol. I would never even consider to ask and I'm 50. Wear what the hell you want, I just can't imagine anyone looking at me in my jeans she converse and caring one jot.

I think a person can care what they look like without thinking that age is a barrier to wearing what you want.

S&B is the place for this as S&B is the place where this kind of discussion comes up.

Clearly Brigitte Trogneux did not get the memo about what women shouldn't wear over the age of 50 or 60!

She looks fantastic in those leather leggings!

I've found this advice very helpful

warningcurvesahead.com/2016/06/04/24-things-women-over-30-should-wear/

I think people can care what they look like without feeling they have to be constrained by some sort of weird rule that says you must not wear short skirts over the age of 35 or whatever. Wearing what you like without necessarily being restricted to notions of being 'too old' and being dirty and not washing your clothes are two very different things - being dirty isn't age related.

And of course this belongs in S&B - it's about clothes. It's nothing to do with feminism.

Love that, Cora.

That is brilliant CoRA

I wish everyone thought as you do Trills :)

I'm 33 and there are definitely things I'm too old to wear, and a whole other cohort of things I'm too grown up to wear.

My BIL's 22 year old girlfriend is 6 months pregnant and yesterday was wearing skinny, zip up, torn/frayed maternity jeans and a cropped top. I literally felt myself age 10 years just looking at her.

It's my 43'rd b'day today, and I give no fucks, I love clothes and fashion but will continue to wear what I like and am monsterising the grey hair, short skirts, and interesting peices. I posted for a bit on the expensive thread because I like to spend money on clothes, but it should have been called the 'boring Fucking bastard thread'.

Fashion should be fun, not appropriate or 'expensive', that way the grave lies.

My DM, aged 82, bought a pair of the uber-chic UGG DM biker boots last winter. She doesn't see it as a statement about age, or fashion. They look terrific and she'll have several winters of warm feet while walking the dog in winter.

It's what appeals, and fits, while you're shopping. She still reads the occasional magazine, laughs at some pictures and stores ideas. She now buys clothes to wear, now, but not for an idealised version of the person she will be. So, easy to put on and take off, coordinated with other things she owns, appropriate for the events she will attends (broadly defined), and flattering.

I am quite sure my mum would never choose a garment because she saw anyone else wearing it. But she did ask whether the last haircut she had was crisp enough, and when I said I thought it was dull, she booked herself an appointment to go back to the edgier hairdresser whose cuts she prefers, even though she will spend two hours on the bus to get there and back.

DM hasn't lost interest or enthusiasm for looking the best she can, and she does it for herself; there's no man or social clique she wants to impress. It's to please her own aesthetic buttons.

Brilliant article C0RA

Kylie and j lo can still look good in hot pants

I think Kylie hasn't worn her hot pants since the era of 'Spinning Around' which was almost 20 years ago.

She's now nearly 50, and gorgeous though she may be, she'd look ridiculous in tiny hot pants because she is too old for them.

Absolutely wear what makes you feel good, but I stand by my view that wearing clothes far too young for you makes you look a bit daft.

If you're lucky enough not to give a hoot what others think - lucky you!

I just turned 44 and wear quite a lot of things I see debated (and scoffed at) on this page - dungarees and pinafores are particular favourites. I don't agree anyone is too old to wear anything, but I think as we (or I) get older we know instinctively how to style things that might be classed as "too young" so they look great. I wear dungarees with a nice blouse, whereas a 16 year old might wear them with a cropped top. I wear a lot of short-ish skirts, but with 100 denier opaques and not bare legs. I still shop in Topshop and ASOS, despite not being their core target audience, I'm just selective about what I buy and how I style it.

Thank you Viking. It's now my mantra for life