Fashion Friday

How To Be Trendy, But Not Look Like A Teenager

I have tried to sell to Plato’s Closet a couple of times and every time I ended up leaving with all the the items that I brought in. They hand the bag back to me, saying that my items are “outdated/not trendy, worn or in poor condition”. Each time I have left and immediately gone through all stages of grief, spending most my time on anger.

“How dare they tell me my clothes are outdated or not trendy?! I am a fashionable person!! These are clothes that I would STILL wear!!!”

Well, I recently went in to sell stuff (after a five year hiatus), and was once again turned away with all of my items. This time I put my chin up and asked the sales girl why this decision was made.

Instead of running through their standard rejection list, she stated to me…
“Honestly, a lot of the clothes you brought in are a bit too professional for our target demographic.”

Okay, now there is something that makes sense and made me go away not wanting to punch someone. 😉

So, I’m left with, how am I still trendy (and buy 75% of my wardrobe from Plato’s Closet), but I don’t resemble their target demographic (14-21 years old)?

Well, here’s what I think:

–Dress modestly (although I feel like this advice applies to all ages).-short shorts and mini skirts might be all the rage, but find a nice middle ground without exposing your butt cheeks to the world (especially if you have a “mom butt” like me…ha!)

–Avoid some trends like rompers-these only look cute if you are pencil thin or under the age of 16

–Wear pumps or sandals instead of super tall “hooker” shoes (you know the ones I talking about)

–Avoid too much “bling”-don’t get me wrong, I love shiny things, but too much of it is well…too much. Sequins are nice in an understated manner.

–Avoid too much neon-I know that for some reason this early 90’s trend decided to rear it’s evil head up again, but stick to small pops of neon instead of all over your outfit.

–Dress to your body type-Realize and honestly admit what your body type is and what does and doesn’t work for you. There are some things that I haven’t worn since having kids (insert sad weeping here) because my belly will just never be the same.

I don’t think this means you have to avoid young trendy stores, like Plato’s Closet or Forever 21, which have great stuff, just use discretion when putting pieces together. I would suggest looking in magazines such as InStyle or Real Simple for age-appropriate fashion inspiration.

What kinds of things do you do or avoid doing to be trendy and not resemble a teenager?

Happy Friday! 🙂