Walk into any mall and you\u2019ll see a 40-something woman wearing every trend from Forever 21: tight tank top, low-rise jeans, metallic platform heels, plastic bangles and oversized earrings. Are you a middle-aged fashionista who just doesn\u2019t know when to quit? Read on for the top 10 clothing items to leave in the past\u2026<\/p>\n
Young and trendy clothes may look great on the killer body of a 40-plus woman. After all, Goldie Hawn shines in her trendy outfits even though they look like she raided daughter Kate Hudson\u2019s closet. But should she?<\/p>\n
Definitely not, says celebrity wardrobe stylist Ricci DeMartino, whose clients include Eva Longoria Parker, Patricia Heaton and Lisa Kudrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving in L.A. like I do, you can go to Malibu and see this look any day of the week!\u201d DeMartino says. \u201cBut trying too hard only calls attention to yourself \u2013 it\u2019s overcompensating. You don\u2019t need to dress like a teenager to look young.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most of us don\u2019t push the clothes age barrier nearly as far, but even a tasteful fashionista may not always know how to dress appropriately as she moves past 35, 40 and beyond. How do you know when it\u2019s time to lose which look? Here\u2019s our style experts’ top 10 styles you\u2019re too old to wear:<\/p>\n
1. Message T-Shirts<\/p>\n
Retail Retirement Age: 30<\/p>\n
Why: You\u2019ve seen them on celebrities: \u201cJesus Is My Homeboy,\u201d \u201cYour Boyfriend Thinks I\u2019m Hot.\u201d The freedom to express yourself via your wardrobe is part of the teen and 20-something years\u2026 but beyond that? Letting people know you\u2019re on \u201cTeam Kate\u201d vs. \u201cTeam Jon\u201d at 35 just seems, well, desperate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message tee boom was fueled by Young Hollywood,\u201d DeMartino says. \u201cBut it\u2019s mostly a way for people to express frustration.\u201d And that doesn\u2019t exactly come off as mature.<\/p>\n
Stunning Substitute: \u201cReplace the message tee with a great-quality cotton tee you can dress up or down from a line like James Perse in the hot colors of raspberry or grape,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
2. Too-Trendy Denim<\/p>\n
Retail Retirement Age: 35<\/p>\n
Why: If it\u2019s super-low-rise, torn, distressed, embellished with rhinestones or embroidery on the pockets or \u2013 shudder to think \u2013 characters like Mickey Mouse are patched on, go outside your house and light a bonfire now. You\u2019re just too old to wear it.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re not in your element with these too-young items, you only end up looking out of place,\u201d DeMartino says.<\/p>\n
Stunning Substitute: Charla Krupp, TV style expert and author of the book How Not to Look Old, suggests swapping too-trendy jeans for boot-cut versions that don\u2019t ride too low on your hips. Because of its slight flare at the leg, the boot cut minimizes hips. Plus, while skinny jeans come and go, this cut is a classic.<\/p>\n
When it comes to color, choose more conservative dark denim or black jeans. Want a funkier look? Go for trouser jeans with an exaggerated flare at the hem \u2013 a look that can take you from the PTA meeting to a party when paired with the right top.<\/p>\n
3. Costume Shoes<\/p>\n
Retail Retirement Age: Mid-40s<\/p>\n
Why: We\u2019ve all done it: Buy a pair of entirely impractical, overly-theatrical shoes that weren\u2019t suited for everyday life. Maybe they were clear plastic \u201cstripper\u201d heels straight out of Frederick\u2019s of Hollywood. Or perhaps they were stilettos with a six-inch heel you could only walk a block in.<\/p>\n
Whatever the case, 40-something fashionistas will look fresher without the too-trendy cork wedges, thigh-high boots or up-to-the-knee Gladiator sandals seen on envelope-pushing A-list youngsters such as Mary-Kate Olsen and Rachel Bilson.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything too high or too crazy should be avoided,\u201d DeMartino says.<\/p>\n
Stunning Substitute: Toning down what\u2019s on your tootsies doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re giving up glam, says Krupp, herself a major shoe fiend who adores heels. But finding the right shoes involves more than image: Feet lose their fatty cushion as we age, necessitating comfier pairs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Walk into any mall and you\u2019ll see a 40-something woman wearing every trend from Forever 21: tight tank top, low-rise jeans, metallic platform heels, plastic bangles and oversized earrings. Are you a middle-aged fashionista who just doesn\u2019t know when to quit? Read on for the top 10 clothing items to leave in the past\u2026 Young and trendy clothes may look great on the killer body of a 40-plus woman<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n
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