Dressed Age

[JacDoe]

Do you tend to dress younger or older than your biological age while dressed (or about the same)?

Being a large 24yr old male, I think it'd be difficult to pull off looking like a 24yr old female even to my own eye. Skin, shape of face, overall 'tautness' of body, etc.

I imagine that people in their 50's-60's might do better dressing younger than they are, due to various concerns like the 'perkiness' of breastforms, the use of more cosmetics than a similarly-aged GG and thus the younger look of the face, the (big one) use of wigs that tend to have more life than a GG of the same age's own hair.

Is there a "golden period" of female development wherein it's easier for a male to look like a female? Early 40's, aging starting to set in, use of more cosmetics than 20's through mid 30's, etc?

Curious on the opinion of members here (either GG or MtF).

[Miranda09]

I tend to dress younger than my biological age since I look younger than my biological age. As for a "golden period", I've never heard of anything like that but someone else my have some insight to it.

[DonnaT]

I don't dress according to age. I dress in what looks good on.

And what's available in my size at the stores.

[Joni Marie Cruz]

If I dressed my bio-age it would be black lace up orthopedic shoes and a walker. How much fun would that be?

Hugs...Joni Marie

[kellycan27]

I dress appropriate to my age...26

[Deedee Dupree]

Well, I have never considered dressing older than my age, although there are times when I do dress my age depending on who I am with and what we will be doing. In either case I always look much younger, and that is very pleasing.

You know, as I get older I still buy what is in style and in good taste off the racks, but I always recall some of my previous favorite "retro" looks and it is fun to do that once in a while. You will have favortites too as you go along, just don't throw anything special away, some of it may be difficult or impossible to relace.

dd

[JacDoe]

You will have favortites too as you go along, just don't throw anything special away, some of it may be difficult or impossible to relace.

Hopefully, over time, things will become easier to 'relace'(sic), not harder .

In any event, I was just thinking about a time that I was asked to drive my grandmother to her styling salon, and saw how women of various ages looked going in and coming out.

Thinking about it in retrospect (this would have been 3 months ago or so, so not THAT retrospective), it strikes me that it would be difficult for a male to pull off being a woman over 65 or thereabouts, due to 'natural aging factors' including breast sag, and how difficult (though not impossible as kellycan's avatar on this thread shows) it might be for most men to pull off looking like they're in their 20's.

38 or so strikes me that it might be the most plausible, between body shape, posture, amount of cosmetics, a reasonable amount of 'style', shoe-choice, hair condition/vibrancy/bounce, etc.

Was wondering if anyone else had thought about the same thing.

[Gabrielle Hermosa]

When I'm all made up, I both look younger and dress younger than my age.

Having said that, I've never been one to believe in "age appropriate" dressing or looks. What the hell does age have to do with anything? This is why a lot of gg's begin looking older - they start dressing their age when they don't need to.

Hit my flickr photos (link in sig) and then try and guess my age based on my appearance. Obviously, you know I'm older than I might appear as I'm making that clear now, but can you really guess my age based on my appearance alone?

Without makeup, I look like any weathered, aging man. It's been at least 10 years since I turned any women's heads in guy-mode. When I'm Gabrielle though - screw my age! If I can pull it off, I'm WEARING IT! I exercise and work my butt off to look good and all that caked on makeup does wonders for my old face!

Age doesn't mean squat. I believe that's universal. If you can pull off a certain look - what does your age matter? If you look good in it, then enjoy!

In terms of our "golden period" question, I'd say that would be in the late teens and early 20's. That's before the skin loosens up and the metabolism slows down (causing weight gain and muscle loss). Sadly, I never got to see what Gabrielle looked like at that age. I bet she would have been a real hottie... but I'll never know.

With continued exercise, diet, and facial creams, I think I've got the better part of a decade left before I can no longer pull off what I like to wear any more. It will have little to do with my age and a lot to do with how my body looks. According to the "age appropriate rules" I'm already dressing way younger than I should.

My wife dresses even younger than I do, btw! She's older than me and can pull off some rather sexy looks, showing a lot of skin. Guys half her age (and then some) kick it to her regularly. If she was dressing her age... well, it just wouldn't be very pretty, and what a waste of her beauty, imo.

[Deanna2]

I love ultra short mini skirts, but I've got to say that it has been some time since I was a teenager or even twenty something.

[Empress Lainie]

When I'm all made up, I both look younger and dress younger than my age.

Having said that, I've never been one to believe in "age appropriate" dressing or looks. What the hell does age have to do with anything? This is why a lot of gg's begin looking older - they start dressing their age when they don't need to.

Hit my flickr photos (link in sig) and then try and guess my age based on my appearance. Obviously, you know I'm older than I might appear as I'm making that clear now, but can you really guess my age based on my appearance alone?

Without makeup, I look like any weathered, aging man. It's been at least 10 years since I turned any women's heads in guy-mode. When I'm Gabrielle though - screw my age! If I can pull it off, I'm WEARING IT! I exercise and work my butt off to look good and all that caked on makeup does wonders for my old face!

Age doesn't mean squat. I believe that's universal. If you can pull off a certain look - what does your age matter? If you look good in it, then enjoy!

In terms of our "golden period" question, I'd say that would be in the late teens and early 20's. That's before the skin loosens up and the metabolism slows down (causing weight gain and muscle loss). Sadly, I never got to see what Gabrielle looked like at that age. I bet she would have been a real hottie... but I'll never know.

With continued exercise, diet, and facial creams, I think I've got the better part of a decade left before I can no longer pull off what I like to wear any more. It will have little to do with my age and a lot to do with how my body looks. According to the "age appropriate rules" I'm already dressing way younger than I should.

My wife dresses even younger than I do, btw! She's older than me and can pull off some rather sexy looks, showing a lot of skin. Guys half her age (and then some) kick it to her regularly. If she was dressing her age... well, it just wouldn't be very pretty, and what a waste of her beauty, imo.

What you wrote I could have written about me completely re apparent age and dressing. I have only been guessed between 42 (love it!) and 55(hate it!)

[Koka]

I dress according to my age
K

[docrobbysherry]

However, do what I do JD!
Do the best u can, with what you've got, and dress as OLD AS U CAN!
EVENTUALLY, I HOPE to reach my CD 20's!

As a CD beginner, it may be awhile before this 60 y/o reaches his 20's, tho!

Grabbed Frame 204.JPG

[Rachel Morley]

This is an interesting thread to me because not only a couple of days ago my wife was bemoaning that she is going to be 40 this year and that she didn't want to be because that will mean that she will have to dress "age appropriate".

I said to her: Darling, what are you talking about!? You look ten years younger than your real age, you have a great body, and you're married to a crossdresser! Our whole social life is around friends that love dressing up in cute clothes, with different hairstyles, lots of makeup, and having a lot of fun in the process. No one cares about how old they are or aren't relative to the clothes they're wearing - we're having way too much fun for that!

[sara_also]

I also dress younger than my age. I would imagine about 10 to 15 yrs younger than my real age

[JacDoe]

OK: Let's put this a different age, perhaps, moreso than "dress appropriately to one's age".

When dressing, you have a "target appearance" that you wish you would look like with wigs, forms, etc.

Let's take wigs as just one initial example:

Someone wearing this wig:


...obviously has a different 'age goal' than someone wearing this wig:


or someone wearing this wig:



Obviously, there's an 'eternal feminine' ideal that anyone between 10 and 120 would try to achieve, but you must have some target of "I want to look about [X]" when you dress?

[CharlotteW]

What a great question Jac.

I tend to dress about the same age as I am, late thirties although I think I look older, perhaps mid forties. Probably because my wife has bought the majority of the clothing I have, and she buys what would suit her as she is about the same size as myself for tops (18-20+)

I have no complaints

[Kathi Lake]

Although I'm nearing 50, I tend to dress about 20 years younger. I like shorter skirts, frilly tops, straight longer hair and all that goes with it. As for shoes, I'm not planning on "sensible" shoes anytime soon. You'll have to pry my stilettos from my cold dead hands!

Kathi

[Marie-Claire]

When I'm in drab, I don't think about dressing my age, other than avoiding extremes. It's like DonnaT said, it's a matter of what looks good.
Some things are classic. You can wear a Chanel suit at any age. The same little black dress will probably work for ages 25-50 or 60.
If one is concerned with passing, the most important things are being comfortable with yourself and avoiding extremes that call attention to yourself in other than the best way.
If basing clothes choices primarily on age appearance works for you - great. For me, I can't see it.

Marie-Claire

[Carly D.]

I think I dress my age or at the very least very conservative.. I really can't show my self from the neck down in a sleaveless dress or outfit of any kind because I am extremely hairy.. from the waist down I shave from the neck up I shave but the middle section and that includes my arms are hairy.. very hairy..

[dilane]

I don't shoot for an age, but I do tend to wear "grown up" clothes, not teenaged style or edgy, no strange color combos, and no rips or tears. I also don't wear skirts much above the knee, which puts me in a distinct minority here. My legs get plenty of attention at knee length, and I'm not trying to draw attention to myself as a sex object.

No midriff showing (although my tummy's flat and I could pull it off), because it's not age appropriate.

I'm 57, but most people ID me as younger, and the darker the place, the younger I look! I've got current pix up on my profile for the morbidly curious.

[Mistybtm]

All depends on my mood some times i dress ****y like i should be out on some street corner other times i dress for everday wear or classy.

[kellycan27]

and how difficult (though not impossible as kellycan's avatar on this thread shows) it might be for most men to pull off looking like they're in their 20's.

it's not all that difficult to look like you are in your 20's ..... When you are IN FACT..in your 20's.

[Denise01]

I have been told by many people that when i am Denise, I look at least 10 years younger than my real age.

I do dress a bit on the conservative side, but also dress some where between my age and the Age that most people think that I am

Denise

[5150 Girl]

I've been told I look 10yrs younger than what I am. Makeup takse off about another 5.This gives me a lot of room to cheat...
Besides, if one dresses too far outside their age range, it increses you odds of getting read. But if one is stay'n home it don't matter what you do.

[Barbara Dugan]

I always try to dress within the range of my real age... I am 40