when should you leave behind your style and buy suits and dress shoes? im 23 by the way
When you finish school, so around twenty-three to twenty-five. This is part-time, of course - your style should still apply to social outings in the evening. It isn't until around your mid-thirties where your style should be left behind. At this point, it's likely outdated anyway - and dressing like a teenager in your thirties is pretty strange.
That's what I've observed.
My opinion, though, is that your style should never be left behind. Stay true to yourself and have fun. :)
I would focus on dressing appropriate for the situation rather than age. 'Suits and dress shoes' are situational attire. Figure is also a factor. Madonna may be 'too old' according to convention to wear what she wears but she looks good in it, so who cares?
Ugg, what profession are you in that you are stuck with wearing suits and dress shoes endlessly? Editors are expected to be rather more casual most of the time, thankfully.
I don't think style is something you "leave behind." It's more something you adapt as you need to. I don't wear the same thing to an interview that I do to a party. But I still manage to be me either way. Similarly, as you age, you alter your style somewhat so that it remains flattering, but it doesn't have to disappear.
I dunno, it doesn't really bother me. I'm 28, and I manage to be age-appropriate - and yet distinctively hipster/andro/queer. Maybe it helps that my preferred style is a bit dressed up? Andro fashion tends towards that anyway. On the other hand I do keep sticking bits of metal into my body so... *shrug*.
To quote my favouritest website: "you do you."
When should you stop? Never! Why should you? Of course there are certain times such as a formal party or work related situation where one would have to dress appropriately, but thats more about occasion than age.
Quote from: Elsa.G on July 26, 2012, 12:49:32 AM
when should you leave behind your style and buy suits and dress shoes? im 23 by the way
I'm twice your age and I don't wear suits and dress shoes unless I was going for an interview.
Quote from: Forum Admin on July 26, 2012, 12:59:20 AM
I would focus on dressing appropriate for the situation rather than age. 'Suits and dress shoes' are situational attire. Figure is also a factor. Madonna may be 'too old' according to convention to wear what she wears but she looks good in it, so who cares?
Absolutely! and Madonna is not that much older than I am. Thank you for your analogy.
I think you dress for the situation. As long as you are comfortable and feel good and 'fit in' in the broadest sense of the term, well that is fine.
Wearing a clown costume to a funeral may not be appropriate, but then I went to a funeral were it was stipulated that people shroud wear bizarre and strange and funny clothes.
Modern fashion doesn't really dictate anything.
I conduct a lot of job interviews or I am on panels involved in them. Appropriate dress is noted, but to be honest cleanliness and good grooming is far higher on the observation and nasal scale than clothing, as long as it is neat and clean.
If you are female and running male dominated committees it is a little important to wear good modern clothing without looking too sexy. Guys get distracted very easily, but you can use that to your advantage as long as you are professional and totally none bimbo.
Sorry if this is sexist but dominant professional well dressed females do have an advantage in negotiations with guys who haven't learned the ropes >:-)
But clothes are fun, so wear what you want. :-*
I will never surrender >:-)
My wife is 63 and I get to choose all her clothes. She would choose something very dowdy, if I let her "because of my age, mutton, lamb etc" but I choose stuff for her that she looks good in and... she looks great.
My daughter is 33 and frequently laments that she wants my wife's clothes but it's more likely that I'll steal them as we're the same size. ;D ;)
Having said that if you're into teenage grunge you should give that up as soon as possible :P
As soon as you finish school, unless you're lucky, there's a fairly high chance that a division will appear between your favourite / normal clothes and your work clothes.
However, outside of that, remember that there's an age-appropriate version of pretty much every style and (almost) every age, or so I think.
All I can say is **** that noise, when I'm dead and burned.
I think this topic is a bit ageist. Older people can have style, its not just something for the young.
That's not really the point. Older people can have style, too, but something more sober is expected of them. Older adults who dress like teenagers will be seen as immature. For example, punk people might ditch the mohawk, wood glue made, coloured spikes for more subtle colourful highlights. Skater-like people might add an open button shirt over their favourite t-shirt, etc.
Everyone can have a style, but denying the influence of age on it isn't very wise, if you ask me. And no matter what reason says, sometimes a very bold look can look "daring but cool" on a young woman, but give the very same outfit to that person's mother, and it easily becomes silly-looking.
Not to mention that having grown up at different times, many older people's sense of a cool, youthful look is quite off. I'm not saying I'm any better, but a surprisingly high proportion of adults have their 80's or 90's or whatever look in mind and still think it looked okay. Well, I say that, but in 2020, my notion of "stylish" might become awful too.
I think that I feel somewhere between this:
Quote from: Cindy James on July 26, 2012, 04:13:11 AM
I think you dress for the situation
and this:
Quote from: Assoluta on July 26, 2012, 02:29:14 AM
Never!
I'd say it mostly leans to the latter though
Quote from: A on July 26, 2012, 09:12:53 AM
That's not really the point. Older people can have style, too, but something more sober is expected of them. Older adults who dress like teenagers will be seen as immature. For example, punk people might ditch the mohawk, wood glue made, coloured spikes for more subtle colourful highlights. Skater-like people might add an open button shirt over their favourite t-shirt, etc.
Everyone can have a style, but denying the influence of age on it isn't very wise, if you ask me.
Everyone should adhere to age appropriate, even the teenagers. But the title of the topic suggests that that your style and age appropriate are two distinctly different things. Someone in their early twenties should have already stopped dressing like a teenager to be honest but it doesn't mean your style has to be sacrificed in favor of dowdiness.
the clothes I wear don't really have an age thing to them., someone who is a third my age could get away with wearing it just as someone older than me can get away with it so long as they have some sort of decent figure. I see more variation in style due to weight than age to be honest.
Quote from: A on July 26, 2012, 09:12:53 AM
That's not really the point. Older people can have style, too, but something more sober is expected of them. Older adults who dress like teenagers will be seen as immature. For example, punk people might ditch the mohawk, wood glue made, coloured spikes for more subtle colourful highlights. Skater-like people might add an open button shirt over their favourite t-shirt, etc.
Everyone can have a style, but denying the influence of age on it isn't very wise, if you ask me. And no matter what reason says, sometimes a very bold look can look "daring but cool" on a young woman, but give the very same outfit to that person's mother, and it easily becomes silly-looking.
Not to mention that having grown up at different times, many older people's sense of a cool, youthful look is quite off. I'm not saying I'm any better, but a surprisingly high proportion of adults have their 80's or 90's or whatever look in mind and still think it looked okay. Well, I say that, but in 2020, my notion of "stylish" might become awful too.
i dont see whats wrong with having mohawk and or coloured hair when your 60 , i know a lot of older goths/punks
people are way to obssesed with conforming to whats " normal" instead of just doing what they want
Because the themes behind a mohawk evoke all but seriousness, maturity and reliability, and whilst rebel-ish things are okay and frequent in younger people, someone who's 60 and still doesn't look serious is going to fall lower in people's esteems.
Quote from: Jennifer.L on July 26, 2012, 06:27:56 AM
All I can say is **** that noise, when I'm dead and burned.
I love you, Jennifer! You are the bee's knees!
I'm 47 years old, and I love my waist length pink/blue/purple/jet black/turquoise/burgundy hair! My navel is pierced. My nose is pierced. I have a brand new tattoo over my heart. I intend to get another tattoo on my back later this month. I love beautiful high heel shoes, short skirts, low tops, bright nails sometimes in unusual colors, bright contact lenses in different colors, glamorous makeup, bright lips, excessively long bangs, each ear is pierced 4 times, I wear a lot of rings on my fingers, and I don't give a hoot what other 47 year olds are wearing.
I've said this before: I am a 47 year old long-time transitioned trans woman; if I cared what other people think about me, then I'd probably still be that miserable man that I use to pretend to be. I'm not havin' it! My spouse thinks I look great, and she LOVES my style. As a competitive pool player, I am frequently on display, bent over a pool table, with lots of people watching me clear the table with my hot pink pool cue.
I've got it... I'm flaunting it.
Looky here, I work in a conservative office environment... I work for the Catholic Church. I'm good at what I do, and I'm super happy and smiling nearly all the time. I'm comfortable in my own skin and people pick up on my confidence. The nuns and priests that I work with get use to my style; they enjoy my energy and my colorful pizazz roaming the halls. In my office I sit on a big inflated purple ball at my desk. Sister Judith often says when she introduces me to visitors, "This is Miharu; she is our office flair." The nuns see me and they can't help but smile. Many of them have to come up and pet my beautiful pink hair everytime they see me.
I'll give up the pink hair when I'm darn good and ready... when I'm darn good and ready is when it's appropriate for me to change my style... and not a minute before!
Hugs!
Miharu
Quote from: A on August 04, 2012, 09:18:00 PM
Because the themes behind a mohawk evoke all but seriousness, maturity and reliability, and whilst rebel-ish things are okay and frequent in younger people, someone who's 60 and still doesn't look serious is going to fall lower in some people's esteems.
I usually don't do this, but I added a word in bold to make this a more accurate comment.
Quote from: Miharu Barbie on August 04, 2012, 09:22:02 PM
I love you, Jennifer! You are the bee's knees!
I'm 47 years old, and I love my waist length pink/blue/purple/jet black/turquoise/burgundy hair! My navel is pierced. My nose is pierced. I have a brand new tattoo over my heart. I intend to get another tattoo on my back later this month. I love beautiful high heel shoes, short skirts, low tops, bright nails sometimes in unusual colors, bright contact lenses in different colors, glamorous makeup, bright lips, excessively long bangs, each ear is pierced 4 times, I wear a lot of rings on my fingers, and I don't give a hoot what other 47 year olds are wearing.
I've said this before: I am a 47 year old long-time transitioned trans woman; if I cared what other people think about me, then I'd probably still be that miserable man that I use to pretend to be. I'm not havin' it! My spouse thinks I look great, and she LOVES my style. As a competitive pool player, I am frequently on display, bent over a pool table, with lots of people watching me clear the table with my hot pink pool cue.
I've got it... I'm flaunting it.
Looky here, I work in a conservative office environment... I work for the Catholic Church. I'm good at what I do, and I'm super happy and smiling nearly all the time. I'm comfortable in my own skin and people pick up on my confidence. The nuns and priests that I work with get use to my style; they enjoy my energy and my colorful pizazz roaming the halls. In my office I sit on a big inflated purple ball at my desk. Sister Judith often says when she introduces me to visitors, "This is Miharu; she is our office flair." The nuns see me and they can't help but smile. Many of them have to come up and pet my beautiful pink hair everytime they see me.
I'll give up the pink hair when I'm darn good and ready... when I'm darn good and ready is when it's appropriate for me to change my style... and not a minute before!
Hugs!
Miharu
I love the attitude expressed here. It's much like mine, even if I am younger and a little more conservative in my appearance. I work in the finance sector, which is also a fairly conservative environment, but I don't entirely let it shape how I dress for work. And as far as out of work? I wear whatever I feel like wearing at the time.
Quote from: A on August 04, 2012, 09:18:00 PM
Because the themes behind a mohawk evoke all but seriousness, maturity and reliability, and whilst rebel-ish things are okay and frequent in younger people, someone who's 60 and still doesn't look serious is going to fall lower in people's esteems.
but do we shape our lives and how we live them to suit other peoples opinions ? if everyone did that why would anyone ever transition , im sure some people take trans people less seriously ? people should dress how they want to make themselves happy
Nina Hagen signing autographs on May 13th, 2010 in Stuttgart (Germany) *EXCLUSIVE* [HQ] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJOkbG_XRsg#) shes in her 50s now and still rocking the look she did in her 20s
NINA HAGEN ON LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN IN 1985 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WvNYACnkI8#) well maybe not as extreme as this but she still could and look amazing
Never! Be who you want to be, and don't let anyone tell you differently. I was once at a Marilyn Manson concert, and a few seats down from me was a 65-year-old woman goth'd out to the nines. Good for her. As long as she felt good, what did it matter what other people thought?
Because of my profession, I live in scrubs. But I will dress according to my age. No mini skirts for this gal. Just above the knee.
to be far if your worried about your skin , you can still wear mini skirt in older age just with thicker thighs that cover the skin and almost at as pants
mementomori: Thing is, when someone dresses "rebellious", according to me at least, they do care about people's opinions. Just as people who dress very conventionally whilst they don't like the look are making efforts to conform, those rebels are often making efforts to go against society's expectations. A punk with a mohawk may like the punk look, but those 30-centimeter spikes would probably not be so extreme in that individual if not for the will to rebel. It's possible that it would, but I believe the number of people with very non-conforming looks is lower than the number of people who would go that extreme "normally".
Anyway, my point is: in most people's life, being viewed as respectable and mature people at first glance (afterwards it could change for the better or the worse, but personally, I would be too afraid of a punk with chains and aggressive-looking stud bracelets to get to know them more deeply under normal circumstances... anyway, talking about first impression)...
So, yeah. Giving a good first impression and looking more mature and reliable will, for most people, directly or indirectly make them happier. Whether the happiness from the look or from that is greater depends on the individual, of course, but I believe toning down a style as you get older is a good compromise.
It's just that as people grow up, they're expected to change, to become more mature. And to express that maturity outwardly. And well, as for the comparison with transitioning... I would tend to believe that normally, gender identity is a bigger issue, probably worth more sacrifices, compared to whether your look is extreme enough in your opinion.
Ah, uhm. I'm not going to comment on that woman's age / look ratio because my opinion is biased by the fact I think she looked and still does look silly. I don't know who she is but she looks famous, so I hope I'm not stoned or anything, but I mean, when you view something as horrible (or wonderful for that matter), it's hard to judge changes.
Anyway, I don't think I have all the wisdom in the universe or anything, and I might be wrong, but I still believe that whilst boring, perhaps, my views make sense.
Quote from: A on August 05, 2012, 12:49:37 PM
mementomori: Thing is, when someone dresses "rebellious", according to me at least, they do care about people's opinions. Just as people who dress very conventionally whilst they don't like the look are making efforts to conform, those rebels are often making efforts to go against society's expectations. A punk with a mohawk may like the punk look, but those 30-centimeter spikes would probably not be so extreme in that individual if not for the will to rebel. It's possible that it would, but I believe the number of people with very non-conforming looks is lower than the number of people who would go that extreme "normally".
Honestly A, I think you might be splitting hairs here. (Pun intended ;D ) Sometimes people just do things for the joy of it. Why do I dress and present the way that I do? For the pure, unadulterated joy of it... judgement of others be damned. If more people lived thus, the world would be a much more pleasant place.
You should do what suits you best. Me.....if it isn't a dress I drop over my head.....forget it
There is no "right" answer IMHO. At 56 no way can I think of dressing as a 20 something.
Funny part is at 20 something no way could I even think of dressing as a 20 something.
Situational followed by "age appropiate" have always been my basic guidelines. Not standing out though, has always ruled how I live my life. Or, should that be self-preservation? ???
Quote from: Elsa.G on July 26, 2012, 12:49:32 AM
when should you leave behind your style and buy suits and dress shoes? im 23 by the way
Never leave you own style behind as its says how you feel on any particular day, but dress according to the situation at hand (why women love shopping so much and have so many cloths)
Most importantly what you fell comfortable in not what other think you should be wearing,
Your way to young and have a lot of parting to do be for you get over the hill
Cheers Tracy
Once I thought about dressing old and then dressing younger and younger as I would get older. I the least I would look appropriate at one point or another :)
But seriously, for me it is important that my style of clothing don't make me stick out and that it reflects my personality. I'm a casual person and like dressing casually. My favorite everyday attire is flared snug fitting jeans, tank tops and a cardigans if it's cold. Hopefully this should work for a while.
Quote from: TessaM on August 06, 2012, 01:41:51 PM
Dress however you want, whenever you want!
Who cares what people think, just be respectful!
I agree with you Tessa. I advise anyone to wear what ever they want to wear regardless of their age.
I wouldn't personally wear the same clothes as what an eighteen year old would wear but I also wouldn't dictate to others what they should and shouldn't wear.
Never! As said above always dress the way you want to.
I dress for me. ;D
Do I look my age? And how old is that? ;)
I agree with most, dress for work as you need, but on your own time do whatever the efff you want. I hate the pressure society places on us to conform.
Group conformity scares the pants off me because it's so often a prelude to cruelty towards anyone who doesn't want to - or can't - join the Big Parade.
~Bette Midler~
The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.
~Rita Mae Brown~