Age appropriate dress for your chosen era?

[Lady Day]

We all know, in any era that teens dressed differently from their elders. In dressing vintage, do you ladies follow this rule?

I have found that I sometimes feel Im dressing 'under' my age so to speak when Im wearing my bobbie socks and skirts without stockings

Im 29, so Im no granny but I was sondering if you ladies take those kind of nuances into consideration when you pick out your clothes in the morning.

Now in truth, even the kids back then were often more dressy and put together than many adults now, but all in all, I was curious to your thoughts on this.

Thanks Ladies,

LD

 

[Elaina]

I do with anything I wear.

I have a friend (and have had for the last 15 years) that is 10 years older then I am. I have always been very conscious of her dress, and the fact she's a 40+ year old that dresses like a teenager.

To that end, I do not want to be one of these moms that compete with their kids for fashion. If I get to be the "hot" mom, I want to do it in women's clothes, not girls.

It's not to say they my "casual" clothing isn't youngish, but my casual is often a younger woman's dressy.

 

[NicolettaRose]

I don't really worry about whether something is age appropriate or not, I just wear if it looks good and is comfortable, I am 23, so any vintage clothing I put on is probably going to make me look more sophisticated, and there for a little bit older, which is good, since in trendy clothing I look like I am 18 or 19. A lot of dresses I have from the 1930's were actually 'juniors' dresses in that era, but are still sophisticated then any juniors clothing today.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I never wanted to dress like a teenager even when I was one, but it's possible to go too far in the other direction and come across as dowdy -- a lot depends on having a very careful eye for styles that work for you as an individual. For me, the things I have to avoid are styles that are too poofy -- big puffy sleeves, overly-ornate blouses, and fussy trim all tend to make me look just too too *too*, if you know what I mean. On the other hand, I also try to avoid cuts that are too severely tailored, because they make me come across as one of those mean old library ladies who'll come around and smack you with a ruler if you get out of line

I will confess, though, to wearing bobby socks and saddle shoes from time to time -- though only with sportswear or, occasionally, housedresses. Context is everything.

 

[Naama]

I am 23, so any vintage clothing I put on is probably going to make me look more sophisticated, and there for a little bit older, which is good, since in trendy clothing I look like I am 18 or 19.

Funny thing, most of the things I wear are things that would work well for grannys as well but still, many people believe I'm 19 (I'm 22).

And Lady Day, you don't look like 29, so as long as you look younger, you can dress younger , I guess lol



Naama

 

[lindylady]

I like the teenage bobby socks and saddle shoes of the fifties as well as the ladylike styles of the thirties and forties. Living in the 21st century, I feel as though I have more leeway to experiment with different modes of vintage dress. No matter if I choose to dress as the sophisticated lady or the playful teenager, both styles reflect aspects of my personality and are more flattering than anything on the market now.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

On the other hand, I also try to avoid cuts that are too severely tailored, because they make me come across as one of those mean old library ladies who'll come around and smack you with a ruler if you get out of line

I like that look on myself, actually.

 

[Paisley]

Yes, being age-appropriate is important to me. At 36, I packed away the miniskirts while I still had the legs to wear them. Looking like a grown-up lady doesn't have to mean being dowdy: to me, it means looking elegant rather than cute.

 

[pigeon toe]

I dress pretty age appropriate I would say. I have a few dresses though that have "Teen" in the label (I'm 19, but gonna be 20 soon enough!), but I suppose I often buy those because I'm petite and they fit better.

I do look a little sassy sometimes, because one of my favorite skirts is an extremely high-waisted, super tight pencil skirt with a slit up the back so I don't fall down when I try to walk. I doubt a lot of teenage girls (maybe the bad ones!) in the 40's would be wearing those to lecture!

As long as I can find age-appropriate garments that still show off my waist and hips, I'm fine with it!

 

[Rosie]

I tend to dress in clothing that I think is age appropriate. A few of the newer dresses that I acquired came from the "youthful" section of the Lane Bryant (vintage circa '46) catalog.

 

[Cherriexo]

Ive often wondered what girls at 22 wore.

My Gmom told me how she worked in a shoe store,and how she had one sweater she had to make do for 5 days a week.She told me shed wear it front ways,backwards,etc. She sang on the radio,and was a dance champ at the shore...I just feel odd asking her all these questions on clothes and hairstyles,ha!

I know what Id wear at this age in the '50s but the '40s,Ive been curious about.Esp.hair.I know in the Victorian period,once you got married your hair went up.Im sure the 20's and 30's deviated from that but from movies I get the impression that came back in the 40's.

I try to think of what Id be doing then at this age.Maaaaaybe,Id be in college or looking to join the Waves,or wait for some guy or GI to get his act together and marry me.

Who knows.

 

[Lauren]

Gosh, I wish I had time to search for pictures for you!

The main distinctions visually that I can make out are that the Junior Miss dresses were more childlike- often involving slightly shorter skirts, figure concious styles, higher necklines and more modest and often had ruffles or other feminine details. Junior Misses usually did not wear their hair up in chignons until they were reaching their later teens as well. A good visual representation of the differences in clothing would be to watch "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" and compare the way that Shirley Temple dressed and wore her hair compared to Myrna Loy. There's one scene where Shirley dresses up older in order to try to get attention from Cary Grant and you'll notice the more adult way she did her hair and dressed. Another good movie to watch in comparison would be Since You Went Away because of the different ages of the daughters in comparison to mothers. In the Major & The Minor Ginger Rogers dresses as a teenager to get cheaper train fare, but on the way falls in love so she has to keep up the teenager look- you can see how the style changes depending on who she's depicting.

Older clothing was less form fitting and has less high necklines and longer skirts. A lot of times it pulled in older fashionable details that they would remember being chic and they would be made up in darker colors and more conservative cuts. You can check out the older catalogs for "matronly" and "stout" styles for these styles. Now Voyager is the perfect movie to check out for this- the clothing her mother dresses her in in the beginning is what would be worn by older women, but then she gets a makeover and dresses fashionably for someone her age. You can also compare this to the style the mother wears for older women- she actually pulls in edwardian stylings- and the neice for teenage clothing.

 

[ShooShooBaby]

A good visual representation of the differences in clothing would be to watch "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" and compare the way that Shirley Temple dressed and wore her hair compared to Myrna Loy. There's one scene where Shirley dresses up older in order to try to get attention from Cary Grant and you'll notice the more adult way she did her hair and dressed.

i was just thinking of that scene! another good example is in Orchestra Wives... watch the difference in how connie dresses/wears her hair before and after she marries bill. the progression from girl to woman is kinda shown in the "gene morrison on tour" montage, and is really apparent when she goes back to the soda fountain after leaving the tour.

as for me personally... when i wear vintage i don't dress "my age". of course, i'm 10 years out of high school and still get charged the reduced fare on the bus sometimes! i just wear what i like, which tends to be more youthful. of course, i think there's a huge difference between "Age 27" nowadays, and "Age 27" a few decades ago.

 

[Elaina]

As to hair, I once asked my Aunt (the guru for all things vintage, before she died) what she did as a young girl.

My Aunt went to work in the 30's as a tailor's assistant. I think she said she was 12. She wore adult dresses and put her hair up to appear older. When she hit 20, she went to work for Moneky Wards, and because she was a working girl, her hair had to be up, then in the 50's she cut t short and kept it that way until her death in 1992.

She said women didn't wear their hair down all that often, it was really only in the movies. Sides would be up at least.

I do not know how accurate she was. I'm not even sure she remembers the 40's-60's.

 

[Cherriexo]

i was just thinking of that scene! another good example is in Orchestra Wives... watch the difference in how connie dresses/wears her hair before and after she marries bill. the progression from girl to woman is kinda shown in the "gene morrison on tour" montage, and is really apparent when she goes back to the soda fountain after leaving the tour.

ShooShooBaby-

I was thinking the same thing! I just saw that movie last weekend.

I love that movie...haha.Ive dated a few guys in bands and could totally relate.Not much has changed since big bands to nowadays.

 

[BonnieJean]

Since my chosen era(s) are 30s thru the 50s, I tend to mix them a bit, unless I'm doing something historical and then I try to stick with the appropriate era or time period. I've learned quite a bit in the last 6 months about period clothing and discovered that a lot of stuff I thought was appropriate, actually wasn't so. I prefer more classic clothes; sweaters, blouses and skirts (skirts are my favorite and most plentiful attire that I own). I just recently started acquiring some house dresses. Since I now prefer to wear vintage/vintage-inspired clothing more than jeans and tops, my wardrobe is slowly changing over. I must confess that when I'm working around the house I'll wear bobby socks with oxfords like this:

I'm a lot older than most of you here, but I mostly wear clothes that flatter my body the best. But some vintage stuff is more easily identified better suited for younger gals. Sometimes I'll use several resources, like the old Sears Catalogs to get an idea of the styles for more "mature" women. But no mu-muus for me!

 

[LadyDeWinter]

Bonni Jean, I like your dress and your shoes. And your home looks so vintagy. I have almost the same floor lamp.

 

[BonnieJean]

LadyDeWinter,
Actually, its not my home, but part of the basement of some friends'. They've made it to look like a vintage parlor. I wish my room looked like this!

 

[Miss Sis]

Well, I'm a fairly youthful looking 31, or so I'm told, and I know what you mean about age appropriate-ness!

Partly, it comes down to personal style. I look like a giant 5 year old in a rounded Peter Pan collar so I don't wear them. Same with ruffles and bows in general, especially near my face. I find you can change the look of some dresses by how you wear your hair, so it might make you look older if your hair was up, for example but younger if half up/down.

On the other hand, I don't want to look like an elderly matron. It's a fine line, ladies!

 

[waingirl]

Yes, being age-appropriate is important to me. At 36, I packed away the miniskirts while I still had the legs to wear them. Looking like a grown-up lady doesn't have to mean being dowdy: to me, it means looking elegant rather than cute.

I agree totally. I'm 34, the short skirts and shorts are a thing of my past. Skirts that go just below the knee or to the calf are what I like. People think I am in my 20's but I don't want to portray that image. I would feel foolish. Even in modern clothes, it drives me crazy to see women over 40 in the JR's section of Marshall's. A 50 year old in a mini skirt and cleavage top looks ridiculous! Age appropriate clothes make you look younger.