Don't you just love it when someone provokes thought? Well, that's what Terri over at Rags against the Machine continually does. Last week she asked her followers what it was about dressing that may make us feel old.
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| details~stitching on jacket, lining, and shooties. Jacket by Tahari. |
Sometimes slipping into old age can be as innocuous as a set of buttons. Be wary.
Paula...you look amazing in this outfit ...at least upper 3os!! No old lady here! I agree..sometimes it is the smallest detail that can give clothing a matronly feel...that is why I am having difficulty finding a dress for my daughter's wedding...they are either matronly...too expensive...or just inappropriate. The balance is sometimes difficult to achieve!!
ReplyDeleteAt some point finding clothes that are neither frumpy nor overly sexy gets difficult. I have a Tahari jacket that I love, but it does have that little old lady from Pasadena look to it, which was cute when I was younger, but now it's just starting to make me look old. At the same time I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb. It's a balance I guess!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Heather
http://thestyleconfessions.com/
Love your look, it's definitely not OL, nor is it "too young". I read somewhere that shiny gold buttons on a blazer look like old lady, and I tend to agree. Your shoes are fab!
ReplyDeleteI just see a lovely outfit. I think that is all in the attitude and how you feel in your own skin or in your clothes. Both of my daughters raid my closet constantly (they are 16 and 19) and I wear some of their clothes as well.
ReplyDeleteA lot of very young girls are into the retro style of the 40's, 50's 60's and 70's and a lot more of middle age women are into more youthful styles. At the end of the day we balance each other!
On a young girl with purple hair those buttons would look vintage and offbeat.
ReplyDeleteI do like big buttons on jackets like that, but maybe going big, colorful and more spare is less aging.
Sometimes I don't realize something I have is old lady until I see someone else around my age in it and it strikes me.
LOL Those are some gorgeous buttons though!! You look nothing like an old lady....EVER! I swear, your color combinations always get me...I never would come up with them and they always work! Big hug! ~Serene
ReplyDeleteI was admiring the jacket...but you're right the buttons would have killed it for me. I feel like we live in a generation when we have so many MORE options than our mothers may have had. When I ask my mother about the height of her interest in fashion, she mentions something called "Butte Knits". Do you know anything about that?
ReplyDeleteLove the colour combination, and these days vintage is in and it is defined by style rather that the age of the garment. You look great
ReplyDeleteOMG....I completely forgot about Butte Knits....! After I graduated from college with my degree in Business/Fashion, I went to work for a large department store and managed several depts. One of the departments was the "Better Missy Sportswear" dept. (does anyone remember those "titles"....?) One of the best sellers in the dept. were the Butte Knits. I did find a link below with a bit of the company history. One thing I remember about the line was that they offered a complete suit or wardrobe. You could purchase a suit which included a jacket, skirt, pants, shell, blouse and maybe even a "dickey' in your size....all designed to match! The fabric was usually polyester.
ReplyDeletehttp://what-i-found.blogspot.com/2010/09/mccalls-magazine-1964-butte-knit-suit.html
Thanks for the memory.......
i love this post! with your great style and your bright smile (no, i didn't mean to rhyme here), you will never look old!
ReplyDeletePam~so you noticed too that some small detail can just send you into old-lady-dom? And the most daunting task of us over 50ers is the mother of the bride dress--I agree. My friend got a gorgeous one last year, she chose the perfect color! She wanted to go cocktail length, but her daughter made her do the long thing..but she made it work! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHeather--its a tightrope sometimes and what looked good a few years ago now--well not so much. But we keep trying!
Patti~lol i can see those gold buttons now--stay away!!!the shoes keep it modern, i think?
Ofelia~love to hear that you share with your daughters; and I think you always get the balance right!
Rose~so true about seeing someone else in it to realize its an oops!
Serene~that's why I saved the buttons! Who would think those pretty little ditties would spell OLD LADY?
Terri~I do remember butte knits see the great link ann marie gave us!
Cheeky~Thanks--its a bit off-beat but this green on the jacket is sublime!
Ann Marie~I remembered them too--I also worked in " Better Missy Sportswear" ok so that dates us! Thanks so much for the link!
Two Birds~Thanks and love the rhyme!
loving this skirt
ReplyDeleteBrett
Omigosh so true...wonderful eye to catch that detail. Switching buttons made a world of difference to that jacket. LOVE! NO OLD LADY ON THAT OUTFIT FOR SURE!
ReplyDeleteGreat look I love your jacket!!
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm approaching the age where OL is becoming more of a concern. My issue has generally avoiding looking "butch". My own tastes are very simple and comfort-minded, which could, unrestrained, lead to mannishness.
ReplyDeleteSince it does not suit my life other than comfort... i keep having to pass over items I like because they come off... I've been racking my brain for a different word, but nothing else works... "dyke-y". My own taste is closer to Ellen or Rachel Maddow than "girly".
Since I'm just "gay-friendly", but not a member of the club... I can't pull off the look.