Ageing and Women’s Fashion – Who makes up these crazy rules?
‘I’d like to meet the people who police our wardrobes telling us what we can and cannot wear, especially when women reach a ‘certain age’.
As for the certain age, I’ve noticed its changes like the weather; one minute 40 is the new 30, then 50 is the new 40 and so it goes on. The other interesting discussion I was having recently, is the terminology used to describe older women, take for example the word mature, it’s also used to describe ‘cheese’, then there is ‘seasoned’, what’s with the food and cooking connotations?!
I know lots of women of varying ages, I find it amusing that an 18 year old wants to look and dress older, yet nothing is said; but heaven forbid an older women dresses to suit herself in a style that is considered for a youthful teen only, and she is considered to be ‘mutton dressed as lamb’. Have you noticed how the phrases used to describe older women have some negative undertone attached to it?
So just to set the record straight, a woman in her 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s plus, these women, they know stuff, and some of us are still figuring things out; newsflash, that’s called Life, we are constantly figuring things out. However, back to our wardrobes and what we can and cannot wear, lets start with the obvious, I know you’ll catch on:
- If its too tight and you can’t get into it, guess what you can’t wear it, but hey that applies to all ages.
- If its bright yellow and you don’t like bright yellow at all, what’s it doing in your wardrobe?
- If its tired, bobbled, and faded in colour then do the garment a favour and lay it to rest.
- If you are uncomfortable, wearing a dress or skirt that is too short for your taste then don’t wear it. Trying to lengthen the hemline by constantly pulling it down is not going to change anything, except draw attention to the fact that you are constantly trying to pull down your dress or skirt, you will feel miserable in the process, as guess what you are uncomfortable!
Simple facts not rules.
I’m now going to hand you over to one of my favourite women in fashion, Iris Apfel who at 96 and has no intention of retiring her wardrobe anytime soon.