Is it wrong to want to look glamorous?

[Appalonia]

I've always loved dressing up, love wearing make up, beautiful colours and luxurious fabrics. I loathe the current fashion for lounge wear and sports wear. I was on the bus recently and it stopped at a university, and all the young pp were wearing dark coloured leggings or jeans with dark coloured puffa jackets. God, it makes me feel so depressed! It's like a drab uniform with no individuality. When I was a student, we didn't have much money, but we went to charity shops and found amazing things to wear and pp really made an effort. That's never left me and I love expressing myself through clothes and jewellery. Why do so many pp, especially young women just want to look so drab...?

You can wear what you want, you can’t control what others wear. It’s depressing that you’re so judgmental about how young women dress.
“Glamorous” is a very male gaze centric look which is exactly why it’s fallen out of fashion right now.

I’m pleased they are feeling fine to wear what they want and be comfortable, about time. I was watching something recently where someone was wearing stilettos the other day and wondered what on earth possessed me to try some back in the day. Thank goodness I didn’t wear them very much and my feet didn’t end up deformed by them as my Mum’s feet did or I would be in much more difficulty than I already am now I have inflammatory arthritis attacking the joints in my feet.

Nothing wrong with wanting to look glamorous if that floats your boat but don’t judge everyone by your view as it is just that, your opinion and taste and others are different.

I suggest watching what older women (and men) wear instead, op. Much more interesting.

I quite like the baggy clothes look, it looks very comfy. Unfortunately I'm short so it is impossible to find jeans that look similarly baggy without being ridiculous.

I welcome low rise jeans coming in though. I look very stupid in high rise!

I think it's great that young women dress for comfort rather than to look 'glamorous'. I love that heels are out of fashion - what hideously uncomfortable things we used to squeeze ourselves into to try and impress men! I love no longer feeling obliged to wear a face full of chemical laden make up, getting in my eye's and mouth. I have no interest in clothes or fashion, both seem shallow and pointless to me. I buy my clothes in Primark/ebay once or twice a year and spend my money on travel instead. But different people have different priorities, if fashion is your love then you do you.

Sounds like you still do now. What’s your beef? Why do you care so much what other generations wear? It’s peculiar.

personally I’m in my 50s and aesthetically driven and personally I find a riot of colour and texture an assault to my senses. I like the calmness of neutrals and natural fibres. But I’m not criticising you. Because it’s not my issue what you wear.

I’m surprised people still think travel is a high minded thing to do. Hope you’re not going by plane.

See, I don’t think anything you describe sounds fun or amazing - it sounds horrible, frankly.

I dress for comfort and always have done - I don’t care about looking glamorous or fun or wearing bright colours.

I also find it really odd that you think people need to dress a certain way in order to enjoy their youth

Doesn't sound amazing to me either, sounds like a complete mess. I do remember a few people
dressing like this when I was a teen but they were very much the minority and seemed a bit intimidating / showoffy.

I’m not at all a fan of dark colours or grey/khaki en masse (as opposed to individually). I got torn to pieces on here once for starting a thread saying how depressing it was that almost everyone was wearing black winter coats.
I’ve developed much more of an interest in clothes in middle age as I can trawl Vinted for lovely and interesting stuff without hurting my wallet or the planet. But I could never imagine aspiring to ‘glamour’ - that’s a word I’d associate with Dynasty in the 80s or maybe Russian oligarchs’ wives, all glossy and wearing big shades and uncomfortable heels.

When we were younger, we would be horrified to turn up in the same outfit as someone else. Now they all need an identical North Face jacket in order to fit in and not get anxiety.

Really? I was young in the 70s and we were all wearing pretty much the same thing.

I'm with you OP. A day in black is a day wasted imo 😂

I wear a lot of bright colours. They suit le as a dark skinned person.

But your obsession with how other people dress is a bit odd.

Eh, I'm 28 and never cared much how people dressed. I grew up in the 2000s so very much jeans/T-shirts vibes. I didn't have money as a teen to dress how I wanted because we were so poor, now I'm an adult I love being able to dress how I want. You'd probably judge what I choose to wear but I personally don't pay attention to fashion trends or what other people are wearing. As a teen I would wear long sleeves to cover my self harm. I don't think anyone should be judged for their clothing tbh. This outfit makes me feel 'glamorous' in my own way.

I honestly don’t think all people have the money to look glamorous even if they want to. Cost of living is sky high. Shops offer basic, badly made clothing at high prices. Fashion chains don’t make clothes like they used to, with natural decent fabrics, unusual detailing/stitching, cut or trims and if they do it’s out of most people’s price range. Combine that with the ridiculously fast trend cycle and fashion inspiration becoming identikit from social media and it’s a recipe for killing style individuality and being able to even attain it. Even charity shops are pretty full of badly made crap stuff.
It’s a shame but I wouldn’t say it’s a choice these days, there is just no choice.

Other women don't owe you, or anyone, an explanation for how they dress. You do your thing, they do theirs.

I was a 1977 punk who worked on farms and dressed myself in army surplus and jumble sale finds that I customised with paint, pins and scissors.

Christ knows what people of my mother's generation (who were all dressed like Princess Margaret/Hyacinth Bouquet) thought of me.

Youth fashion is just that. It's not designed to meet the approval of the older generation, quite the opposite. Our daughters are wearing beige co ords and hoodies precisely so they wont be like us.

In my sixties now and living in a market town known for its 'ahem' alternative style and the place is absolutely, fabulously, riotously heaving with people of all ages dressing exactly as they gloriously please ....from young girls in Japanese cartoon style tights to punk grandmas buying mohair yarn at the wool shop.

Wear what you like. Pearls or safety pins. Life's rich tapestry.

Because Kim Kardashians wears plain clothes as the photograph better for instagram

Even I, obsessed by clothes all my life, wore jeans and desert boots day to day as a student, and saved my interesting outfits for the evening. From what I've seen, a lot of young people are still getting dressed up to Go Out. In fact some even wear heels. (Not that I go to the same places as them any more but Whatsapp is a wonderful thing.) And as other posters have already said, at events like weddings and graduations, some of them really go to town, even more than I ever did.

What I think has gone, at least where I am - and here I do sympathise with you op - is the constant, ever changing street style. I miss that too. Yes there are still alternative dressers around but... how can I say this without causing offence, oh what the hell .. to a lot of us over 40, they don't look very alternative anymore.

I can speculate as to why this is happening - I guess social media and yada yada yada - but I imagine it's also that fashion has, at least for now, lost a lot of its power to shock, and that young people have found other ways to wind us up.

And also op, what the hell is this?
And if you can't dress up and look amazing as a teen or a young women, then when can you...?
When I'm looking out for people in interesting clothes, it's invariably older women and men I spot these days. So my advice is to forget young people and change your focus.

I think there is more pressure on younger women to fit in though and social media does kinda sell the image of 'quiet luxury' and athleisure as being the thing to wear.
Probably why so much black and neutral going on (may not look very put together to the OP but its probably what is fashionable right now).

I get what somebody earlier was saying about black coats in winter though. Nothing more depressing then an entire high st full of people who look like they are going to a funeral!😄

lol very true. I had a close work colleague years ago who ALWAYS made her face up and curled her long thick hair. I remember one day we had a dress down day and I had my hair tied back as usual, plaid shirt, jeans and trainers and she turned up in jeans, fitted nice top and heels and I said something like “I don’t think you can do casual” and after a second of looking confusing she solemnly said “I think you’re right”. And then we both burst out laughing and for some reason thought it was v hilarious 😅

Yes, one black coat is just a black coat and might be quite nice. When a whole high street or train carriage is full of them it gives the vibe of a nation in mourning, or at least deep depression. But last time I mentioned this on MN I was told to check my privilege and that people could only afford one coat and it must be suitable for wearing to funerals and not show dirt. So my nice blue winter coat off Vinted basically makes me the out-of-touch elite. It still makes me happy though.

I can’t remember who it was who said “it’s better to be fabulously over-dressed than fabulously under-dressed” (probably Patsy!) but now I’m older I go with it. My Dd has friends who do dress with imagination and flair, and it’s wonderful to see. She prefers baggy jeans and a t-shirt, I think she would love to be more adventurous but has that teen thing of going with the majority.

The market town I live near does have a culture of dressing smartly on a Saturday. There will be lots of people dressed comfy, and a significant minority who will have put thought into their outfit. It’s great fun, particularly when it’s Hat Festival. At New Year some even go out to the in or local informal restaurant in full black tie and long evening dresses. I might be brave enough to join them next year.

I like to have as my motto "Never knowingly underdressed" 😂

I’m a young adult and my first thought was: why expect people to look glamorous on a bus of all things? It’s the most unglamorous of transport methods!

Of course the general public are going to be seen in jeans & leggings on a bus to university. Your examples of Tight green satin trousers, a leopard skin dress, red suede pointy lace up boots, are a bit much for lectures. It’s not really an occasion that warrants being “glamorous”, especially for broke students that can’t afford a car…

I do tend to wear gym sets or baggy sweaters as a default for daywear if I’m not working, as I find it refreshing. A couple of years ago and everything was skin tight/bodycon, I’m enjoying being able to wear oversized stuff in peace and not have to think about what my figure looks like. Plus I can actually go to the gym or Pilates before/after whatever I’m doing so it’s practical.

However I do make more of an effort if I’m going out to dinner or something. But for everyday errands, you’re not getting glamorous from me!