Regarding the question "When are you middle-aged?", I once read about a survey in which people were asked this very question. The result? Interestingly, on average people mentioned an age approximately five years older than their own age.

Sarah and The Cat lol!!

I found it!! And fwiw it all makes more sense in the context of the entire thread of posts ... In terms of the intent being clearly "what's new and now" I for one will be following her general advice as I do need a new puffer and checking out Aritzia's offerings.

Haha I was just going to say it’s one of the little bubble things, tells you how savvy I am

Interesting thread! My sense is that she is a minimalist when it comes to fashion and specifically outerwear: She favors classic colors like camel, black, cream, gray in modern, typically oversized silhouettes. So from that particular POV, a purple coat with lots of bells and whistles (e.g., shine, ruffles, very fitted, etc.) will be out of favor. As with Amy at Tibi, she is giving fashion and style advice for people who want her guidance and seek her out for it. I don't think her intent is to pass judgment on all people and their purple coats ;).

So I suppose there will be an uprising against her Christmas wrapping techniques and comments now too ? I for one have almost all of the Amazon stuff she found for gift wrapping in my digital basket . Plus a gift suggestion or two in that same basket . Stirrer of the pot here;)

And then , back to the puffers and purple coats - everyone passes judgement of one kind or another on every person they see . We may not want to admit it , but we all do it . That’s how we form opinions and our own aesthetic preferences .

@ LJP - since she was identified as an individual with sites worth viewing/reading, and her fashion sense praised - I think it is fair to debate what she says, or at least try to parse it out in order to better understand what she is saying - and determine if her advice is applicable.

Well she is young and cannot image what she will embrace as she gets older and wiser!

I kind of wish I had gone to Instagram before coming here. I have followed her since Lisa mentioned her last week and enjoy her content and especially her facial expressions in reaction to questions. Yes she is dictating, yes I have a maroon jacket and absolutely intend to wear it, but no I am not at all offended and have enjoyed her content so far. Middle aged is problematic as a label for what she is trying to convey, but my goal is to take my age as a banner and fly it.

I’d love to look middle-aged!

You’re right Carla , it’s fair to debate . I’m reacting to the surprising backlash against both digital creators we are referring to. I surprised at offense taken and the defensiveness too . I don’t believe I suggested both of these fashion personalities and the one I did was dropped into conversation , not as a link love - type recommendation . Point taken , however .

LJP this is a safe place to share. Always appreciate your input!

LJP, I’m surprised too. I thought it was funny, then read the comments here. Can’t see being that serious about it.

Ms Maven, you look great, are a model for how I want to age.

I may not be 'middle-aged' yet but an eggplant/ plum coat has been on my HEWI list for years - ever since my uni days.

What does that say about my internal age? Lol

Well, I don't read Instagram - so my beef is "If there were more options available for me in my size/style/price - I maybe would have chosen another color". I was just trying to avoid black ( and olive color that looks bad on me ) and got my eggplant puffer on-sale in 2013/2014.
I wear it with some colorful scarfs and don't worry about anything else
. Coffee with @runcarla and other YLF members sounds great!

Just my 2c but you can give guidance in a positive way, that respects that people have different needs and preferences- like Angie does! Prescriptive doesn't work in the real world.

The thing I always go back to is that no one ever says "ugh, don't wear that, it makes you look 10 years younger." Or "omg, you should buy that, it is soooo old lady!"

Just because she is supposedly being funny doesn't mean it isn't the knee jerk attitude that looking over 40 is to be avoided. Since I don't follow or know her at all the kindest thing I can think about it is that this attitude is so pervasive she probably didn't even notice she was doing it. Doesn't make it kind and respectful though, it just makes her someone who doesn't think hard about what she puts out. Since put it out, she does, her words and thoughts are subject to review. She can say what she wants but I don't have to admire her.

noting that she survived tongue cancer at an early age (23yo) from what I read, and has had a recurrence of cancer found over this past summer and with limited treatment options. I believe she has a young family as well. In that context, I'm wondering about the perspective evidently put forward on "aging" clothing, when in reality, the opportunity for aging can be quite a gift, no?

Kat, I agree, it's a gift indeed to have the time and luxury on this earth to see old age. I had friends who were denied that gift, and I appreciate every day because of it.

I didn't see anything in that post that said "this makes you look old" and I really don't get the ageist thing in this case, even though I'm pretty aware of ageism in general. We can choose to be offended, or laugh. I just can't feel offended by the tongue-in-cheek opinion of a fashion blogger who is undergoing treatment for cancer. Just my two cents.

I think we should recognize some of us value fashion over personal style and some of us don’t. The fashion view is harsh about anyone who doesn’t slavishly follow it, and is endlessly ageist and classist. If you want to follow those posters, great. But just don’t assume everyone does or should share your appreciation for them.

I guess this is what it all boils down to: fashion is by definition exclusive. You're either in or out.

We can loathe it or dig it. I am somewhere in the middle. I still don't feel bad about finding fashion and trends interesting though.

Janet Maybe you missed the text on pic 2 that Synne posted - 'The maroon parka - the hallmark of middle age - please donate that - I beg you.'

I am not offended, but I stand by my first comment.

Okay, wait, weren't there like a bazillion purple/maroon coats at the Biden inauguration and it was supposed to symbolize bipartisanship? Is that where the "middle-aged" association is coming from? Of course Amanda Gorman, who is decidedly not middle-aged, was in yellow, which is very much the opposite of purple on the color wheel... I'm getting carried away here, aren't I?

@LaPed: I'm thinking the purple backlash can all be traced back to this friendly fellow :).

Throw out your burgundy puffers thus guaranteeing that they will be the hottest of trends next year and you will wish you hadn’t!Fashion is cyclical.

Whoa, I’ve just found this thread and was delighted to have something fun to read with my morning coffee. Since I’m in my mid -seventies, I think I NEED a purple puffer if it makes me look like I’m back in my late thirties (MIDDLE-AGED—Yes!!)

I actually find the Charlys and Amys to be a lot of fun because of their opinionated, unabashed views—puts fashion in the right context: Pick what works, ignore what doesn’t, and never take it too seriously.

So many great insights here. I appreciate all of your thoughts, thank you for sharing! I tried answering some of you personally up thread, but this thread blew up (internet speak) and I guess I'm lazy....

Just to be clear about it, I am NEVER giving up my maroon parka. I just found it amusing that the style carries connotations I had no idea about.

The term middle-aged meant in a derogatory manner didn't phase me much. And that may speak numbers about me. I am not afraid of aging. But I do care about looking stylish.

Lazy and vain. There you have me

Ok. I just have to come back and say my maroon puffer, if I still have it, is in the basement because there was something off about it, I felt. Like I was trying to shake things up and so went maroon, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t sharp. I don’t know about middle aged, but it felt lacking. If I’d have done something like monochrome maroon outfits, that probably would have fixed it, but can’t do that every day. Never did have maroon shoes…

I would like to point out that no-one here who just read this thread alone without knowing anything about her or following her knew that she had had cancer or a recurrence of cancer.
The comments were being taken on the photos on this thread only.

Jenni, fwiw - it didn't come across to me that anyone was being callous regarding her health - the criticisms of her words seem to be based on her words alone, which it totally fair! Like most opinionated people, which I think Charly would agree she is, she's not going to be for everyone. (I also get though why those of us aware of her health are admiring of her 'keep calm and carry on' attitude).

I personally think this is a great and interesting discussion. Again just my thoughts, not claiming to speak for the group

Rachy, same! I tried on that burgundy coat the other day that I theoretically really liked but it just didn't *feel* right, so it was helpful for me to get her unfiltered assessment of the situation.

Maybe "either go neutral, or go colour but don't go colour-that's-sort-of-neutral" is the vibe-du-jour she's getting at? Which sort of makes sense trend-wise as we've had an extended period of blush and sage and softness reigning supreme ... *ponders*