Age appropriate and getting older

[Katie83]

Most of my fashion influences come from women that i see when i'm out and about. A popular outfit for ggs around here at the moment, when it stops raining, is hotpants, strappy vest top and light lace up canvas shoes. I love this look, and would like to copy it. However, most of women i see wearing this are probably about 18. My problem is that i am too close to being 30 for comfort. I've never seen a woman of around 30 wearing this so i'd have no chance of blending if i was to wear it out, not that i go out much anyway.
It's this scenario that has made me realise that i'm getting old. I don't like it one bit. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.:sad:
Katie

[Cynthia Anne]

Some will disagree with me! I say wear what you want! I do and I'm twice your age! Now that sucks!

[suzy1]

Mature women that have looked after themselves and dress well are the most beautiful and graceful of all women.

See your age as a time when you are going to go from a silly girl to a lovely women Katie.

“Always look on the bright side of life” Monty python:)

[Katie83]

See your age as a time when you are going to go from a silly girl to a lovely women Katie.
Thats very true, but there is part of me that still wants to be a silly girl!!
Katie

[suzy1]

Thats very true, but there is part of me that still wants to be a silly girl!!
Katie

Yes, me too.:sad:

...........................................

[Paula_56]

Most of my fashion influences come from women that i see when i'm out and about. A popular outfit for ggs around here at the moment, when it stops raining, is hotpants, strappy vest top and light lace up canvas shoes. I love this look, and would like to copy it. However, most of women i see wearing this are probably about 18. My problem is that i am too close to being 30 for comfort. I've never seen a woman of around 30 wearing this so i'd have no chance of blending if i was to wear it out, not that i go out much anyway.
It's this scenario that has made me realise that i'm getting old. I don't like it one bit. I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.:sad:

Katie

Ack in the last century when I started crossdressing I went to Vernons boutique in Waltham. Mass his advice to me about blending in and making a good one presentation was to dress a few years older than I was. I always found that helpful. But katie you are a cutie and the hot pants may work for you

[Kaz]

Katie, I can indeed see you in hot pants! Well, I'd like to as well! :)

In the confines of home, hotel room, etc... I have fun and dress for the feeling as well as the look. If I want to go out, then yeah... age appropriate kicks in. Ageing sucks in many ways, but the irony is that as we age we get more confident and know so much more. I would love to have the brain I have now with the body of an 18 year old... oh what fun I would have! :heehee:

[Katie83]

Katie, I can indeed see you in hot pants! Well, I'd like to as well! :)

In the confines of home, hotel room, etc... I have fun and dress for the feeling as well as the look. If I want to go out, then yeah... age appropriate kicks in. Ageing sucks in many ways, but the irony is that as we age we get more confident and know so much more. I would love to have the brain I have now with the body of an 18 year old... oh what fun I would have! :heehee:

Oh how i wish i knew what i know now when i was 18 things could have been so different, probably for the better too!
Katie

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Katie, Anyone as young and pretty as you are can surely pull off the Hot Pants look.

[Katie83]

Hi Katie, Anyone as young and pretty as you are can surely pull off the Hot Pants look.

Hi Orchid. Thats nice of you to say that. It'd certainly be a way of drawing attention to myself!
Katie

[Lainie]

Older women have fewer role models on the street--so many just seem to have lost interest in playing the "look nice" game. I know a few who still dress with style into their 70s & 80s. They don't have a "hot pants"'figure any more, but they still manage to look good with color, pattern, drape, & accessories.

Look forward to looking good in different ways for many more decades!

[Annie D]

I am in the group that says to wear what you want especially if you "borderline pass" and I'm being nice about "borderline". Really, who are we fooling? Personally with the minimum amount of scrutiny I really don't fool anyone and therefore I generally wear what I want, short of embarrassing myself. I am of the opinion that as we crossdressers age we have some much better physical attributes than our female aged counterparts. For example, most of us have much better looking legs and butts, at least more shapely and for that reason I consider that an asset and therefore am not afraid to show these off. I need to watch the type of top in order to conceal belly fat. If someone is observing my legs I then think that they are not spending an overly amount of time looking at my face and shoulders.

You know, it really depends on what side of the bed I get out of each day that determines what I might be wearing for the day. Like most of you, I change my mind about what to wear 3 or 4 times before I ever get out of the closet. It just becomes wearing what I want and the h*ll with everyone else.

[Beverley Sims]

I just love being a silly girl, unfortunately I do have to blend.:)

[reb.femme]

I've never seen a woman of around 30 wearing this so i'd have no chance of blending if i was to wear it out, not that i go out much anyway.

Hi Katie,

You should come to south east London. Some of our GGs have no idea of age appropriate. Plus you can have your hair pulled back tight and big hoop earrings for the Croydon face lift. :devil:

It's all a case of perspective too. From age 52, 30 is very young, if memory serves me correctly. I'm pretty sure you can carry off any look.

Rebecca x

[Lorileah]

If you believe you look good in it, wear it. This whole age appropriate thing is a bunch of horse hockey. You may be mature but you aren't dead.

[ArleneRaquel]

If you believe you look good in it, wear it. This whole age appropriate thing is a bunch of horse hockey. You may be mature but you aren't dead.

Lorileah,
I agree 100% !

[Sandra1746]

We don't dress "gender appropriate" so what is the reason to try to be 'age appropriate?

If you are comfortable with the clothes go ahead and wear them. Somebody may make a comment or give you 'the look' but if you don't care...so what.

Life is too short to sweat the trivia,
Sandra1746

[Nichola]

Hey Katie, up here in the North I see a lot of girls wearing short denim shorts with black or patterned tights with lace up canvas shoes as a daytime look. Some of those are in their thirties for sure & the ones with the figure for it pull it off just fine:)

[Nicole Erin]

Age appropriate dress is a concern. I don't think 30 is too old though. It is not a kid anymore for sure but still young enough to dress cute. I think the real age when one has to think hard about age appropriate dress is when they hit 35.

Let me say it like this - one can wear anything they like but should they actually leave the house with it on?
Figure appropriate also comes into play. You are slender enough to pull off a lot of looks. I don't know if the UK has this problem but in the USA we have some women who suffer from obesity who think it is cute to walk around in hot pants.

It kind of reminds me of another slight dilemma - you know when you feel like you look good in something, can pull it off but are nervous about leaving the house in it cause you know it is gonna draw at least some negative attention. It is like, "What to do?"

I have seen some older women who dress like they are still 21, and by older I mean 50 and above. It isn't cute.

[Billiebluenose1878 GG]

I agree with you Nichola .... and why do clothes have to be for certain people and ages ... you should be able to dress how you feel ... xxxxxx age is only a number xxxxxxx

[sometimes_miss]

Well, Katie, you're experiencing one of the sex differences that women get to go through. A guy of sixty can wear what a guy of 25 can wear. Same jeans, same shirts, sport jacket or tux, shoes or athletic shoes, etc. But a woman has to change it up as she gets older or gets made fun of as being 'age inappropriate'. Just one of those things. Makes us remember that in this respect, it really is easier being a guy.

[Miriam-J]

I think we can find fine examples of elegant dressers at any age, but we must choose if we'd rather follow that example or emulate someone a bit ... more adventurous. My 53 year old wife dresses quite nicely most of the time, but can also wear a nice mini-skirt for the right occasion - and looks awesome in it.

By the way, I don't consider myself old even at 52 and would never, ever want to turn the clock back to 18 or 30 or even 40. Life is so much better now, and it's so much easier to accept myself and find acceptance from others my age. Never look back, but instead enjoy where you are and look forward to even better things.

Miriam

[Flent]

As a thirty-something gg, I wouldn't wear anything like that even if it's cute and I had the body for it. Maybe I'd worry that I'd look like a cougar.

The clothes teens wear are usually kind of cheap and I'd want to wear something nicer, better brands that aren't associated with college kids. I'd worry more about looking grungy and cheap than looking age-inappropriate. I think you can wear hotpants at 30, just not in the same way that a teenager would.

[docrobbysherry]

Don't give in, Katie! Wear what u like! (Within reason!) We ALL have our limits tho, rite?! Even me. I've recently decided 16 may be TOO YOUNG a look for Sherry? What do u think?:daydreaming:

I HATE that, "blend", word! It can ruin going out for me!:sad:

184465

[Marguarite]

Katie, I think you should dress the way you want until you turn 30. I still do and in two weeks I turn 29-29, next year I'll be 29-29-1.

[Michelle (Oz)]

Interesting thread. In my case, I have 3 wigs - shorter, medium and longer. Now in my 60s I know that the longer wig is not age appropriate if trying to blend but the longer hair feels so much better with a gentle breeze. Quite a dilemma but blending would be important to me.

[Jilmac]

Don't feel too bad about getting too old for a particular fashion. I'm twice your age plus a few more, so wearing mini skirts and clingy dresses just doesn't work for me. I blend in better with the retirement community than the twenty-something generation.

[Katie83]

Ok, so i went out this evening and i have bought myself some very short shorts (bright pink:cheer:), not quite hotpants though, and also some canvas lace up shoes. I've tried them on and they seem they may be ok. I will get some photos when i get the opportunity to dress fully again, in the very near future i hope.
Katie

[Karen Jane]

I would think at 30 pretty much would go although I would probably save the hot pants for clubbing. I am looking at 39 in a couple of weeks and I find myself a lot less likely to pull a mini skirt from the closet now. I still wear skirts that are above my knees but I think my days of mid-thigh skirts in public is gone.

[Kaz]

Many years ago I decided that I would grow old disgracefully... it seemed an appropriate comment at the time! :)

It still is... I hit 30 and the world didn't change... well... maybe it did not dramatically in that year, it just changed over time, and as many wonderful looking women have aged into looks that no-one would have dreamed of even 20 years ago... if you have the body... flaunt it!

I am with Lori as usual and go for those ideas of 'if you can pull it off, just enjoy the moment!'

I live in the North of the UK too, and some women in their 40s... (hazarding a guess here!) pull it off great! If you have the legs... it will work!