is style timeless? or should one change one's look as one grows older?

If I might offer a male viewpoint. Age appropriate dressing certainly seemed to be widely de rigueur until recently, but it doesn't necessarily have a long historical pedigree. There's every probability that since time immemorial, there've been both men and women who have either dressed in a so-called age-appropriate manner; or not, depending on their personal taste. I think the feeling is that men and women who dress ultra young is a recent thing. But there were "trendy" middle aged folks back in the 70s; in fact, in the early 70s, there was something of an epidemic of older guys dressing all "young", with longer hair, tighter clothing, medallions and so on. Today among the Rock and Roll generation say of 40 somethings to 60 somethings, there appear to be those men and women who dress age-approriately; such as those former wild men now clad in polo shirts and clean jeans or whatever; and those who don't...like those mature rockers who still favour long hair; ear rings; tattoos and so on. For my part, I'm a lot more sober in my dress than I was younger; it's a preference thing; and a comfort thing. I feel more comfortable not attracting too much attention for myself for my clothes. But then my style is pretty youthful; just not flamboyant. I think folks should dress as they wish so long as they're happy with it; I mean within reason.

hi dear psychoartist hope I dont open a can of worms with my answer but I am firmly against dressing like this and that only because you have reached a certain age. I am female, have always hated dresses and skirts and love my jeans. We dont have a dress code at work so jeans and t shirt or sweatshirt or blouse will do. I am overweight and when I shop for clothes either I like the jeans or shirt or blouse and so I get it regardless of what others may say to my comfy style or I wont buy it at all if it wont "speak" to me. I will not stop dressing like I do now, all right maybe I will wear more floral t shirts or blouses later on when I get older instead of unicolored nor for the office. But never ever this old lady style you bet.

To that I say things have changed! All I have to say is Cher, Madonna, and Helen Mirrien. All three of these women, by the rules you are talking about, should be wearing dresses down to the ground with looser waistlines.But not anymore. your age has nothing to do with hemlines or waistlines. It is about What you can wear. Cher is still in shape so she sows it off. Her stlye was outrageous in the 70's and it still today. Madonna? She came in with one style and then changed it every few months . And each fit her. She is in her 50's and she still look s great . None of her clothes say " grandmother" and Helen? She never was too showy and she still isn't. But everything she wears fits her to a tee And it doesn't say Matriarch.Gone are the days of a woman being told she Must wear this because she is X age! If you like what you are wearing , then keep wearing it! The one person I saw change her look and it was great to see was Princess Diana. When she first came to our attwntion, she was just 19 and it showed. But by the time we lost her she Knew , less is more . and Everything fit , showed off her curves. I can't tell you how good I felt to see her in this black dress! So to answer your question yes a woman can change her look And No it doesn;t have to be because of her age!

If you are the type to go with fads and trends then you'll need to change your style often, because usually the latest style is a ridiculous attention sign blinking "looking at me. I'm cool and unique just like everyone else" I think if you go with your own style it's definitely timeless. You may not be the only one with that style, but if you rock it like there's nothing better in the world then there is nothing better in the world. If we're getting into age groups then there are certain styles that must be stopped. If I see another 50 year old woman dressed like a teenager with hip hugger low waist pants and a cute little shirt I'm going to freaking kick her in the shin.

I think that it depends on the person.I am in my sixty three,and I wear tights with tunics,shorts in the summer,and so on.I do not wear bare midriff or micro mini anymore.I work out,have an athletic body,wish that I would be slimmer,but I try to wear clothes that do great things for me,and I like,I hate anything that would make me look matronly! As to the hair,I decided to go short and spiky,since it was always tied up.(hot flashes,you know....)Keep it dark auburn,goes great with my green eyes, and I wear make up,just eye shadow,mascara and lipstick or lip gloss (no foundation,or anything on the face,Hot flashes again...)And I had those for 9 years....Also I would love to wear heels,but my body said:enough! So flats it is.

I think personally that there are two types of "Style" if you will. first there is clothes okay well yeah if you are pushing 4r maybe you should not dress like a teenager! lol But aside from that hey you are only as old as you feel right. It's a tricky question.. very well done my friend:) Okay now the other style that I was talking about is you're own style. That means like what makes you who you are.. you're mannerisms and general personality that people know you as you. Never change this. That style is forever.. be you're self always and forever.

long hair makes a woman older looking so I agree with them, Also I would not want to see a 70 year old woman wearing a mini skirt would you

well, clearly you do not want to wear stuff that a teenager would wear but there are things that you can wear all your life like jeans and a great hair style. i think a person should dress however they want and not worry about what others say.

I think people should dress age appropriate. This does not mean frumpy. If a 60 year old woman is showing off her wrinkles in a micro mini skirt, it is just ridiculous. However, if that same 60 year old woman has a body like Cher, there is no reason not to wear skirt a shorter than a matronly looking granny. The same goes for hairstyles. Long hair that is perfectly groomed looks good on most women. If one ages with loads of wrinkles, very long hair has a tendency to make one look like a witch. At 20 showing a belly ring and a tramp stamp is cute. At 40 those same symbols look just silly.

Style is what defines us a persson. We should never change who we are just because we are getting older. We should hang on to who we are and what we believe in so style has to remain timeless as long as we allow it to be.

I'm 34 and I wear jeans and sneakers like teenage girls do. I wear them coz i feel comfortable in them. But sometimes i do dress for my age, wearing more sophisticated clothes when the occasion calls for it. I thought about appropriateness of dressing up when i reach the age of 40. I remember my mom wearing only skirts and pants and never saw her wearing jeans at all. But here comes my mother-in-law in her 50s wearing nike shoes and tight jeans and carries a kipling bag with her. And she looks fine with it.

Hey! I am all about comfort, at any age. My mother wears stuff that I frown upon, just because I personally don't like big print patterns on my clothing, but the cut and style of it is super comfy and I would wear it in a heart beat if it were solid in color. But, as far as it's style goes, I would guess it would be called 'frumpy' because her shirts are loose footing and kinda baggy- yet old-lady-ish kinda. Normally, you can find me in jeans and a baggy t-shirt of some kind, and my style really hasn't changed since I was a kid. oh and my boots. I have threatened people bodily harm for making fun of/wanting to dispose of my hiking/combat boots (I have 4 pair that I wear every living day.) Yet again I say it's comfort. I have been called a freak in high school because I did NOT wear skirts or frilly tops, but from the back (aside from my long hair) I looked like a boy. And I was comfy. Great topic, :D and 'frumpy' is a funny word, I feel weird using it in a sentence. LOL

I believe people should express themselves in any way they feel comfortable and happy. As people grow older, they prefer to change from jeans to saris or something that's comfortable for them to wear. Even some will cut their hair short, stop using make-ups and the list goes on.

well, my stand to this is that , we have different styles in terms of looks or so whatever as we grow older, and this style will change and change depends to our sense of taste to it..

Hi psychoartist, I'm actually caught in this dilemma at the moment. I certainly don't feel my age but I worry that I'm choosing age inappropriate clothing. I was feeling frumpy in my dress choices and dull and boring. I feel I was trying to be inconspicuous which is hard when I'm tall and quite heavy (big). I reached a decision to love me the way I am and to celebrate my life and self with new clothes. y Mum told me when I first turned 30 that I was "too old now to wear your hair long" My hair is very long and thick and there are strands of grey. I'm also wearing lots of costume jewellery lately and what is surprising is the compliments I'm receiving from younger women. I really like a classic look but I also like a bit of colour. I know it's late but I'm trying to develop my own style (I so admire and envy women who have achieved this). I guess I agree that real style is timeless but we don't need to change our clothing choices to look older or more mature. We should wear what we like and for me there has always been a need to dress with decency and self respect.

I think that people do need to adapt the way that they dress as they get older. For example, the kind of colours that you might wear as a teenager probably wouldn't suit you when you were elderly, so there are things that should change. I wear a lot of slogan t shirts which I wouldn't wear if I was much older, or if I had children, so I know that this is something that I would reconsider if I was looking to buy new clothes in the future. You should always know what suits you, and then dress according to that, and ignore what anyone else might think!

I think that we tend to change our style as we age. One does not have to look frumpy to dress appropriately and stylish at an older age. Personally, at 52 years of age, I don't wear the same style of clothing that the 22 year olds wear, nor do I wear the same style that my 85 year old mother wears. There's just something that is oh-so-not-attractive about a 60 year old woman in tight leggings with high heels showing off her wrinkled and sagging belly. It also depends on how well a person ages. Some people can look 10-20 years younger than they are thus tending to wear younger looking clothing. It's all about class and knowing what looks good on you.

Hello psychoartist I can't help but the wonder if a person chooses the classic style, this is a worry that need not arise. Some styles never go out of fashion, and are in fashion, no matter what one's age, no?

Hi psychoartist! My friend, I do definately think that their are fashions for younger women that wouldn't work for older ladies because of aging, such as jean shorts, tanning (because of skin health) and small tank tops for summer time. Yet, there are styles out there that are fun and stylish for any age group like dresses and skirts! I do not feel that others should change their styles to fit society though. I feel that people are different and should be just that! Yet, if they want to change to upgrade and refresh themselves, that's wonderful too! I really like femme style clothes. Some women prefer to wear jeans and nice tops and just dress casual. It also depends on their build and what types of styles really compliment their frame, you know? Some women look very young and attractive with short hair..Others look nice with long flowing hair, whether it be wavy, curly or just the plain jane, straight style. As long as their comfortable with their outfits, I say older women should dress how they want and try to add a little extra in their routine, like a colorful scarf or a pair of wedges that match the purse. My grandmother was always very stylish and dressed in a way that wasn't "old". She kept up with today's styles but added in her own as well. I am all about color! I love dressing my daughter up too! She has a closet that goes on for months..haha. Thanks for asking this question! I had fun with it!

I also think that people's styles and what they like just naturally change as they age. What you think looks frumpy on your grandmother, she might just find it comfortable to wear and I think as people age they get start caring less and less about what others think about their hairstyle or clothing. Isn't that what it's all about anyway, that everyone just feels good with the way they are :)