Maybe this is everyone’s experience as they get older, falling out of fashion and balking at the latest trends.
BUT. I really think there’s something uniquely terrible about this moment in (clothing) history.
I can appreciate elements of fashion from pretty much every era…from jazz age glam to swinging cocktail dresses and just about everything from the set of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to the pencil skirts and cat-eye makeup of the 60s, to 80s punk and 90s heroin chic, to the dELiA’s catalogues of my coming-of-age and the midriffs of the 2000s.
But these days I dread shopping. Why are shirts cut like pillowcases and dresses cut like potato sacks? What’s the point of a sweater knit so loosely the wind blows right through, or a neck cut so wide the sleeves fall down your shoulders? Speaking of, why are the shoulders/armpits in a women’s “small” cardigan roomy enough for the Rock?
It all seems so frumpy, and not even functional. Aren’t clothes meant to accentuate the body, rather than hide it? How are you other non-Gen Z women adapting to current fashion?
P.S. I will admit that having higher rise jeans is nice. It took me a while to get on board, but now I can see how the low rise skinny jean gave us all chicken legs ;)
this happens every generation. trends and styles change and people who came before it find it harder and harder to relate to them. in reality you just dont want to bother keeping up with modern trends that young people are into now or are too insecure to, so you’re projecting it as distaste to trends of the younger generation.
personally, I think young women got it right these days. clothing for women seem less restrictive and young women seem to value comfort over the rigidness of previous generations’ high glam styles.
Maybe. But I can see the appeal in many other eras and styles that I didn’t grow up with and have no business relating to…
Is it “insecure” to want a garment that fits the human form and doesn’t bunch / ride up / fall off my shoulders / let in the breeze? This doesn’t even have to do with fashion from an aesthetic perspective, it has to do with function and comfort. (Lord knows, I gave up on “glam” fifteen years ago…)
You have to remember every single point you made is objective opinion. It doesn’t make your taste wrong but it also doesn’t make your opinion correct. And yes, you are doing the thing all people do as they get older. You deserve a bit of an Ok Boomer for this post not being able to see the objectivity of personal taste.
“Objective opinion” seems like an oxymoron, no? Did you mean the subjectivity of personal taste?
I didn’t think this needed to be said in the context of casual conversation/griping…but no, I don’t consider my taste in clothing (or music, or movies, or books, or food) to be objective fact that overrules every other person’s perspective.
If I post about how pineapple on pizza is amazing (which it is) and all you pineapple haters are missing out, that doesn’t mean I literally believe that everyone with taste buds will enjoy the taste of pineapple on pizza.
This is just my personal reaction to having trouble finding comfortable, flattering clothes beyond athletic attire. And I thought there might be other 30-something-year-old women on the internet with similar frustrations who could offer a pointer or two.
It’s a bit insecure to look at what young people are wearing these days, not think it’s a good fit for yourself, and conclude that there’s an issue with what the young people are wearing.
it’s perfectly fine to have preferences in the fashions and styles you grew up with even if that’s not what the kids are wearing these days. no need to yuck the yum of the youth.
There’s also plenty of fashion from each of those eras op wouldn’t be caught dead in. Garters, girdles, torpedo bras, bee hives as tall as Jesus, shoulder pads…
Perspective of a 50 year old man. You should wear what you like. I have long believed “fashion” is a money printing machine. I won’t say it preys on insecurity because that is condescending and ignores the fact that many people love following fashion, getting new clothes, etc. But I do think the pace of change is specifically designed to turn over cheaply produced inventory and ensure people don’t wear the clothes enough to wear them out.
I have been wearing basically the same clothes for years. If I tear out a knee I buy new pants. That kind of thing.
My wife needs to wear business attire and fairly dressy stuff (blazers, etc). She is always buying new things and donating clothing.
One of us is spending an order of magnitude more on clothes.
I don’t begrudge this, she makes more money than me and has to dress that way because of her job.
The point I’m trying to make is to stay current and fashionable is pa kort of her purchasing but she also just wears stuff out very, very quickly. It’s the way the clothes are made.
The marketing and poor quality (weak seams, thin fabric, inconsistent sizing, etc) is all designed up maximize profit.
I’m a man, so I’m only talking about aesthetics here, but I like the over the shoulder neck and loose shirts. They’re casual.
The mechanics are so frustrating …
- Off-the-shoulder means cold shoulders
- Off-the-shoulder means limited bra options
- Off-the shoulder usually limits your arm movement
- …or you have to be very careful that things don’t slip too far and reveal a nip
- Mesh and gauze is just right out - pointless fabrics!
- These super loose and flowy shirts are hard to keep tucked in, so then my side flank gets cold
- …or if it’s long enough enough to tuck, it results in a balloon of fabric that makes me look pregnant
- Just to confirm, cause this is still hard for me to wrap my head around … you ACTUALLY find this kind of thing cute?
https://www.everlane.com/products/womens-drapey-square-shirt-kalmata https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/bl-nk-miranda-peasant-blouse2 https://www.anthropologie.com/shop/by-anthropologie-mini-tulle-layer https://www.nordstrom.com/s/off-the-shoulder-top/7476942 https://www.nordstrom.com/s/ceres-off-the-shoulder-satin-blouse/7460847
I really like some aspects of it. The loose billowy pants are nice for summer heat, and you can make an interesting silhouette with them. But i absolutely can’t stand the boxy cut tops. I see more and more zoomers rebelling against these trends and wearing flattering cuts. The thing with fashion in $current_year is that you can wear whatever you want. Shopping is annoying but still possible.
My suspicion is that these trends were driven by manufacturers reducing inventory during covid.
Shopping is annoying but still possible
True true! It used to be easy to find styles that resonated, and now I just have to dig a bit deeper.
On the topic of manufacturers, I also read that boxy styles can be a cost-cutting technique. Because it’s easier than tailoring/tucking or making other adjustments when the human form isn’t a simple rectangle.
Size 0 models, too…it’s not just about cultural norms or fat shaming, it’s also laziness. It’s more work to tailor a garment to a curvy figure than a waifish one. (Plus, there’s the simplicity of only having to supply one size.) Which isn’t hating on anyone who happens to be a size 0 or a boxy shape to begin with! :)
A lot of it is still “pandemic chic” when we all lived in PJs for two years with an occasional smart top for on camera zoom calls. People will get sick of it soon enough (I sure have. If I never see another peasant/little house on the prairie dress again it’ll be too soon). I’m really happy with the boom in bras without underwire, though, I’m never going back to underwire.
@Countess425 Free the nipple!! I haven’t worn a bra in years, and I don’t intend to. I do wear those little bralettes, that may as well be a crop top, instead, or nothing at all, if possible.
Right? I only wear those little bralette things because attention from people who are really “supportive” of free boobs are just as bad or worse than the attention you get from the “be ashamed of your nipples” crowd. Can’t fucking win.
Lol. Ain’t that the truth. I do need a little “support” (more like trying to keep them contained in the top) so I go with the soft bralettes, or a pastie if the dress or top I’m wearing is fitted enough, or has enough coverage . Thankfully, no one has ever said anything to me. I occasionally get a weird look, but I just don’t care.
