Okay. So, I know this sounds weird. I know. But…I’m sick of fashion. Like—really sick of it. And yet, I love clothing. I love the change up from seasonal clothing. I love how casual clothing puts me in a laid-back mood; and I am as comfortable as a larva in a cocoon when I put my toasty pajamas on during the winter when arriving home from work.
And speaking of the change up in seasonal clothing, it’ll soon be textured sweater and leggings time. But I’ve already started on the toasty sweatshirt and Old Navy Pajama bottoms as at-home-clothing. Fashionable? Not really. Comfortable? You bet your bippie it is!
When I’m wearing a lightweight maxi dress in the summer, it always astounds me at how cool I feel.
I seriously do love a maxi during the summer months. And that tan is natural by the way. I had one for a week! Then it faded.
Pants in summer? No. Not for me. The warm and hot weather affect me to the point that I really don’t like wearing a lot of clothing. Dresses always rule during those hot months.
On the right is a typical summer dress look. I am a huge fan of the Lilly Pulitzer shift dress. On the left, an outfit for transitioning to fall.
But when the temperature cools down, I feel remarkably cozy and pleasant the second a pair of pants covers my unshaven winter legs.
A typical winter pants look. And no socks!
With the cool-to-cold months, I love my kilts worn with tights. Actually, tights are the only phase of leg covering (excluding pants) that I truly like to wear. I refuse to wear panty hose because my lady parts are not a petri dish for yeast infections! And socks? Nope! Not even in January. Although I am prone to wearing them when I wear boots!
We all know what a kilt fanatic I am. Actually this one is in the dry cleaner getting pressed! And I wear tights too!
Don’t we all feel like beautiful princesses when we have that special occasion to dress up—whether black tie formal or semi-formal. Those outfits can change our personalities and give us confidence!
Honestly, I did feel more like a queen as the Mother-of-the-Bride. My daughter was the princess that day. And I found a great gown too!
Clothing is a necessity. For the most part, it keeps us from getting arrested. But I digress from that statement to add that some clothing could be prone to having a person arrested.
Yeah. I’m not going to wear an ensemble like this. Unless I want to end up in a special cell!
It comes down to wearing what you absolutely love, feel comfortable in, and knowing what looks great on you. It’s also about being in charge of your style and how and when you wear the clothing.
Surprisingly, I love this outfit. It’s one of those ensembles where I’m in complete charge of it all. White shorts AFTER Labor Day. A Navy Blazer and a Breton striped shirt. This is a great Autumn look for me. You need to own your style!
That’s not to say that I haven’t made poor choices in clothes. When I was younger, I made quite a few mistakes. But as I’ve aged, I’ve learned to not be a fashion victim and have learned to be very committed to what I love.
It is befitting to say that my biggest “fashion” mistakes were during the early 1980’s before I became a stay-at-home mom. Those heavily padded blazers looked ridiculous on me–I’m broad shouldered and looked like a football player.
And that’s where fashion comes in. Fashion kind of dictates what we should wear. I’m over it.
I’m with Tim!
I’m tired of “Street” fashion. It’s not fashion at all. It is merely the way people on the street are dressed. Some look very nice and have great taste. Others look like they either stepped out of a five-and-dime store, a stripper club, or rolled out of bed.
Street fashion or street style. Nothing more than what people are wearing that day. Sorry not sorry but it just isn’t inspirational to me.
The older I advance in my years, the more I am beginning to shake my head in disgust at the fashion designers today. To be honest, there doesn’t seem to be any true creativity anymore. Elegance on the runway appears to be a thing of the past. Believe me, I’m certainly not a prude when it comes to being fashionable, but it’s just that there is something lacking in the fashion trends of present times. To be honest, it sickens me to see some of these clothes being showcased during fashion week. Who is buying this shit? Even if I were a millionheiress, I would stick to the more classic designers such as Courreges and Chanel. But I’m not so I have a picture in my mind of how I want to dress and I take it from there. Please don’t try to sway me with your trends.
From this year’s Miu Miu collection. Look. I LOVE a good mini but this is just pushing it too far. Your panties had better be spanking clean and without any marks of bodily function. How can you bend down? And seriously–the average woman, even young, has a softer more billowy tummy than our model. I love the shoes though!
I can’t even with this. And I’m quite surprised at Christian Siriano for designing these things. He can do much better!
Andre Leon Talley was right! Tone the fashion down..
Please!
Some trends do turn into classics though. Take the mini skirt and mini dress. Pre mini times, women of all ages, with the exception of little girls, wore dresses ranging anywhere from mid-knee down to mid-calf. Then came the “Swinging Sixties” and the dresses went shorter. Micro-mini’s notwithstanding, the shorter dresses are here to stay and I happen to be a fan.
The mini was a trend that ended up becoming a staple among women of all shapes and ages and is still going strong.
Most people believe that Chanel changed with way women dress. I, on the other hand, believe that Mary Quant changed the way we dress. I love this woman..
…and I loved this man, Andre Courreges. My favorite designer. I would wear all three of these dresses in the present day. Without pantyhose!
Proof that the mini is here to stay. This pic is from six years ago and about 20 pounds less. I still have the skirt. It still fits due to stretch. Its hanging in my closet. I’ll be wearing it as soon as the weather cools down!
Then in the Seventies we had the dawn of the maxi-dress. (Actually, the late sixties-into early seventies) Although a trend that came and went away, it returned with a vengeance and now maxi dressing is an everyday, boho look. I have quite a few and wear them only in summer-but that’s how I roll.
Colleen Corby!!! The greatest teen model of all time! Here in a 1960’s Maxi Dress-originally referred to as The Granny Gown!
A few years back leopard and animal printed clothes were the rage—and over time, those prints became the norm. In fact, leopard is now a neutral!
My favorite skirt. OMG. I wear it three seasons of the year and it is still going strong. I was “iffy” when I purchased it because I thought it was just a trend. Now it’s a neutral!
The post-pandemic trend today appears to be active wear, leggings and “joggers”. And I think this will be around for a while. We’re changing the way we dress. With so many people working from home these days, the “office” look of a blazer, skirt or pants and one of professional polish is seemingly taking a break. Even business meeting attire is becoming more relaxed. It’s the fashion!
Leggings as office wear. Yes. It has come to this. The key is to wear them so that they don’t LOOK like leggings!
My hypocrisy aside, I will admit that since my pandemic weight gain, my jeans no longer fit around my waist and I’m prone to run errands in activewear, but I’m still not quite comfortable with it. I also purchased a pair of “joggers” or what I deem “stylized sweat pants”. And while they are comfortable, I can’t see myself running on the streets of New York City to visit museums or to see the sights when I’m in Paris. I’ll continue to rely on my go-to outfit of black J. Crew Pixie Pants and a black shirt.
You know, being on Instagram as a part of the “over-60” demographic has been a mind-opener as to how many women our age approach clothing—some “get” it. And some, well, some make me cry. We all don’t dress in Chicos and we all don’t go for bright colors and mismatched patterns. Perhaps it’s just me — but a love of clothing means you put thought into what you wear. Just because you’ve reached a certain age doesn’t mean you have to get rid of any vestige of what you loved when you were younger. Just grow it up a bit.
It upsets me when I see retailers stereotyping the mature woman into ads like this. We don’t all dress this bland. We WANT style but this isn’t it!
What are your thoughts on fashion? Have they changed over the years? Do you tend to agree or disagree with what I’m writing? Let’s get the party started!
Sometimes fashion is about art and then it’s about clothing that people can wear every day. I don’t see too many of the stuff you see on runways outside fashion week. I hope all is well.
Gosh, this one has me thinking. We are about the same age..I turn 64 next week. I’ve been retired for several years (from teaching…call me a quitter, but I couldn’t take the testing mindset anymore). After retiring, I lost 60 pounds and had to buy all new clothes (that was glorious). But, I was still buying “teaching” clothes, My style is still evolving at this ripe old age. It’s almost laughable because I dressed more like an old lady when I was in my 40’s! But, I love to dress up. If and when we ever go back to church in person, you would recognize me as the woman wearing a dress or skirt. I started blogging this summer and find myself considering different combinations of colors and patterns…pushing myself outside my comfort zone for a trial run you could say. I tend not to look at what you’re calling fashion because it’s now so way out there that I’d never even consider wearing it. I’ve often heard you should pick one or two things from the runways and incorporate them into your wardrobe. I think I’m a three part person…top, bottom, completer piece with accessories thrown on afterward. I also think about temperature a lot. My internal one as well as the external one! I have thyroid issues so my thermostat is way out of whack! Bottom line…I like whatever the heck I like and screw those who don’t like it. I only have to please myself and my husband (and he thinks I’m gorgeous in anything). So, I don’t think I answered any of your questions! But, I sure did like “talking” to you! Fabulous post, Cathe!
Hi Marsha! It’s a pleasure to talk with you too. It’s so funny, though, that you mention still dressing like a teacher. When I go to work, I’m still, at times, dressing as though I still live in NYC. But then again, I hold on to everything –quite a number of my clothing will be teenagers soon! I’ve completely given up on fashion as it is. I wear what I like! XOXOXO
Let’s not forget Colleen’s younger sister Molly Corby she was no slouch in the modeling dept! I loved the Corby sisters at a time when youthful beauty was defined by blonde hair and blue eyes, The Corby girls let us brunettes at the table. Another brunette Janice Dickinson in the 70’s was beautiful, I wish she didn’t do all that stuff to her face and just aged gracefully.
THAT’S RIGHT! MOLLY! I forgot about her. I loved them both. And I wonder how they would fare by today’s modeling standards. They didn’t look like waifs or underfed either. They looked–gasp- healthy! Janice Dickinson was another one who was gorgeous as we got well into our twenties. Yeah. She looks a bit–worn, these days but I love her! XOXOXO
I think the women in the Chico’s ad are just going for people who like that kind of look. And it’s fine, in my opinion. It doesn’t look old or matronly to me. I think a lot of people want to look nice and put together and are happy when that works. Whether they look like what I think of as “stylish” is a moot point; not everyone cares if anyone else likes their clothes/outfits.
Bridget–you bring up an excellent point there. It iS all about personal style. Thank you! XOXOXO
On point, as always, Cathe! Oh my, those tops with bling, ugh! Shopping channels have the worst looking clothing for the most part. Lots of embroidery, bling, ruffles, mismatched patterns, yikes it’s frightening. Every time I compliment someone on their clothing, the reply is, “It’s so old!” I think some designers are making women look foolish.
That reply “It’s so old”. There’s a reason for that. Old clothing was made better. It was more classic and made to last for years. Am I right? And OMG. please do not get me started on shopping channel clothing. It’s absolute garbage. GARBAGE. There is nothing stylish about most of the overpriced clothing. I honestly do not know who the target audience is because notody can be that addicted to horrific clothing. I think designers are either catering to the super wealthy who wll fill their closets with designer clothing because they can..OR..they are just pushing the bar to see how ugly they can dress people! XOXOXOXO
So very true!!
This post was entertaining to read.
I have a friend who wears stuff like those Chico tops, along with her royal blue hair. She’s 72, six years older than me. Granted, people can – and should – do their own thing. She dyes her hair that color to get the attention that she craves. It has fried her hair, though.
On fashion. My favorite thing is shoes. I also mostly wear socks or tights with everything in the colder months and no socks in the summer. I’m always amazed anyone can go sockless in the winter. I also have an aversion to leggings as pants. I’m not into all this leisure wear, either. No sweatpants for me! I’m also beginning to question any sort of pull-on pant. I made a pair of linen pants this summer and was looking at some photos of me wearing them and am not sure I like that look.
I like jeans and want to get a pair of bootcut jeans this fall. Also I love crewneck cashmere sweaters. I’m sad that J. Crew quality has gone down so much, whereas the prices are higher. Oh well. I wear skirts once in awhile, but really have always gravitated to pants or shorts my entire life. Some of these runway shows are ridiculous, that’s for sure!!!
Hi Vava. Yeah. I know sometimes I’m overboard with my dislike of Chicos but it’s true, if someone really likes the clothes, and it’s their style, it’s fine. I shouldn’t be so judgemental–but I can’t help myself! Oh. I go sockless in the dead of winter with the exception of socks with boots. You know………………I’m thinking about a post on leisure wear. I’ve discovered that I’m changing my views on some of it. But I still won’t wear it to the office. I love jeans but not when I’ve gained weight–they feel too cumbersome and presently, my jeans are on hold. Oh wait. I need to go down to the garage to retriive a pair of girlfriendjeans! XOXOXOXO
Oh my goodness totally on point as always!!! Honestly “fashion” only speaks to the gullible seemingly these days. I just want good quality basics I can do my own things with – a good quality mid grey teeshirt has been the hardest thing to find this season, surely that is not hard??? It has been hard to find however, likewise a good quality charcoal teeshirt? forget-it. I dont like bling, frilly bits (rugby player shoulders) etc – especially as they often disguise cheap and shoddy, basics are harder to do well as there is nowhere to hide cheapness but it is what I want. Nor do I want people to look at me and say ohhh she is dressed in 2020 or 2021 or I am wearing the same as everyone else… I guess its the French mindset that influences us, those French women that nail it really are an inspiration.
As for the young women that wear those leggings that look like they came out in a pair of tights and it shows EVERYTHING – yuck, especially the ones with ruching to emphasize their butt checks, eurghhhhhk nasty.
Oh Juliet! You nailed it on the basics. My Tee shirts are all from J. Crew and J. Crew Factory. They wash well and always look great. And they sell gray! I honestly cannot stand any of the bling or frilly shit on clothing. There are exceptions to some ruffles that don’t look twee but those are few and far between. And I agree with you frilly bits do describe cheapand shoddy construction. Can I be frank here? I’ve seen quite a few Instagram posts with women who think bling is the way to go and it looks absolutely horrific. I’ll take basics any day!
Hey. I’m a fan of decent leggings but man, are you spot on with the way some of those young women wear leggings. They would be better off just shaving their legs allthe way up to their origin of the world and wear a thong! XOXOXOXO
I completely agree with you. It also seems like there is now no such thing as bad fashion style, bad hairstyles or hair colour, bad tattoos or even unhealthy weight gain. It’s liberating in one way but quite concerning in another way. I think we have come to the point where no one can really dictate to anyone else what they should wear. It’s up to individual choice. I for one will not be wearing shirts with glued on sequins or sparkles any time soon.
Hi Buttercup! Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! You are so correct! And we need to band together against those awful sequins or sparkles–except for halloween! XOXOXO
You’re spot on as usual! When I was in my early twenties women who inspired me fashion wise were older than me. They looked so polished and oh how I wanted to have the means to dress like they did! Those were the days in my opinion when New Yorker women dressed with style. I tried my best to dress in a similar manner with the budget I had. Well now that I’m one of those older woman it seems everyone wants to look younger. What happened?
From one Cathe to the other Cathe. I have NO idea what happened. I was just like you! I longed to be one of those elegant NYC women. Then it all went crazy. We have wealthy housewives (the franchise on Bravo) who look like hookers. It’s so vulgar! These days it’s becoming increasingly difficult to be elegant! XOXOXOXO
When I was younger (high school and college), I didn’t want to follow a trend – I wanted to lead the pack in my little home town! But now (retired, in my mid-60’s), I’ve fallen far down the rabbit hole of comfy….and the extra 40 lbs. I currently carry make this partly necessity (my jeans are miserably tight) and mostly comfort. I LOVE your blog because I don’t ever want to become the typical “mature woman” – I might have to mature first and where’s the fun in that?
The reason I wanted to comment though was – COLLEEN CORBY! I used to cut her pictures from magazines…..what memories!
JULIE! WE NEED A COLLEEN CORBY FAN CLUB! I used to cut her pics out too! I wanted to be just like her and wear the clothing she modeled. In fact, I would wear all those clothes now! I wish there was a designer that had the balls to bring back all that clothing. Let’s lead the pack! XOXOXO
I enjoyed this post!! I too find myself gravitating to more of what *I* like to wear and not caring one whit about ~*Fashion*~ Most of it feels like it’s been rehashed to death anyway…and really that’s to be expected. Street fashion falls into the people watching category to me. Entertaining, maybe a place to get an idea from, but most of them time just raised eyebrows exchanged with my husband.
You hit it on the street fashion. It’s definitely the people watching category. I’ve been doing it for years. I LOVE people watching.. Fashion needs to take a 360 and return to the really fashionable days of decades ago–i.e. the 1960’s! XXOXOXOX