How to look more modern

[Nightmarenextdoor]

I went to a trade event at the weekend (creative industry) and was really aware of feeling not quite right. Maybe it was the heat, maybe the weight I’ve put on over lockdown or maybe I’m dressing like I did 18 months/2 years ago and everyone else has moved on.

I like simple comfy clothes but with a bit of an edge - thinking maybe I’ve lost the edge!

Any ideas how to update myself a bit?

@fraddu

I said older women, it wasn't meant to be a slight. I'm in my late 30s & love fashion, I was a buyer for years. I just meant that in general it's younger women who make & embrace trends first which is my interpretation of modern.

I know, honestly, I was amused I promise. Just think it's funny

I used to have such a thing about bags! Now just swap between my various, much-used, Mimi Berrys and a couple of oversized bum bags from Arket/& Other Stories. Will resuscitate my laptop-holding backpacks when I go back to the office. My cross-body bags will have to be prised from my cold, dead shoulders.

As various people have said already, it so depends on your personal style and age. I'm late 40s and like Trayslounge, Anna Cascarina and Kate Hiscox (Wearsmymoney), keep my eye on the print mags too for both personal and professional reasons. Increasingly in fact I feel the need to stay relevant in the way I present myself in order to appear still relevant at work. 50 is a bit of a cliff-edge in a lot of industries, especially if you're a woman (this is probably a separate thread!)

I think hair is important too, a modern cut and styling can make even basic outfits look so much better.

Shoes definitely can change the look too - little prairie dresses with dainty strappy sandals wouldn't look as modern as wearing the clumpy flintstone feet sandals. I always look at shoe styles on the catwalks because they are generally a year ahead, so they help you to know what's coming in terms of clothing.

Who decides this stuff? Who says white trainers and Little House on the Prairy dresses are in? Or owls/llamas/dachshunds/palm leaves?

Who decides this stuff? Who says white trainers and Little House on the Prairy dresses are in?

Clothing retailers and fashion magazines/bloggers/PR

These are things that look instantly dated right now:
High heels
Bodycon anything
Shift dresses
Side parting in hair
Ballet flats

What’s in:
Chunky flat sandals
Voluminous dresses
Layered jewellery

ballet flats are actually back in, it's the whole casual slipper thing.

@fraddu

ballet flats are actually back in, it's the whole casual slipper thing.

This is true, vis Angelina Jolie on the cover of Vogue a few months ago. Caused a minor stir on S&B at the time.

Guardian link again, but did anyone else read this piece last week? V interesting from the 20somethings vs the rest of us perspective (and I speak as Gen X!). The side/centre parting thing reminded me of it:

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jul/17/do-i-look-cheugy-in-this-what-can-a-gen-z-makeover-teach-me-about-life

When I hear the word 'modern' I don't think so much about seasonal trends but more about shape and proportion and, at the risk of sounding like a wanker, the general zeitgeist. I like to keep an eye on the trends too but I can take or leave following them, whereas I do like to look modern.

I just think the trends influence the zeitgeist but perhaps it's because I worked in fashion & we took our lead from catwalks & the in-house design team in what we offered on the high street.

But I agree you can look modern with a slight change to a normal outfit without having to resort to wearing all the trends at once.

@Zinnia just read that article. God gen Z's are annoying! 😆 As a millennial I definitely realised when shops stopped targeting me, there is so much cheap shite out there these days. I don't use insta anymore because yes it's too samey & algorithm driven but never been on tic tok.

I’m really glad I started this thread, I agree with so much of what’s been said and it’s helped me realise I only want to tweak my look rather than changing everything to be super trendy - the suggestion of flatform sandals instead of my beloved flipflops is spot on.

@Floisme I work in design so I sometimes sound like a wanker without even realising it 😂 but I completely agree with you about ‘the zeitgeist’

Also this:

I think well-fitting but loose-cut basics are the way - my office attire is a t-shirt with culottes and flat sandals, or a simple dress. Woman in my office has worn bodycon style dresses with dinky cardigans for about 5 years, and suddenly she looks very dated against everyone else's looser look.

I’ve never wished or had any reason to dress like that but I agree that Apprentice candidate type style looks incredibly dated now.

"Apprentice style candidate" - that is so true!
Running around in high heels and tight pencil skirts and dresses. It really looks dated now, as well as impractical!

I’m 62 and like to have a somewhat edgy look. I do keep an eye on trends, but won’t be ruled by them. So at the moment, loose dresses? Yes. Little House on the Prairie collars and sleeves? Absolutely no! I love having fun with fashion. As an eco aware and generally careful about my footprint, I feel a bit guilty about how many new clothes I buy (although I don’t go for exploitative fashion). So I’m no angel.

I am surprised though, at how seriously some women on the thread are taking fashion ‘rules’. I do get that in some industries, it’s important to look ‘right’, but going beyond that to “will my bag look dated’? And Angelina Jolie causing a stir by wearing ballet flats. Isn’t that a bit too much? Fashion should be fun, not punitive and without wanting to bore anyone, taking it extremely seriously is a very, created first world problem, when there are so many important things out there to be concerned about. Just a thought, not condemning anyone.

Follow ‘wears my money’. She’s excellent. I’ve ditched my formal jacket for a looser khaki one and feel more up to date already.

@Nightmarenextdoor if you like flip flops platform/chunky thongs might be a good update.

I love wearsmymoney I have bought so many things on her suggestion! I agree the chunky flat form sandals are a good suggestion, I was going to post a link but I’m struggling to find any that aren’t Arizona Love ones

@superram

Follow ‘wears my money’. She’s excellent. I’ve ditched my formal jacket for a looser khaki one and feel more up to date already.

Ooh can I ask where you found a good jacket please?

I think @AnnieSnap it's just about having the knowledge squirreled away in my brain when I'm replacing the worn out things. So my purchases are considered rather than stuck in a decade old rut. And I can now feel confident wearing what my husband called my Dutch divorcee wide leg Cos trousers from five years ago when we were still in the skinny silouette (I knew you'd all catch up with me).

It also gets me away from the sad sales corner, I don't need to be tempted by a statement necklace or lightweight scarf even at 70% off if it will keep me stuck in a time warp, particularly if these trends that people here are highlighting will be with us for awhile.

I think @AnnieSnap is spot on and I totally agree with everything she says. Have fun, be creative enough to follow the trends in a way that suits you, think sustainability and certainly don't be a slave to it. How many of us have let getting an outfit for a specific function consume our every waking moment only to get there and think why did I worry, pretty much anything goes?

@Moulesvinrouge1 M&S have some pretty nice flat form sandals

https://www.marksandspencer.com/leather-flatform-flip-flops/p/clp60493608?extid=smiggoshoppablefeeddwomen&utmsource=IGShopping&utmm_medium=Social

LOL! I hear you @TeardropImplodes

@Moulesvinrouge1 I ordered these 2 khaki jackets and kept the New Look one....

I love these tan chunky sandals but they're over £300 so I'm trying to find something similar but cheaper!