tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post7048330792784059618..comments2023-10-20T08:27:40.314-04:00Comments on male pattern boldness: Fashion on the Far Side of Fifty Peter Lappinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109154527996679077noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-27312056269463250962013-01-17T18:45:13.947-05:002013-01-17T18:45:13.947-05:00Sorry to be coming late to the comment party. I am...Sorry to be coming late to the comment party. I am 57, and I sew at least partly because much of what's available (and affordable by me) in the stores does not feel appropriate at my age. I want pants that come up to my waist, dagnab it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-63555448189069010642013-01-13T22:18:14.389-05:002013-01-13T22:18:14.389-05:00Really enjoying the comments! I remember going to ...Really enjoying the comments! I remember going to a 50s themed party a few years ago - amongst the 50yr old bobby-soxers in poodle skirts and greasers, we were the couple in a tuxedo and a chic cocktail dress - after all, we were 40, and that is what we would have worn in the 50s! We didn't go dressed as teenagers. It was quite revealing, and very funny!Age appropriate isn't a slam to any particular age...just a way to dress the body you have now.It is less about the "rules" for your age than dressing for who you are, or have become.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-24016090493780281252013-01-13T07:12:57.047-05:002013-01-13T07:12:57.047-05:00So true, no one told me you get magical powers at ...So true, no one told me you get magical powers at 50 - you become invisible! But try wearing age inappropriate clothes, and you magically appear again! (not in a good way). And no matter what you do, you just don't keep the same shape. I certainly don't have the waist I once did. So I prefer to think that at any age there is class, and there is crass. Wearing your kids clothes does NOT make you look youngEuniquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09097160681961189622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-42405368717274026032013-01-12T18:11:24.033-05:002013-01-12T18:11:24.033-05:00Yes, she does, doesn't she? But if she actuall...Yes, she does, doesn't she? But if she actually looked at how she looked she'd see someone who really really needs to can the miniskirts; just ONE look at those WRINKLY KNEES of hers should be enough to send her scurrying for the seam ripper, or to the yellow pages in search of an alterationist! (is that a word?) She could also use a postural adjustment; doesn't matter how much you paid for your wardrobe if one doesn't know how to STAND UP STRAIGHT.When you are young, bad posture is unflattering and makes one look about 10 lbs heavier; when one is older, it screams "dowager's hump"! "Mutton dressed as lamb" ALWAYS looks BAD; much better to simply accept the fact and tweak one's wardrobe accordingly! If a woman hasn't learned how to be sexy/attractive in ways OTHER than by merely showing a lot of skin by the time one is in one's forties, well, that demonstrates her own inner limitations, nothing more!Sufiyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-58562531050019043782013-01-12T17:22:22.804-05:002013-01-12T17:22:22.804-05:00I think that pink ponies can work for someone with...I think that pink ponies can work for someone with a double digit age. I didn't think this until recently, but gertie's pinky pie dress changed my mind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-52787779874717033042013-01-12T10:41:25.540-05:002013-01-12T10:41:25.540-05:00Peter, your videos are modern day classics!
Willy...Peter, your videos are modern day classics!<br /><br />Willy nipping at the parrot, wisps of blonde tucked behind one ear, and your facial expressions - these are the things which add to life.Testosteronenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-74559074689621650982013-01-12T03:56:19.166-05:002013-01-12T03:56:19.166-05:00Ever so slightly more serious though, I also think...Ever so slightly more serious though, I also think one's lifestyle is a factor. I am 47, but not for much longer, and I dress any way I please, NOW. I wear flowers in my long hair. However, I also run my own business in the craft space. Now when I was an office wallah 10 months ago, I'd never have dressed like that. I had staff and needed to be taken seriously by senior management. DULL. The stuff I wore then that I thought was edgy, doesn't even make the rotation these days, too boring. It is so much fun too!MrsC (Maryanne)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14440723067459232998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-49216276460975075412013-01-12T03:52:14.942-05:002013-01-12T03:52:14.942-05:00Whaddya mean? the woman in 964 is obviously checki...Whaddya mean? the woman in 964 is obviously checking her Facebook newsfeed on her iPhone, and her companion is making droll observations. Now you CANNOT get more fashion forward than that for the 1940's!MrsC (Maryanne)https://www.blogger.com/profile/14440723067459232998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-19051500805634605112013-01-12T01:24:35.964-05:002013-01-12T01:24:35.964-05:00I'm old enough for Social Security and definit...I'm old enough for Social Security and definitely not skinny. But I go with what Hillary said. I'm old enough to wear any darn thing I want. I go for cover, comfort and warmth. But I also believe in wearing good colors for me and color coordinating. I've started wearing jewelry again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-78041602523737698362013-01-12T00:11:47.483-05:002013-01-12T00:11:47.483-05:00For me its when details add up. I won't do puf...For me its when details add up. I won't do puffy sleeves, plus ruffles, plus peter pan collar or any combination of the two. Other styles can look matronly at my age - certain types of lace, cat-eye glasses unless they're sunglasses. I'm a few years shy of 50.sewpdxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-31857954264131753512013-01-11T22:46:52.574-05:002013-01-11T22:46:52.574-05:00I'm not yet that old but when I'm 50+ I ma...I'm not yet that old but when I'm 50+ I may well be wearing looks that are considered inappropriate for my age :-) because I am still drawn to the same sorts of styles as I was when I was in my 20s. You know, hot pants and halter neck bikini tops (just joking!!!!!!!)<br /><br />Oh and I just had a thought - isn't Anna Dello Russo just over 50 now? She seems to wear whatever she wants... Gabriellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00091315686616574564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-85398044811501660712013-01-11T22:01:51.731-05:002013-01-11T22:01:51.731-05:00Your mother is cute!Your mother is cute!Kylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06074339341919661384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-37235993164996746492013-01-11T20:27:02.712-05:002013-01-11T20:27:02.712-05:00I'm far from fifty, but I think about this oft...I'm far from fifty, but I think about this often. When I was a kid, I dressed like a middle-aged accountant (or Columbo). I wore trench coats and cardigans in very staid colors and my shoes were usually black or brown. I still use the wallet that I had when I was nine---a tartan and leather Ralph Lauren number. No fun. Now, I kind of want to wear peter pan collars and saddle shoes but realize that I am not Zooey Deschanel and cannot get away with it. I think that at any age some people can carry off certain looks and some people can't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-79049695317332316792013-01-11T20:23:20.443-05:002013-01-11T20:23:20.443-05:00darling Peter: i find myself....(rethinking that i...darling Peter: i find myself....(rethinking that intro)...i'm 67 and after 20 yrs wearing an extremely unflattering uniform, badge, SAM BROWN basketweave gunbelt and accoutrements, there are some looks that just don't work anymore, despite my multiple hours in the gym weekly. i had to give away those levi leggings; frills just don't work any more; i'm leaning toward the tailored look with luxe fabric...more silk and cashmere, straight lines and classic styles. Cathy, on the other hand, can carry off almost anything you put on her and MORE POWER TO HER, i say. Enjoy. glad you're feeling better.junewlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12261770009345484316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-65675990478810739772013-01-11T20:16:17.914-05:002013-01-11T20:16:17.914-05:00One of the things I bemoan about current "do-...One of the things I bemoan about current "do-what-cher-wanna-do" fashion and today's overemphasis on a youthful appearance at any cost is that the old are often thereby stripped of their dignity. <br /><br />In the '50s, my grandmother favored dark foulards, orthopedic oxfords, and that <i>sine qua non</i> of midcentury Atlanta fashion, rhinestone-embellished cat-eye glasses on a jeweled neckchain.<br /><br />She did not look hot. She did not look fashionable. She certainly didn't look young. But by God, she looked like someone to reckon with. As indeed she was. <br /><br />You don't get that from shaky raccoon circles of eyeliner on wrinkly eyelids, or blusher on raddled cheeks, or a rhinestone-studded sweatshirt saying, "I'm Not Fat, I'm Fluffy!" or Jacqueline Stallone cleavage that looks like a relief map of the Himalayas. <br /><br />I am glad that older people are not expected to dress any certain way nowadays, but I mourn the passing of personal dignity. You can look up-to-date and fashionable without looking like Barbara Bush went to a costume party dressed as a teenager. Carmen dell'Orifice is just one of many great examples.Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14179527486369159565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-2450454424341153492013-01-11T20:14:19.200-05:002013-01-11T20:14:19.200-05:00Peter! Didja notice that the "selfish seamstr...Peter! Didja notice that the "selfish seamstress" is BACK?!!!<br /><br /> I used to like to wear my skirts slung low (I was doing it LONG BEFORE anyone else did-but not so ridiculously low that one appeared about to LOSE one's skirt) I don't wear them like that any more now that I am in my fifties. Older women in clothes that are too "young" or 'sexy" look pathetic and 'cougar-like" to me,sorry! Leathery cleavage and wrinkly knees on display is just, well, UGH. The "sexiest" older women I have seen are those who retain their dignity" by not dressing like Generation Y teenagers!<br /><br /> "Advanced Style" and "The Style Crone' are two blogs that demonstrate that it is entirely possible for older women to have serious fun with one's appearance and even to look sexy without making BIG FOOLS of themselves!Sufiyanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-47327922933863998822013-01-11T19:50:21.432-05:002013-01-11T19:50:21.432-05:00I've noticed that, too. (I'm 52.) Isn...I've noticed that, too. (I'm 52.) Isn't it odd? Women in our society do seem to become less and less visible the older we get. I used to try to get by with cute. Now I feel a need to be more polished and put together. I'm not sure that this makes much difference; maybe it does. It makes me feel better, anyway. I do think that in the past, women didn't feel so much pressure to look younger. Unless they were very fashionable, it seems they accepted the matronly look as befitting a, well, matron. Whether they found this freeing or constricting, I've no idea. Perhaps it depended on the woman. But as others have noted in previous posts, people used to want to look like adults. Now they want to look younger.Leigh Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17459054294111375380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-63040683863591143372013-01-11T19:21:59.217-05:002013-01-11T19:21:59.217-05:00"a backwards baseball cap on anyone who isn&#..."a backwards baseball cap on anyone who isn't missing their two front teeth looks juvenile and silly "<br /><br />A backwards baseball cap was sun protection for white, pink-skinned construction workers, i.e., "rednecks", in the days before SPF 50.<br /><br />Practical, yet defined the genre.SeamsterEast@aol.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-31801609029102305152013-01-11T19:07:22.131-05:002013-01-11T19:07:22.131-05:00Love photos of you with puppets - so funny!!!!!!!!...Love photos of you with puppets - so funny!!!!!!!! I am 63, and have always exercised. I wore a bikini till 50. I adore clothes that are cheerful, funky, and dramatic/sporty. I had a good experience to-day. My VERY fashion and style conscious niece came to visit and wanted to see my sewing. She loved my 2 Empire dresses, in bright patterned rayons, and thought the colours were right for me. I do colour my hair a very bright dark red, and wear in a 20's Bob. Clothes are to express me. I am artistic and have a strong personality, so express the real me. Cathie, in Quebec.Cathienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-66643055135217891302013-01-11T18:46:48.427-05:002013-01-11T18:46:48.427-05:00I regret not having gotten to see that video. Of c...I regret not having gotten to see that video. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't still send it to people ;) I disagree with you about men's fashion because of being exposed last year to the show Gilmore Girls. I don't care what anyone says, a backwards baseball cap on anyone who isn't missing their two front teeth looks juvenile and silly (in other words, I was not as enamored with Luke as the other girls watching the show). Even though I'm only 24 going on 25 I'm already starting to feel the draw of "mature styles". I like the idea of looking classic without having to be cute or sexy. Until I put it on that is! Then I think "meh" to myself, "I look like a sad sack." I think I'm destined to feel the need to be forever chic, like a Parisienne! <br />P.S. My favorite are the pattern catalogs advertising mature styles. Their introduction writing to those pages in the catalogs is just too funny.Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204598010453409678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-62106030181986435452013-01-11T18:40:01.609-05:002013-01-11T18:40:01.609-05:00Anonymous--I'm a few years younger than you, b...Anonymous--I'm a few years younger than you, but I can really identify with your comment. My mother wanted her daughters (she had 3) to be Miss America. For whatever reason, she thought I had the best chance, although I was radically against beauty pageants because I considered them the oppression of the patriarchy! I drove her crazy when I was a teenager in the late '70s and refused to wear anything other than jeans and t-shirts. She told me I'd never get married if I dressed like a boy.<br />She was so happy the day I got married (despite my less-than feminine wardrobe) because I was marrying a good man who would take care of me. It never impressed her that I had a master's degree in electrical engineering and a high paying job and could easily support myself.Marshahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00012221977603507834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-84243465343708551772013-01-11T18:29:59.249-05:002013-01-11T18:29:59.249-05:00I remember when I was about 18, my older brother a...I remember when I was about 18, my older brother asking when was I going to stop dressing like a 42 year old. I've always like "classic" style and at the time I was wearing a mid-calf length grey wool skirt-suit.<br />These days anything purple is good, and if it has sparkles, well, all the better! I often wear sequins to my office job, even though many people think you should keep the sparkles for opening nights of musicals. (And funnily enough at Thursday night's opening night of Jersey Boys I didn't wear a single sequin!)Jen in Oznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-13802716583453454422013-01-11T17:35:07.704-05:002013-01-11T17:35:07.704-05:00Aren't all but one of the patterns with ruffle...Aren't all but one of the patterns with ruffles teen sizes? I think that pretty much says it all.<br /><br />While it's been said that you're only as old as you feel, I think that (as others have pointed out) there comes a time when you have to stop and assess what looks good on you. Bunnykins said ruched ruffles don't suit her but circular ones do, so maybe it's all about interpretation, scale/proportion and nuance/interpretation and just knowing what looks good on you. My mother is 68 and she wears stretch denim - but she doesn't wear her jeans skin tight, as I'm sure yours doesn't. She also avoids anything low-rise and generally doesn't wear bright-colored denim. She also keeps her skirts around knee-length because she doesn't have the legs she had when she was younger. She'd never wear a bikini at her age. Most people peg her age as somewhere in her late 50's. Contrast that with my aunt, a dancer, yoga practitioner and vegetarian, and the most petite thing ever, who has kept her figure young and slim. She wears a bikini in the summer and has gone topless at the beach in Greece. She lives in the Netherlands and a few years ago she went skating with her daughter and grandkids. A teenage boy grabbed her from behind, thinking she was a girl his age, based on my aunt's figure - she said she had on stretch jeans so that she could have more movement for skating. When she turned around he was supremely embarrassed. My aunt said, "Yes, from the back you think "gymnasium" (high school). From the front you think "museum". Her real age? 66. Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11447949592701882774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-41388715726517927942013-01-11T17:20:39.674-05:002013-01-11T17:20:39.674-05:00Cathy would kill you if she heard you refer to her...Cathy would kill you if she heard you refer to her as 'matronly!' I love Advance 5736 for Cathy - she'd look fabulous! <br /><br />With regard to pattern pictures, I guess pattern companies must think that you have to be young to be carefree and happy. Bah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1991166428290808171.post-82703006415689568692013-01-11T17:17:06.514-05:002013-01-11T17:17:06.514-05:00I think it's important to remember not that lo...I think it's important to remember not that long ago women were kind of stuck with the "fashion of the day" and had to follow some pretty rigid rules for what to wear when. That started to change when women (especially in the US) rebelled against the midiskirt, which really didn't suit anyone.<br /><br />Since I'm short, big flowy anything is a disaster. As Peggy Sagers put it in one of her webcasts "Dolly Parton in a muumuu". Proportion and fit are half the battle.<br /><br />Claudette's dress would look better without the white ruffle stuff. The look on her face suggests it's not a dress she would buy for herself! :)Bamanoreply@blogger.com