Finding a style or stuck in the past?

[PhyllisWig]

Am doing some work around my personal style as you do and have been reading some guidance around collecting images you love and finding common themes.

I find myself drawn to lots of styles I loved 20 years ago in my student days. Partially because of the colours I wore, partly because of styles I found flattering and comfortable and partly because they remind me of happy times and snogging lovely boys and laughing with lovely friends.

But I'm a 43 year old mother with a professional career and don't want to look stuck in the past/frumpy/lazy. When is it dated and when is it just my style?

I'm 44 and had the same issue. :D I have not that long ago moved to Australia making my job even more tricky. I have however found a shop which sells lovely, reasonably priced dresses in vintage and skandi prints which really flatter my pear shaped size 12 body.

I wear those because they're not too serious but they're also quite flattering and well fitted....at our age you're looking to find something which fits well....shows off your good bits and makes you feel good.

In my case my good bits are my waist and small bust...what are your good bits?

I bought this in blue

shop.dangerfield.com.au/womens/sale/clothing/dresses/scandinavian-dress.html

Which is obviously an Australian shop....it's not so short on me as I'm 5.6 and the model's probably 5.11.

It's winter here in Oz and I wear it with a pair of tights and a little cardigan. I bought another dress in the same shape as it flatters me so much.

What's your figure like?

I ordered two more dresses last night and another last night...all in different prints but more or less in that shape because I know it works.

I should add...I work in the arts so I suppose it's a bit easier for me as we do smart casual.

Some of my biggest style crushes - Katharine Hepburn, Patti Smith, Coco Chanel - had/have a very strong 'signature style' so yes, I think you can. But I guess the trick is to how to keep evolving that style so that it still looks current. I think hair, shoes and jewellery have a lot to do with it - I wear vintage quite often but I always make sure the accessories are modern.

I also think it's also about recognising that you haven't got the same body you had 20 years ago and that you may not suit exactly the same clothes. I've probably rotated the same 3 or 4 basic looks all my life but I've tweaked them. I used to love a pretty dress with a denim jacket and DMs but over the years, the dress got less flowery and flouncy and more fitted and structured and I swapped the DMs for ankle boots. At the moment I prefer an androgynous look but whereas last time it was quite severe, this time it's softer e.g. cropped wide legs, silk shirt over a T shirt, brogues - more Katharine Hepburn than Annie Lennox!

Thanks for the thoughts both. Floisme, ironically I have a better body now than I did at 20! Although a lot saggier in places.

I think I need to pin down why I like the looks I do and see how I can adapt them.

Interesting question! I’m about a stone heavier than I was when I was a student, but I have photos of myself at uni in the early 2000s wearing a stripy ¾ sleeve top, flared jeans and chunky trainers. Today I’m wearing more refined, fitted straight leg jeans, neater black leather trainers and an olive green and white stripy top. I think the silhouette, but updated, means you can keep your former “style”.
I think if I was absolutely wedded to my flared Levi’s and had been buying them on eBay for the last 10 years then I would probably look dated.