What would you wear....

[Yatzydog]

I am a teacher. We had a non-uniform activity/Sports day yesterday. I was just supervising. All the other teachers and kids were in mufti.

I wore blue levi jeans. Not skinny, but fitted and turn ups. DM chelsea boots, black t-shirt and khaki denim jacket. God I felt a relic from another age. I am 50 and have aimed for a grunge/boho/rock look over the years. Sometimes successful, other times just a bit scruffy.

All the other teachers were in athleisure leggings (a look that doesn't work for me).

What would you have worn? Note it was about 16 degrees, sunny and no rain.

My way of thinking is that it sounded great ,especially as you know leggings don't suit you. I would have gone for jeans and a t-shirt so possibly similar to what you chose .Did you feel ok with what you wore as it sounds fine to me. I don't have DM's myself but I see nothing wrong with that. I am retired now and wear jeans a lot.

Sounds like a solid outfit choice to me. You dont have to wear athleisure just because everybody else is.
(maybe Im not the best judge tho....over 50 and currently wearing dungarees with big orange flowers on them. Id be laughed out of the school!LOL).

I would have worn some comfortable joggers and a polo shirt if it was work and trainers.

God, your outfit does sound a bit depressing, @Yatzydog. (Sorry!) Grunge / boho / rock these days looks like Simone Rocha; Molly Goddard, Chopova Lowena. None of which, admittedly, would be ideal for a school day.

Obviously you don’t have to wear (ghastly) stretchy athleisure. (I certainly wouldn’t have.) But if not required to actually engage in anything strenuous I might have chosen either:

a midi length t shirt dress,

or

a denim skirt and white or at least not black t shirt

(I’m probably thinking of Community Clothing, or the MHL section of Margaret Howell. That sort of thing.)

I certainly wouldn’t be thinking about channelling some outdated idea of counter culture protest through clothing - because that would be an odd look on a middle aged school teacher …

Athleisure is so boring and bland so I wouldn't be doing that. I'd be in blue jeans of some description (not skinny) with trainers and some kind of cardigan, v neck/relaxed. Even though DMs are quite fashionable, I feel a bit alien when I wear anything other than trainers for daytime and even for evening.

Yeah I would have absolutely worn trainers , probably a white t shirt as daytime. It does all sound a bit ‘heavy’

Wear whatever you're happy with and feel comfortable in. I have a 90s grunge theme to my daily dress most of the time and adore my DMs.

But the point is, @soccermum10, that the OP wore what she’s previously been comfortable in - and did not feel happy with how she looked.

She’s asking for advice on how to evolve her style.

I can’t decide if this post is more hilarious or depressing. It’s certainly both,

Why the hell shouldn’t a middle aged teacher be a bit boho or grungy if she wants to?

Our mufti days usually involve jeans or dresses and trainers, whatever the age. I don’t remember seeing anybody in the Sweaty Betty type outfits described in the OP.

Not exactly. She's asking what everyone else would have worn. You can feel fine in what you're wearing till you start noticing other people's dress sense. It shouldn't matter

Actually … On a human level it does matter. That’s why the S&B board exists. As human beings we use clothes and general appearance to assess each other constantly - who’s likely to be dangerous / compliant / a leader / a drug addict / a good father - and we all consciously or subconsciously seek to demonstrate our membership of whatever group through our wardrobe choices.

The OP has decided she does not want to represent the group titled ‘Relic From Another Age’. That’s why she’s here.

And yet you seem to think Margaret Howell would make her cutting edge?

Where was ‘cutting edge’ mentioned, @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie? I may have missed it. I answered the question What would you wear? with a couple of examples of brands and items I might choose, in the OP’s circumstances. I can’t see where wanting to be cutting edge would be relevant in that situation. I would be aiming to look rather conventional, if anything.

Both your outfit and the OP’s would be entirely appropriate for the occasion- but you’re assuming yours has superiority and have been pretty vile about the OP’s. Cutting edge was perhaps the wrong term, but it was a reaction to your ‘relic’.

Solid conventional outfit choice for a 50-something off duty teacher I'd have said.
Classic look rather than 'relic from another age'
We all have different levels of desire to conform tho, and it can sneak up on us.

Sounds absolutely fine to me - a bit badass, which will never go out of style!

You could try tweaking your silhouette a little, while keeping the same aesthetic. Jeans that are a bit higher-waisted and wider in the leg. T-shirts that are more fitted and/or shorter in length.

I bought my first ever cropped jumper last year (at 50yo), and love wearing it with high-waisted jeans - it feels so different.

I definitely don't think you sound like a relic!
I agree with what someone said about updating the silhouette slightly. If I were wearing similar style I would maybe go for looser jeans, high waisted - maybe barrel leg although they are widely hated on here. With either a cropped boxy or fitted tucked in white t-shirt and maybe an oversized shacket rather than a classic denim jacket. I think DM boots are fine but probably a bit heavy for a sunny day so I'd have gone for trainers/Birkenstocks.

If I were dressing for sports day I'd probably have gone for the "ghastly athleisure" and looked "bland and boring" (as previous posters said) - probably wide leg joggers, fitted t-shirt and a hoody or track jacket.
Honestly don't know why people are so catty about clothing items they dont like!

Baukjen trousers, sleeveless golf shirt, sweatshirt and rocketdog pumps or Nike trainers is my go to for sports day. Or sometimes I wear my usual school clothes with pumps instead of shoes if it's a mufti day rather than sports day itself. I might wear a skort if the weather is baking in sports day.

I teach primary and my class do not like it if I don't wear my usual clothes.

Younger colleagues wear athleisure, some wear school tracksuits (have to buy it yourself so that's a no as sports staff get theirs bought for them).

If I didn't have to do anything sporty, I'd probably have worn linen or chambray wide leg trousers with trainers, a coloured tee and a shirt over it.

I’d probably have worn wide legged trousers with a fitted top and flatform trainers.

Or a black fitted vest dress I’ve just bought from Uniqlo that I can’t stop wearing. I’m wearing it today with a boxy orange cardigan/jacket and DM sandals. A woman in M&S asked me where it was from earlier, so now I think I’m a style maven 😂