Prior to my promotion as retail buyer, we had a buyer that was in her late 50’s and style was the last thing she knew about. She purchased clothing that she liked and what she thought her age should dress, especially since the majority of our clients are in their 40’s and 50’s. During this buyers reign, we watched our sales slip down a slippery slope everyday. Customers complained that the clothes were “so old lady”. Although these clothes were picked with their age in mind, I came to realize that women and men like to dress 10-20 years younger then they are.
This new fashion is being called “10 years younger syndrome” according to Anne Metz in her article Do you dress your age? This term refers to men and women that tend to dress like someone 10 years younger than them. My mom actually visits my closet daily for her wardrobe and she actually looks better in some of my clothes than I do. This would have never have happened when my mom was my age. It would have been outrageous for my grandma to wear my mother’s clothing.
Part of this new fashion trend is that women are looking more and more young every year. Classifying a women into a distinct fashion age group just does not apply anymore. According to The Times article Dress for your age, “The idea that a style, an aesthetic or a single item of clothing should become out of bounds simply because you cross an invisible Rubicon was always suspect but nowadays, when women keep their looks longer than any previous generation, it’s absurdly simplistic”.
With all that said, ones style should continue to change as they go through stages of their life. Not dressing your age can actually age a women or man more, so it is important to dress what fits your life style and where you are at in your path of life.
Stay tuned for more…
