YouLookFab Forum » Topic: What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: What items are too youthful, and what items are aging? https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:09:04 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Dee on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227712 Sun, 20 Apr 2014 03:14:28 +0000 Dee 1227712@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ This is a topic that I find myself thinking about often.  I recently lost a good bit of weight and am hoping to lose more.  In the meantime, however, I am wearing clothes from my closet that last fit me about 8 - 10 years ago.  At that time, I was in my late 40s and now I am in my late 50s.  I am trying to find a balance in terms of what looks good on me now and what is neither too young nor too old.  I once read some advice by Joan Rivers that basically said that you are dressing too young if someone who sees you only from the rear assumes you are significantly younger than your true age and then is struck by your actual age when they see you from the front.  I agree with much that has already been said here by others that what is too young and too old is very subjective and depends greatly on the age of the wearer. rabbit on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227367 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:58:21 +0000 rabbit 1227367@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ That's wise RL.   Also I think maybe the tech boom knocked things in a new direction a bit.  Suddenly you had very wealthy, very influential people who were quite young, and weren't trying to adapt and look like industry titans of the past.  They still pretty much wore their coder clothes.     Also fame and influence started to be distributed differently.  Suddenly there were all these online channels and the idea of informality and accessibility extended to dress as well as twitter, YouTube, Instagram. lyn* on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227366 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:57:15 +0000 lyn* 1227366@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree with Rachy - I think it depends what you're trying to say with your clothes, and what type of a role you play. I think some really young items on me are dresses with short length, both flare and pencil skirts. I think bright pumps or patterned pumps also read as young, especially if I'm not careful with the rest of my outfit. I still pull out teal pumps with a longer dress though, in more somber colours rachylou on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227349 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:37:36 +0000 rachylou 1227349@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I was at the checkstand again looking at magazines, and one of them has a piece on how women used to look 40 years ago at this age or that, and how they look today. One of the photo comparisons was Anne Bancroft in her mid-thirties and Pink in her mid-thirties now. And yes, Anne looked a lot older. But it wasn't like she was pruned with age. It wasn't a matter of wrinkles. It was a matter of seriousness and gravitas and, I think, a feeling of experience. And responsibility. To be honest, I think people looked older earlier, in previous times, because they became responsible earlier. Truly responsible. Much more responsible than getting a job and showing up fairly regularly and telling other people what to do (i.e., what you want). People back when: They didn't work, they didn't eat. Extending that to clothes - I think there is, as IK says, a baseline for dress. It may change a bit from country to country, or as time moves forward, but there's always a baseline. And I think there's especially a baseline language of dress for people who carry the weight of authority and responsibility, and they look "old." Moreover, it's pretty hard to look at magazine pictures these days - esp. magazine pictures of celebrities - to get an understanding of what that baseline is. Maybe you can find them on the internet now, because everyone has a presence here, but the people who keep the world running are low profile. The western world: Showing thigh, showing shoulders, and fripperous ornamentation - the more you have of that, the less authority (and "age") you convey. You'll need to talk around the message of your clothing. rachylou on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227343 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:17:25 +0000 rachylou 1227343@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've been waiting a long time to put on my red hat! Parsley on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227328 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:49:12 +0000 Parsley 1227328@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The two things that age people more than anything else, in my opinion, are cigarettes and sun exposure. OK, I know those aren't things you wear, but they make people look older in almost every situation in spite of everything you do to dress well and have a great hairstyle and makeup. rabbit on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227325 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:40:28 +0000 rabbit 1227325@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ leopardluxe - your frog hat is adorable :) My mom has been a 'red hat lady' all her life I think.   she didn't wait to get old.  It embarrassed the heck out of me when I was younger.  Now I accept it. I have a streak of 'red hat lady' that gets more pronounced as I age.  Part of it is that I know how to dress to be taken seriously when appropriate.  But most of the time I'm not, nor do I particularly need to be, a 'serious' person.  (I am a responsible person, but I try to be light-hearted about it). Suzanne (ambergreen) on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227323 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:36:17 +0000 Suzanne (ambergreen) 1227323@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ An <a href="https://a248.e.akamai.net/media.pinterest.com.s3.amazonaws.com/736x/58/df/32/58df3267607f4f539f42c21dd0d25b5e.jpghttp://" rel="nofollow">apropos image</a> for this thread... PS, everyone with the oil-slick skin: that was me for decades, but thankfully it is not anymore. I never thought I would experience life without it. Part of it might be aging past its internal causes and part of it might be adjusting my way of eating to more primal (e.g. very little starch and seed oils and almost no flour), but I think the biggest factor is my switch to a version of the oil-cleansing method (I just use extra virgin olive oil). OCM can feel counterintuitive at first, but many, many people have had success with it. I realized that the "beauty experts" who tell us to fight oil by stripping it away and then adding back chemical "oil-free" foundations and moisturizers made no sense. (Read: buy two products! One to unbalance you and one to try rebalancing that is forever inadequate!) People who don't eat Western diets or use Western facial cleansing methods don't have acne. I still have a subtle shine that I do powder to finish a "face" (subtly), but it is a huge difference from the beacon of shine I was used to that only added to the difficulty of getting a decent photo, etc. etc. I rarely have to repowder now, whereas when I was younger it seemed like I had to manage the shine every hour or two. dashielle (Ann) on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227317 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:24:40 +0000 dashielle (Ann) 1227317@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yikes, just realized I forgot to credit Jenny Joseph for the above poem EveningMood on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227314 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:21:08 +0000 EveningMood 1227314@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Too young (on me), short skirts or dresses with tall boots. Used to be my uniform in my early 20's, and that ship has sailed :) Also short, fitted tees and sneakers. Never again! Aging: suits! And white hair, for the time being, but I hope that will change. I wanna be a silver-haired stylish mum when my kids are teenagers. Anonymous on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227250 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 14:56:07 +0000 Anonymous 1227250@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I feel like any general opinions I have on what's aging or too young will just rehash what other people have said and are the type of thing where there's always going to be someone who pulls them off at any age, anyway, so I'll just talk about my own experiences: -90% of the animal-print stuff out there feels too aging when I try it. I think it's because, with my intense coloring and curviness, it's pretty easy for it to read like I'm trying very hard to look va-va-voom. Which kind of = aging for me. But, obviously, many other people wear lots of animal print in a way that doesn't look too old for them at all. -I used to wear variations on the kind of outfit with basic jewel-tone tops or twinsets and black pants that Columbine described up thread a lot, and they always made me feel a little like I was dressing too old. I think it's because I was choosing them entirely because they were easy, practical, appropriate and flattering, and not because I particularly liked anything about the look. So I was a 20-something with very few responsibilities in life dressing according to a thought process that would make way more sense for a busy 40-something with a demanding job, kids, and a house to maintain. Also, I'm not sure I wasn't choosing things with the best quality or fit ever, which probably didn't help. -Some of my beloved casual knit dresses are starting to look too young on me, especially summer ones. I think it's the combination of short length, low-cut neckline, and a kind of shapeless, unstructured cut through the body making them feel a little juniors-ish. -I wear a lot of outfits with tunics/short dresses, black leggings, and flats on weekends in the spring and fall. I feel like they're probably too youthful (because of the short dresses and the fact that none of the pieces are necessarily great quality) and too aging (because it's a trend that's passed and it's an outfit that's so obviously chosen because it's comfortable) at the same time, but I keep wearing them anyway because they're so useful and I just like them. I'm kind of trying to figure out how to tweak the look, though, so it's not pressing those buttons as much for me. ironkurtin on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/3#post-1227179 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:56:01 +0000 ironkurtin 1227179@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow, a poem! Dashielle, I want to be that kind of Auntie Mame type when I'm older too. LeopardLuxe, the point here isn't to say that anyone who dresses "young" is trying to fool anyone. It's interesting that you think these "fun" items might be seen as too youthful by someone else, though. Anonymous on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1227158 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:07:15 +0000 Anonymous 1227158@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Too youthful: very long hair, bright and colourful make-up, frills and bows. Too aging: very dark hair if you have fair skin, skirt suits where the suit jacket is longish (hip-length) and the skirt is midi-length. Joyce B on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1227154 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:03:40 +0000 Joyce B 1227154@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Dressing too young also depends on the culture. Dressing with slim-somewhat skinny jeans may be OK where I live but would not look appropriate in another country since it may be considered dressing too young, depending on which country of course. Clothing choices and how they look to you and others also depend on the environment. leopardluxe on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1227152 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 11:59:20 +0000 leopardluxe 1227152@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Definitely this completely absurd frog hat. Entirely too youthful. I must be an older person just desperately trying to look like a young tween. I'm sure my petite frame combined with this hat will fool everyone into thinking I really am only 13. ...or maybe I just have a blast & laugh whenever I put it on (and my ears are warm). That could be it, too.  Crap. I just realized I'm also wearing a hoodie and a moto jacket from my youth in this photo. Yup. Looking pretty desperate to be young (or warm and dry in crappy Seattle weather). </end sarcasm> when it comes to fashion and what's youthful/aging --it's all subjective, imho :-) Adelfa on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1227060 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 05:30:29 +0000 Adelfa 1227060@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I agree, retailgirl, to me a shirt worn open over a tank is aging. Yet I fight against wearing this look all the time because it solves so many problems for me! Angie, could there be a disconnect about powder between extremely dry-skinned you and some of us oily fabbers? I can imagine that powder doesn't do the very dry-skinned any favors. What I do is press on a fine-milled translucent powder over my makeup (T-zone only) and then brush brush brush to blend and remove excess. In two hours or less I'm visibly oily. Many days I don't have time to think of retouching and when I look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day I really don't like how the oiliness looks. Also, my skin bears the marks of a 40-year battle with acne and a bit of powder really softens those traces--thick foundation, which I refuse to wear, would be aging too! Just my thoughts about powder. But maybe you meant heavy powder, or unnaturally tinted powder. As for too young--not sure. I guess I'm biased against the look of an extremely slender woman who's nearing 40 or past it, who is obviously wearing juniors sizes. Combination of too tight, too bare, too trendy, too cheap looking. But that sounds bad to say because I could never do it! I know lots of 40+, 50+, 60+ women who rock current trends and who have fun with fashion. But there's a sort of lack of seriousness in the looks of those that I might view as dressed too young. Echo on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1227004 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 02:48:41 +0000 Echo 1227004@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have very oily skin, and it is awful trying to find the proper balance between an oil slick and overly drying powders. As for aging items, teacher sweaters top the list. And I say that with affection, as my mum was a teacher and wore (and still wears) teacher sweaters and sweatshirts. She likes them and always has, but they don't do her (or anyone else) any favours! And I love the term "aggressively comfortable shoes"! I definitely understand the necessity of wearing comfortable shoes or orthopedic inserts, but there are still attractive options. The old-fashioned nurse shoes with the slight wedge and big seam around the top that lace up are an example of "aggressively comfortable shoes". Too young is a little bit dicier to me. Most of the things that I find too young are things that are unflattering to my eye regardless of age, and most of them fit into the  "too ..." department - too short, too tight, too low cut, etc. Often women who are desperate to appear "sexy" are described as dressing "too young" when in fact the things they wear wouldn't look very good on anyone at all. But I don't find casual style in general to be overly young looking. While I wouldn't wear it, there are a number of women my age who wear yoga pants and hoodies. While I find something like that too casual for most situations, I don't necessarily think it is "too young". dashielle (Ann) on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226992 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 02:36:12 +0000 dashielle (Ann) 1226992@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I am off this weekend to prove that wolf sweaters can be stylish. I hate them too, but it feels like an experiment! When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me, And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired, And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells, And run my stick along the public railings, And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick the flowers in other people's gardens, And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat, And eat three pounds of sausages at a go, Or only bread and pickle for a week, And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry, And pay our rent and not swear in the street, And set a good example for the children. We will have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practise a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised, When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple! Janet on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226970 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 02:08:33 +0000 Janet 1226970@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What an interesting discussion! Well, I'm not going to make a list, but I did find it interesting that on my "why I won't wear mom jeans again" thread, someone commented that I look younger now than in that photo from 20 years ago. Similarly, not too long ago, I ran into a parent I knew from the school I worked at around that same time, in the early 90s. I dressed conservatively for the environment -- midi length dresses, sensible pumps, tailored long jackets -- typical office-y 80s/90s attire. The parent remarked that I looked younger in my 40s than I did when I was at work in my 20s. Which actually makes a lot of sense because I was the youngest person working there for quite a while (I was hired at 22), and I wanted to be taken seriously. So clearly there was something "aging" about my style when I was 20 years younger than I am now. Mom jeans and all. Mo on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226927 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:30:14 +0000 Mo 1226927@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have another one.  Cat ears on hoodie hoods.  Totally cute on a 24 year old I worked with.  I love kitties, but it would be ridiculous on middle aged me.     ironkurtin on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226919 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:20:13 +0000 ironkurtin 1226919@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh no worries, Angie, my skin eats powder for breakfast... Here's to bangs! Angie on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226917 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 01:16:32 +0000 Angie 1226917@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ah. IK, I think there is a difference between very oil skin and shiny skin. But a little oil is excellent - lucky you. (I put oil on my skin to make it shiny). Perhaps all you need is a little forehead blotting - but that's all. I don't think you should be able to see the powder if you know what I mean. Like I said - I love shiny skin.  ironkurtin on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226896 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:55:50 +0000 ironkurtin 1226896@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie, please help me. I'm oily, especially my forehead, even now. That's not what you mean by shiny, is it? I swear makeup baffles me. I have no dea what to do except periodically blot. But hey, at least I look young! TraceyLiz65 on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226892 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:51:12 +0000 TraceyLiz65 1226892@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I do think classic khaki pants with a sweatshirt and running shoes that a mother in the homeschooling bowling group wears like a mom uniform. We are similar in age but she comes across as much older. Haven't mentioned my blog or YLF but will definitely try to wiggle it as part of my own journey to self care..... annagybe on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226890 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:50:08 +0000 annagybe 1226890@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hmm, judging by some of the comments, I consistently wear items that are too young for me. And guess what, I really don't care. I've spent far too much time worrying about how others judge me. It didn't help me then. Angie on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226887 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:46:25 +0000 Angie 1226887@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes, IK. There is a baseline. AND there are definitely subjective generalizations that can be made - heck I just made them about make-up and the colour black. I'll do the same for my three poison eyes. By all means continue to determine a subjective baseline. I do that each day in my blog posts. If anything goes all the time for everyone - the concept of style would not exist.  ironkurtin on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226884 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:41:07 +0000 ironkurtin 1226884@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie, I'm totally trying to generalize subjective opinions. That's why I asked. :). And I think when people say "oh it's all relative" or "anyone can look stylish" that's not a real answer! Yes of course it's all relative, and probably cultural, and of course (!!!) everyone can look stylish! But c'mon, surely everyone also has specific answers... This question wasn't meant to slam anyone's tastes, but to see what people think, knowing it is all subjective. One person thanks hoodies are young. Interesting! Perhaps when I wear a hoodie to exercise, I am subconsciously trying to gain vigor and youth from my clothing. Or maybe not! In fact, in order to get my growing-out hair away from my face these days, I must resort to pigtails. Very ironc pigtails. So with my hoodie and pigtails, I'm totally channeling youth, which is a strange thought for me. It really is all hot air, but it's fun hot air... Let's have fun with it! columbine(erin) on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226881 Sat, 19 Apr 2014 00:32:39 +0000 columbine(erin) 1226881@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think you're very right, Ingunn.  Ingunn on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226851 Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:27:56 +0000 Ingunn 1226851@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It's difficult to make such lists for me - I feel that it's more about silhouettes, fit and how the mix of elements is done. I love both hoodies AND suits, particularly together As long as there is a modern element somewhere in the outfit, mixed with some classics, I think anyone at any age can look fresh, and not too young or old for their age.  rabbit on "What items are too youthful, and what items are aging?" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/what-items-are-too-youthful-and-what-items-are-aging/page/2#post-1226849 Fri, 18 Apr 2014 23:26:31 +0000 rabbit 1226849@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lol Ummlila that is so true.  We do have ugly Xmas sweater parties.   I found a sweatshirt with a bobsledding cat and blingly snowflakes on it on the Macy's sale rack and had to show it to a sales assistant.    He said it needed more 'flare' and that he had one at home that he added to every year for the Xmas sweater party - he'd even figured out how to do blinking lights.