Style changes you've made with age..

[tiptowin]

Interested to know the little ways that people have changed their style as they've got older, and wiser. I do my best to only buy/wear natural fibers - not only do the clothes look nicer, they wear better too.

I spent my 30's with long dark brown, dull hair. It's now shorter and caramel blonde and has taken 10years off me (I'm 45).

I also used to dress to hide my hideous fat body in shapeless tunics and black trousers or long skirts. Now I find that a skater type dress does suit me, as do pencil or slightly flarey skirts with nice silk blouses tucked in! I rarely wear trousers because my stomach, bum and thighs are hideous.

I wear slightly more make-up in that I fill in my eyebrows and use a touch of blusher, both of which help define my features, as well as mascara and lipstick.
Clothes-wise, I am heavier so never wear jeans.

Flat shoe lovers, where do you buy your shoes? I'm always on the look out for cool flat leather shoes and boots

another one to have (mostly) ditched the black. Even wearing pastel-ish tops this Summer.My twenty year old Goth self is mortified.
Now prefer short hair to long.
No more crazy hair colours.
Use moisturiser and sunblock and wear a bra.
Wear tops rather than t-shirts.

1 Not wearing black near my face - creates too many shadows. navy and charcoal and all grey suits me.

2 More make up but very natural; I need under eye concealer and eye brow make up now , lip liner, as well as eye shadow, foundation, lippy , blusher, lots of mascara.

3 Growing my hair. It's now shoulder length but very slightly layered at the sides instead of a cropped Princess Di style I had in my 40s.

4 Not thinking I am too old to wear things. I've got decent legs so am fine with a skirt 2 inches above my knees especially with thick tights.

5 Good quality winter coats, decent leather bags, and shoes.

6 Showing off my waist:) and wearing clothes that fit rather than baggy styles.

7 Hiding my upper arms whenever I can as they are flabby.

Flat shoe lovers, where do you buy your shoes? I'm always on the look out for cool flat leather shoes and boots

All over (I have a bad shoe habit). enbrogue is good for inspiration although it will harm your bank balance.

I’ve learned to love Clark’s.

Oh I love the EnBrogue blog! And Hannah's Instagram account.

Clarks can be great, although I haven't seen a single thing I liked this summer

@Lottapianos I've bought several pairs of flat shoes and boots from &Other Stories in recent years - interesting twists in design. I find they do a good range of low heels too.

I'm one who will probably never ditch black - I've got naturally dark hair and am too emotionally attached to dark colours (black, navy and grey) to ever consider stopping wearing them. And I really couldn't afford to replace my entire wardrobe even if I thought I didn't look good in black

I'm in my 40s and I've stopped wearing 3" heels on a frequent basis, my current lifestyle just doesn't call for dressing up outfits with high heels and I walk too much for them to be a viable option. But I miss them.

I too go for a good haircut; more make-up than in my 20s, to minimise flaws rather than to look glamorous; a limited colour scheme so most of my wardrobe works together.

Now my hair is totally grey (I’m lucky because it’s silvery) I wear black far more often. Also layered greys. White doesn’t look so good on me now (as in classic white shirt). I wear more bluish shades and fewer greenish ones. My hair is basically the same style I had 45 years ago - a longish messy bob with fringe. I actually feel I look better now than I have done for ages - my children agree, so it must be true. YY to pared down wardrobe, natural fabrics.

Clothes v sim. So much more 'grooming' to look as bog standard as my thirties. Red lipstick works now, and body lotion actually gets used up and rebought

Now that my hair is pepper and salt, I've gone lighter, with a sort of mish mash of shades to blend it all in, from having various shades of ginger and red all my life. So my hair ranges from dark to blonde/grey bits at the moment and most of my olive green and khaki clothes don't really work any more. I have dyed most of them teal and petrol blues.
This has worked because, like some others here, I am now buying better quality clothes in natural fibres.
I'm not giving up black, but luckily, it doesn't look too bad on my older face. I am giving up really high heels, though... with a heavy heart, I have some gorgeous shoes!

That I can’t wear high shoes any more due to arthritis in my legs. I can do a low wedge espadrille still, but fall over in higher ones. I think due to my foot dragging on the ground slightly. I’ve fallen in love with Vionic shoes as they’re so comfy even in low heels . I’ve promised myself I’m never going to buy Hotter though though I’m not sure vionic are much better.
Also I’ve started buying proper suppportive Seam free bras. As my kids said I looked as though I was braless in my soft stretch ones. I’d never quite got used to the change from A-Dd cup.

These threads fascinate me. I'm fascinated at how many women feel conservative is better as they age & how many women feel that they finally know what suits them. I'm late 30s & always changing. However I want to always feel awesome wearing a look of, say, all-black-with-statement-fuschia-earrings

Elledorado, you wear what you want. I still wear black and bright colours and dress the same as I always did. I’m not even convinced that buying better quality always works ( exception being knitwear and coats).These days there are no hard and fast rules about what not to wear as you mature.I see 70 year olds wearing the same as teenagers and often looking better than the majority of them.

Now in my 40s and can't wear even lowish heels or wedged heels anymore which is a bummer as I'm only 4 ft 10 . I've embraced brogues and for winter and elegant flat sandals for summer. The En Brogue blog has been very helpful.

Having taken up running in the last few years I will now happily wear shorts as my legs are nice and toned - I lived in capri pants during my 30s but shorts actually look much better with my proportions.

Late 30s here - have adopted lots of the same ideas as pps and am very pleased with the changes. I tend to hang on to things a long time and realised I was often dressing in a way that too young for me almost by accident as I didn’t see my clothes objectively anymore - eventually I did a proper cull of my wardrobe with this in mind!

For me, the main changes have been:

Knee-length skirts (no shorter - my legs are definitely not up to it)

No black near my face

Better skincare

No more eyeshadow; less makeup in general; can’t be bothered with coloured nail polish anymore - clear all the way

Fewer, better quality clothes

Never wear heels anymore

No costume jewellery

Yy to natural fabrics

But my best tip of all is finding a good tailor and having things altered to fit. So worth it!

I got my hair highlighted as a teenager, then bleached blonde when I was 16. I grew it out 3 years later and would never put any kind of colour in my hair again.
That's it really. I've never worn makeup and still don't. I've always been a big jewellery person. Had acrylic nails for 12 years now. Never worn heels really.

I toned down the goth a lot a bit (still wear a lot of black and big black boots when it's cold but the ripped fishnets, brocade corsets and lace gloves have disappeared)

I stopped wearing high heels unless I'm definitely not going to be walking anywhere.

I wear a lot less high waisted stuff.

All three concessions are due to having ds and no longer having the time/inclination to wear what I used to.

Approaching 40 and in the last 5 years I've:

Ditched Primark undies for better fitting bras and seamless pants. And some Spanx. Clothes definitely hang better.

Stopped with the heavy black eyeliner flick on top lid and full face makeup. I think I look better with just some mascara, blusher and tinted lipgloss.

Switched to classic cuts with a limited colour pallet and good quality fabrics. Thanks to eBay i have some lovely timeless designer pieces.

Become obsessed with making sure my whites stay brilliant white and dark clothes are not faded. And ironed perfectly.

Ditched big, clunky statement jewellery for simple fine jewellery. I don't wear it on a daily basis but have treated myself to a vintage Rolex which I wear everyday.

Stopped lightening my naturally black/dark brown hair, no more highlights etc. Hair looks and feels healthier and I don't have that cheap faded, dry ends look anymore. It's usually tied up in a ponytail (instant facelift )

Banned peep toe shoes. There is nothing good about peep toe. Pointy classic stilettos in black or nude otherwise flats/loafer style. And no concealed heels/platform.

Been wearing smart belts with my jeans/trousers.

Bought a few large silk square scarves to drape over shoulders (and add a bit of colour) but haven't used them yet.

Become too lazy to wear dresses/skirts - too much of a faff with having to shave m/wax. My uniform for going out in the evenings now is blazers and jeans. Boring but easy.

Stopped seeing clothes as seasonal. I no longer differentiate between summer wardrobe and winter wardrobe. Most things I wear can be layered to suit the weather.

Learned that floaty tops are a no-no for my broad shoulders.

Almost 50.

I used to have a chin to shoulder length bob, but I have grown it out to long. I think I look younger and better for it, at least from the back.

I use a lot of facial oils, in addition to moisturisers. I cannot moisturise my face enough. It is all about dewy, not matt, foundation.

I have to draw in my eyebrows, as otherwise my face and eyes fade away.

Less quirky clothes. Less black. More dresses.

Show less leg and upper arm.

I’m 51 and have overhauled my skin care regime (face and body) completely this year - new products and more gentle treatments. The skin on my hands and elbows and neck and décolleté looks SO much softer and has gained in elasticity. I use Bioderma shower oil with a very gentle hemp (barely) exfoliating glove, and then Bioderma body lotion for very dry skin. Feet are exfoliated regularly and I use the Santa Maria Novella foot cream.

Glad to see a few people who have gone down the ‘wear what I like’ route. Classic just doesn’t work for me - I need comfortable clothes, I don’t like structured items and I don’t have the budget/lifestyle/figure for classic pieces.

I am at a ‘style crossroads’ and I am considering going back to the hippyish/boho look of my youth, as I enjoy wearing that style of clothes (if I can find them again!).

As a previous poster said, no-one’s looking, so I might as well enjoy myself.

Oh do it KittyB52 about 4 years ago I bought a pair of proper (as opposed to Hush lounge wear) harems, I have never looked back. They may not be considered stylish, but I think they are beautiful, and as I said before, I don't care what anyone else thinks. Have a look at Forgotten Tribes online.