What little updates are you adopting to stay current?

[Maising]

I'm trying to make a few changes to keep looking current; I thought it might be helpful for others to add theirs too. I have found it's very easy to suddenly take a look around and find that things have moved on without me noticing 😁, especially as I'm working with ever increasing younger colleagues.

Disclaimer- these are just observations, I am not saying they are all correct or that anyone has to do them.

• wide leg trousers instead of slim/skinny for work
• flat shoes for work
• sports socks instead of trainer socks
• less eyeshadow

Marjoritively its just dressing for my body shape.

My personal look for the last 20 or so years is because I'm pear shaped but with wide shoulders and big feet with pale skin and red hair. That means I big round the hips/thighs and tiny round the waist boobs. So flared or boot cut jeans/trousers balance my wide hips best. I tend to focus the tightest part around my waist as its most flattering but wide shouldered items (like shoulder pads that can be removed or blouson sleeve, necessary for comfort) and usually V necked (full leg cover and full sleeves can look very covered otherwise). I cannot wear pointy toe shoes or I look like sideshow bob so round toe is best. I avoid white as I'm clumsy (stains) and Irished skined so it washes me out.

It's basically just what fits best and flatters most that was found by trial and error in my youth, it comes in and out of style randomly. It's only just starting to change a bit now as I'm starting to get a belly in my middle age too but that just means looking for stuff flared below the tight waist, no longer getting away with tight round belly or cropped.

I guess the personality of the 'style' bit comes into if you like any patterns embellishments like rhinestones or polka dots or sequins or plaid etc... or which colors you prefer which only you can decide and stamp onto the cut of clothing that flatters you.

why are there always people on these kinds of threads so eager to jump in and scoff.

they're surely one of the most tedious subgroups on this site.

Loving all the tips, even though, or maybe because I have very (fashion) critical 40year old DD, 30 year old DD (very cool) and a delightful 23 year old (knows all there is to know re trends ) DGD
😊❤️

Has it ever crossed your mind that by enjoying these kind of discussions we are in fact very happily “doing us”, thanks.

Yes to this.

I’ve just taken a maxi skirt out the back of my wardrobe which I last wore in 2005 and I think is very much back in fashion now. Dd saw me wearing it and accused me of copying her as she has just bought a similar one and I took great pleasure in telling her it’s nearly as old as she is!

Some people really struggle to read the room 🙄

Damn.

I'd be exhausted just keeping up.

Seriously I'd need to pay people to keep up.

But I can't afford people to keep up.

x

@RampantIvy Im aware of that, I used to be a buyer. When I said high street, I meant it would be on trend eg everyone wearing them and shops highlighting them in campaigns, mannequins etc. You can buy loads of styles in the shops all the time but that doesn’t mean something is on trend.

This reminds me - I used to do this with my glasses (specs not sunglasses) in the 90s and my mum despaired for my eyesight, with me peering through them with head at strange angle. I thought they looked much cooler halfway down my nose.

Now late 40s with varifocals, they’re pushed right up to the bridge of my nose but I’m still peering through them at a funny angle to type this. 😜😂

Totally agree! These types always have to come these threads, they are so bloody pompous and condescending.

I very much care what I wear and getting the outfit right gives me much joy and pleasure.

I absolutely love the current sock fashion I have a midaxi dress as well as a denim skirt and now love wearing them with longer length sport socks & high tops. I don’t wear sport socks at the gym though as they would make my ankles too hot. They are absolutely de rigeour with the younger female demographic though.

I’ve noticed shops like M&S and Oliver Bonas selling some really funky socks now. I got a feeling they will very quickly become another “jazzy” cross body bag strap.

Hah! When I read the ‘what little updates’ … I assumed this referred to digital literacy. What new time-saving apps, new programmes, etc.!

Hurrah! there is another person here who loves a sports sock!!LOL😄
Personally this current trend is actually working in my favour. I have horrible ankles (swollen and lumpy) and Ive always worn higher socks, although I do scrunch them abit and not pull them to the heavens!
Also I never get my legs out due to varicose veins so maxi length is perfect.

The other day I bought a denim maxi and a cargo maxi skirt that I plan on wearing with trainers/baseball boots and sports socks.
I can pretend its for fashion now and not to hide my 'weird' bits!!LOL😅

@crowisland an app to tell me what to wear everyday would be great!

I am embarrassed to say M & S. I nipped in for plain t shirts and came out with the aforementioned wide jeans, black poplin skirt, and a sort of coral orange textured day dress. Quite the haul and I'm really happy with everything, they're clearly having a moment.

People that post on S&B DO care. It’s a group for talking about fashion ffs.

If you’re not interested, just move on.

I'd add to the overall debate by saying this: I actually don't buy a lot of clothes, I expect my clothes to work hard for me, and when they're worn out I thank them for their service and donate them as appropriate, THEN I carefully assess what I need to buy to replace them.

I needed new summer stuff (hence post about getting a bunch of M&S stuff up thread, I haven't bought summer stuff for around five years). I also needed a new pair of jeans as my go to ones had worn away at the crotch. They were straight. A couple of years ago they would have been skinny. Now they're replaced with a wide crop. Surely that's how everyone shops, really, if they're not buying outfits for specific occasions? It's not about slavishly following trends, it's about saying I now have a requirement for this garment, so what's the updated look, what's going to make me feel and look good, and what new style or silhouette might make me feel excited and happy to put that garment on my body.

I’ve been making feeble attempts to look more current. I have wide leg jeans and what I think are fashionable trainers. I also have a bag that’s similar to the Uniqlo one. I’m trying to look current while sticking to what suits me.

To a previous poster who enquired- I’m 5’3 with proportionately short legs. Wide leg trousers do look nice, surprisingly. I haven’t gone for cropped though. I feel they would shorten my legs further and I am thick of ankle.

I entirely disagree. Teenagers have access to social media and mediocrity at its best at a cheap price. Any fashion ideas they have is some diluted version of an idea of someone much older with an emphasis on quality and structure that has been created for the mass teenage mass market.

I don’t see teenagers as the arbiters of style. Yes, they can be ahead of trends but loads of people aren’t stylish including many teenagers. And a stylish 20 yr old tends to still be a stylish 40 yr old or 60 yr old.

I also think it’s nice for teens to have their own trends. As an 90s tween/teen we dressed very different from our parents & there were also different trends rather than everyone following one look & individual shops had their own distinct handwriting. Something switched in the 00s and everything became a lot more homogenous, shops started selling the same thing and everyone started to dress a lot more similar.

Agree. I’ve mostly been wearing the same style since the early 90’s….which was 60’s inspired. I’ve now gone a bit more dark academic though and stick with soft autumn colours. Also like a flared 50’s style dress and tend to go for those in summer without tights and more of a sixties mini skirt/dress in winter with tights. I’m 51 and plan on continuing this look.

White socks pulled up have always been hideous and why force yourself to wear wide legged trousers when they’re not flattering?

Judging on being out in town today no way would I want to look like a teenager!

In fact, when I parked up home I saw my NDN’s DD from up the road out and said hi to her (with friends) I’ve not seen her properly for ages and her hair which used to be short and curly is now long and curly and she has the usual teenager clothes on, she’s about 13 though. It was funny as I’d seen her and her friends singing along to Amy Winehouse’s Valerie playing from a block of flats! Cute.

I popped into Primark and of course their Ganni dupe white blouse was sold out and their crochet skirt and top set and I didn’t see anything else I liked. Went into Next and saw a long yellow striped skirt but when I tried it on it just wasn’t me. Saw their long ballerina poplin skirts but only in navy. Saw a few pairs of wide legged trousers but wasn’t sure about them.

Three years ago, I was starting to get a little stir crazy but still avoiding People and their Virus. All my clothes were over ten years old and it showed. I'd noticed fashion reclaiming the '90s looks I'd loved back then (and, before that, in the '70s!) so, enthused by an idea that I'd soon be back in The Outdoors, I reallocated all my budgets and splurged online.

I'm now the happy owner of loads of wide-leg trousers, wide-flared jeans, long skirts, trainers with massive platform soles, wedge sandals with massive platform soles, baggy tops and loose, high-waisted dresses. The envisaged social return never happened for me, so this wardrobe mostly gets worn to the shops and back 😏

2024's project is a declutter, so I expect my joyful foray into current/revived fashion will end up pleasing a lot of Ebay shoppers (also see: leather shoulder bags in fun colours; gold jewellery with multi-coloured gemstones).

I do particularly love this type of large-volume clothing, though. I agree tight-and-skinny never went away and is trying hard to stage an early return. It's not a look that suits me - I simply didn't have any jeans while they were all skinny, and am no longer slim or fit enough to wear slim-fitted clothing to good effect. (I mean, I wear leggings a lot but the effect is not what you'd call stylish!)

All of which was a bit of a pointless ramble to say I am actually current, but will still be clomping around in my hefty shoes and high-coverage outfits when the fashion forward have returned to clothes that might as well be body paint and are re-learning how to walk in shoes with minimal ground contact.

It's fun. I do enjoy fashion, while being content to opt out of whole phases for myself. I'd also say the only truly new development I've seen in years (bum-scrunchers excepted) is the big, floaty, constructed dress. If I ever went 'out' out, I would definitely have a few of them. I've got a couple of daywear versions.

My small-time update forecast? Shoulder pads. Really!