Late 20's style evolution

Maya

I have been thinking about this a lot as I am reluctantly entering my late 20's:

I often see comments on the blog and on the forum about how some things are ok for gals in their early 20's, but after 25, not so much. It makes sense to me. I feel like a completely different person than I was just 6 years ago. I'm no longer a student who can wear Cons and tshirts to class, for one thing. Now I'm struggling to get a job and impress people in my first biz casual environment, and a change just feels right. I'm just not sure what that change should be as I am being dragged kicking and screaming into my 26th year.

Sometimes I feel a little awkward on the forum because even though there are a lot of ladies close to my age (27, 28, 29), I feel and get treated as though I were a lot younger than they are. This no doubt has to do with the fact that my lifestyle is essentially that of someone who just graduated college, and a lot of the other late-20's gals are already independent and even married. But this is not something I want to advertise about myself and I am getting more and more embarrassed and stressed out by it every day. I figure dressing like a grown-up is probably the least I can do to make myself feel somewhat my age.

I know I'm still young and I have a lot of freedom...but with freedom comes responsibility and I am responsible for how others perceive me. I'd like to start being taken more seriously and being looked at as an adult. If people must know that I'm still dependent on my parents, I'd like for them to be surprised by it, not expecting it, if that makes sense.

...does that mean I have to give up my colored tights?

15 years ago

General

12 replies

Latest reply was from Vani

taylor

Veteran

You know Maya, I think each decade we re-evaluate how we want to be pecieved. I can understand you no longer want to be viewd as a college student, but as the professional and capable young woman you are. And you are right that takes a certain amount of polish.

I think you are moving into that direction with style:) While you are still young enough to play with trends, you are adding more polished and professional pieces along the way. And it sounds like you are also enjoying dressing up a little more...And people will take you more seriously.

I don't think you have to toss the colored tights just yet...Kasmira still wears them:)

15 years ago

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I'm not necessarily the best person to answer this, but I suspect you could still hang on to certain youthful items like coloured tights to long as the rest of your ensemble is sophisticated. If you have the body to pull it off, you should continue to make the most of it. You don't have to start dressing older until you cross the 35-line, according to a recent Angie comment. That said, I think you're probably smart to take control of the image you project at any age, and late 20's is definitely a different life phase than early 20's (I shudder to think that I'll be 29 in less than two weeks now). My initial reaction is that you can still have fun with your clothes, but maybe in slightly different ways. Play with lively prints rather than more casual fabrications, for instance. But I could be way off base!!

I hope I never treat you like a younger peer, and if I ever have I do apologize. We're only a couple of years apart in age, and your outlook and attitudes reflect a maturity that put some 30-something acquaintances of mine to shame.

15 years ago

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

You know what Maya- I think these style revolutions will never stop. I feel like at 37 I am going through another one. I am sure that in another 10 years, it will happen again. I hope that doesn't sound unsympathetic, because I do sympathize. At my age, I want people to look at me and not assume that I am just a SAHM, and I am still figuring that out. I think we all go through these periods of adjustment, but change=stress. You will figure it out, and we are all here to help you. Actually the picture that you posted of your new ponte knit pants I thought that you looked very grown up in- in a good way. So- you are getting there.

15 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Maya, we really are just about the same age. I just hit that birthday last month. (25 was harder for me - apparently I had all these idealistic ideas that I would have my life "figured out" at 25, and my life didn't measure up to my expectations. This year I'm a bit less bothered by the fact that I don't always know what I'm doing.)

A little over two years ago, I started my first job in a business casual (absolutely no jeans/denim) environment. It was kind of a sales environment, so I had to be careful about adhering to the dress code, and built small a wardrobe of solid-colored sweaters and dress pants that I don't wear often anymore. (At least I'd read YouLookFab so the pants were PPL.) I'm glad to be working in a more casual environment now so I have greater flexibility.

I'm glad that you have the flexibility of being in an artistic field so that you can dress creatively even if you are in a business casual environment. (Another thought, too: Kasmira of WhatIWore2Day is several years older than we are - I think she mentioned that she was born in the mid-late '70s - and works in Human Resources, yet she dresses in quite a creative and eclectic style. She wears colored tights too.)

My personal style is a bit more subdued and less creative than yours, but I think what's helped me is to realize that I can wear creative, fun, or even trendy items if I combine them with "polished" pieces, and avoid too many things at once. I'm also trying to make sure that what I invest money in - be it a skirt or a colorful blazer or pair of boots - fits well and looks polished, not fussy or cheap. I still have a lot to learn, and like Taylor and Khris mentioned, I think I'll be re-evaluating how I dress throughout my life - during weight loss/gain, as I age, if my workplace or dress code changes, etc...

15 years ago

Maya

Veteran

Oh Michelle, I didn't mean to accuse anyone or imply that it was disrespectful. I actually think it's kind of nice, like a community of big sisters and moms looking out for me! I just hope that the flip side of that isn't that people think I'm childish or needy...

And I do have a very dark and immature side that I leave off the forum. A little bit of it leaked out on the Walmart discussion, but I restrained myself from going too far :p.

I think that is very common 20-something experience Kari (having a lot of of plans and ideas in your head and then getting a reality check). I'm often told I'm too hard on myself but honestly I feel like I'm not hard enough on myself sometimes.

I was not happy when I first heard the dress code was biz casual because I thought it would be limiting, but it made me realize that I was actually limiting myself by avoiding smarter or more dressy looks. My second internship is a style free-for-all, as I mentioned, and it's nice to have both dress codes present in my life because it gives me maximum versatility and gives everything in my closet a chance to be worn and used regularly.

Khris, I expected this to continue throughout my life. I had my first style evaluation when I turned 20. I just didn't want to be/look like a teenager anymore, but I swung too far in the opposite direction, thinking I needed to dress super mature, sophisticated, and polished...which was silly and not my style at all. No wonder I couldn't maintain it.

15 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I think that you're dressing perfectly for your age and creative field, Maya. If you were in T's, ripped jeans and sneakers all day long, I'd be nudging you gently. But you're not so carry on just the way you are :0)

15 years ago

Kristine

Veteran

Maya, the looks that I've seen of yours have been sophisticated and stylish. If I saw you on the street I would never assume you were in college or not living on your own. You're far more polished than most 25 year olds I know. I can appreciate where you're coming from. I'm in my late 30s, so I'm also entering a new stage and re-evaluating my style. Sometimes that means growing pains I guess.

It sounds like you're finding a balance. Make the most out of being in your 20s. You can still wear very edgy and fun things. Edgy and fun is of course completely done when you're in your 30s (just kidding!). Don't give up your colored tights yet!

I'll give you the advice I give myself. Don't be in a hurry, try to enjoy the exact age and place you're in right now. You're doing great! There's nothing to stress over or be hard on yourself about. Just do your best to relax and enjoy the ride!

15 years ago

Maya

Veteran

I don't think I ever wore t's, ripped jeans, and sneakers. Well ok, in high school, but it's ok in high school.

I'm going to wear my colored tights on my birthday. It will make me feel better and less, uh, disturbed. I have no idea why turning 26 is so terrifying to me! Turning 25 was scary too.

15 years ago

Ele

(website)

Active Member

Maya, this is a fantastic thread, and I'm in the same boat as you. Trying to find a style which accommodates my lifestyle (younger, more casual) and my actual age (26). Like you, I feel I'm sometimes thought of as younger than I am on YLF, or younger than some of the other women my age. I feel light years away from Kari, for instance, with her polish and business casual looks. Like a scruffy kid in comparison. Just the other day Angie referred to me in another thread as being in my "early 20's", which is hardly the case anymore! (Not that I'm expecting Angie- or anyone- to remember how old everyone is. That would be ridiculous. Just pointing out that I feel I'm giving a false impression sometimes, haha.)

This is compounded by the fact that I'm about to start a part-time job which is a) very casual, and b) the kind of work that, in my head at least, isn't really for "grown-ups". It's in a gourmet food shop/deli in my village, which is the kind of thing, rightly or wrongly, that I'll forever associate with after-school jobs. I'm trying to figure out what I should be wearing under my apron, and am tempted to give up and go with a uniform of jeans and tees, which will of course work against the image I'd like to project, and make me miserable long-term.

15 years ago

Louise

Veteran

Maya i totally sympathise with the scary age thing i turn 30 in May but i still feel about 23!
I intend to continue dressing as i do now, I'm having more fun now with clothes than i did in my early 20's and no way am i giving it up, we shall wear coloured tights forever more x

15 years ago

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

If it's any consolation Maya, I was terrified to turn 26 too.

15 years ago

Vani

Veteran

Maya, Kari, Ele, Lousie, you gals are fantastically more stylish, sophisticated and polished than I ever was in my 20s (early and late). I was never trashy trendy but I was very boring and dowdy. Only thing I had down was PPL which was something that just seemed natural and logical to me. I remember being VERY fond of a pair of denim dungarees in grad school...urghh...don't even want to think about it. After I started working I became friends with a very stylish girl who helped me stop picking "grandma" (no offense to any of the hot grandmas here!) like clothes and turned me in a better direction. It has been a slow process and I'm only finally comfortable in my skin and clothes now in my early 30s. I used to think it takes as long to discover one's style but you lasses have proved me wrong over and over again.

Coming back to your point, Maya, I think just showing that you care about looking put together and polished goes a long way in your favour. If you can throw in colored tights into that mix, more power to you!

15 years ago

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