As Young as You Feel

I came out to this field on a cloudy day to do some photos and arrived right before a storm.  The storm was beautiful, but as a result of it and the strong winds it brought with it, most of the photos involve me pulling hair away from my face.  Consider yourself warned.

Wayward strands of hair and the beauty of nature aren't really what I want to talk about in this post.  Instead I wanted to cover a topic that's been on my mind off and on for the last five years or so: what does it mean to dress your age?

Today's outfit is my case in point.  This dress is from Forever 21, a store which is geared toward women half my age.  The top, with its animal print and pink bow, literally came from the kids section of Shein.  But it was so pretty, so fun, so wholesome and I did try to find something similar in grown-up land, but couldn't.  

Shopping in the kids department isn't a habit, it just so happens sometimes that I see something that doesn't come in big people sizes, but it should.  And, funnily enough one of my all time most popular posts features a fox sweater that tons of people asked me where they could buy it only to be told it was a children's brand, so I know I'm not alone in that regard.

But, I also like clothes that are fun, colorful, and unique and most adult clothes are just so boring!  But I've also seen the stigma of "crazy lady" attached to women who continue to dress vivaciously (or maybe eccentrically) into their older years and that's not something I want (yet?).  The question is, when is it time to put away childish things and the answer may be now or it may be never.  There is much about me, even at nearly 40, that is still very childish (...in a positive way, I hope.  Is there a word for someone who's an intelligent whimsical clown?)

Recently I was watching a brilliant show on tv and the daughter is having concerns about her mother being forgetful.  She worries she's becoming senile.  The mother gets wind of it and decides to act senile in public to teach her daughter a lesson.  One of the things she does is go to a shop and try on cat print shirt with a cat collar.  The cat print and collar are part of the crazy.  The other part is the fact that she took off her own blouse and tried the shirt on without going into a dressing room.  But, what struck me was that I. Own. That. Shirt.  So, I turned to my daughters and asked them if they would think I was crazy if I was still wearing that shirt at 70.  They said no, but right now they're still young.  We'll see how they feel in 30 years.

My tastes have changed in some regard as I've aged, but there are certain things I've always loved, like vintage style dresses and quirky novelty prints, but I firmly believe in dressing in a manner that is age appropriate.  So, as I continue to work through this complicated topic, I'll keep you posted.  And, I want to hear from you.  Sound off below with your thoughts about this subject.  (But, be nice.  I have feelings.)