Dressing Appropriately for One's Age

Lately, I've been thinking more and more about age-appropriate dressing. At 33, I'm doing a wardrobe update of sorts, adding more "grown-up" pieces—e.g. shift dresses, collared (sleeveless) buttoned tops, and skirts—infusing the same pops of color and play on prints that I've come to love all these years.

Oddly, I dressed more like a 30-year-old in my twenties and a 20-year-old in my thirties; a teen when I was a tween and a tween when I was a teen!

That said, I'm a lover of clothes (and accessories!). I remember as a child, my mom and I would go on regular visits to the town's seamstress who would make us pretty things that I will brazenly say resemble Resort pieces in a prepster kind of way. Back in the day—which really isn't too far back as this was only the eighties—it wasn't unusual for people to go to a family tailor or seamstress to have clothes made.

Fast forward to 2013, we have Zara, Gap, H&M and a hooplah of ready-to-wear pieces that frankly, do a fine job of translating high fashion to us mere (rent-paying) mortals. I'm just a bit more scrutinizing of fabrics these days, after having read "Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion," a thoroughly researched book by Elizabeth Cline. Check out this New York Times review.

So, back to the age-appropriateness of my wardrobe. I've recently put together a peg that more or less encapsulates my game plan for this age and stage. It's a happy hodgepodge of pages clipped from the March 2013 issue of Vogue that I've been using as a guide for shopping. (Trivia: I'd inadvertently picked out Pantone's "color of the year," emerald green, as seen below on the Eres ad. Who knew?)

Clockwise from top left: structured "corseted jacket" with tortoiseshell-plexiglass belt and breastplate, Alexander McQueen; cutaway top with "fishline detail," Alexander Wang; black tweed top and shorts, Sandro; happy pops of colored enamel, Revlon; model-y looks e.g. silk pants paired with a printed blazer, A-line demi and pencil skirts by Proenza Schouler (the latter look as seen on Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr, I totally intended to copy with a recent purchase of a sheer black top and brocade skirt); cute green bra, Eres; scents from Balenciaga and Narciso Rodriguez.

Oh, and yes—my take on age-appropriate dressing? Wear what makes you happy, confident and comfortable! True, I do cringe at the sight of skimpy clothing, especially on mature women and teenagers... or make that, in general. But then that's just me, I may have grown more conservative over the years in terms of that balance between going short here, long there; business in front, party in the back, etc. But, who knows? Maybe one sweltering day I may just bust out a tube top and mini myself!

Sunday Street Moment

DAY 13

of the 30-Day Blog Challenge, 2011

On the day I choose a t-shirt and jeans combo, I meet—and speak with!—the iconic fashion photographer.

When I saw the movie, Bill Cunningham New York back in April, I was so mesmerized by the iconic photographer's life—how simply he lived it—and his decades-long career with The New York Times. I would say that Bill Cunningham brought street photography to the mainstream, if not, invented street-style photo features as we see them today.

Now, much as I would like to be photographed by the man on his bicycle and trademark blue shirt, I know that what I wear on a daily basis isn't fashion-feature or society-page material. I leave that to my more stylish friends like Kat or Happy who have a sort of bohemian-meets-city-chic take on fashion that tends to be photogenic—especially with the accessories they pair with their outfits. Christine of Manila Fashion Observer also comes to mind, for her high-end style. I, on the other hand, am a little bit old-lady-French, or sporty-sleek. Not entirely un-fashionable, but you get my drift.

Every now and then, I think about Cunningham. Just in the last two weeks alone, I can tell you of two moments that I have wondered about the very fascinating photographer. First, I was walking along Lexington Avenue and 57th St., and I thought to myself, "Will I ever see Bill Cunningham in person on his bike, as I walk down the street? Maybe not." The second time, I may have walked past the New York Times building or some other building and wondered, "Who'll take care of Bill Cunningham when he's older? A trusted assistant? The NY Times management?"

So, you could imagine my surprise when earlier this morning, as I was taking pictures by the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building steps on Fifth Avenue, a man behind me started talking and pointed out how nice the library was to shoot today as it was "clean" (or did he say "clear"?). When I turned around, it was Bill Cunningham! On his bike! In his blue shirt! I was so star-struck and to be honest, I can hardly remember exactly what he said about the library. Here are bits and pieces of our conversation (conversation!):

Me: "I'm so happy to see you! I watched your movie."
Bill: "[Smiling. I can't remember what he said, maybe something about it being a very nice day, how it's nice to shoot the library on this nice day.]
Me: "You work Sundays?"
Bill: "Oh, yeah. I'm on my way to the photo lab."
Me: "Okay. I'm so happy to have met you. Bye, Bill. Take care!"
Bill: [Smiles and pedals away.]

Sigh. It took a few moments to collect my thoughts and start walking to the next block. I couldn't believe it!

The ironic thing is, today, of all days, was a day I chose to dress down. I was going to be out and about with family, so I wore a very comfy electric yellow fitted tee, cuffed jeans, and my stripey pink-violet Keds slip-ons. I was also carrying a New Balance drawstring backpack and a black reusable shopping bag next to my handbag (the latter is pretty though). Oh well :)

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the movie trailer that I posted back in April. You may also read the blog entry here.

Bill Cunningham "On the Street" image courtesy of The New York Times.