Dressing Your Age - Topic of the day 6/16/25
The question of "how to dress your age" comes up often both on MFAD and elsewhere online/IRL with different ideas suggested. How important is this concept to you, and how does it reflect in the clothes you wear? At what point does age becomes a primary factor in dressing in certain ways? (If you have already partaken in this conversation consider doing so again for the benefit of those not present previously).
This topic will run for 3 days.
38 Replies
Wear whatever you like!!
Being afraid or embarrassed to wear something that is “too immature” or “too old for me” is a bad mentality imo. Clothing is fun and we should all just wear whatever makes us happy
I tried to start dressing „like an adult“ when I started uni but lacking whimsy made me unhappy so I‘m back to dressing like a toddler and I think I‘m pulling it off ngl
I have learned people still like me and pay me (or judge me) despite what I wear as long as I act the same so I wear what I like for the most part
very occasionally I think about potential physical limitations caused by age to wearing what I like (limited dexterity for tying ties or buttoning buttons) but then realized I could be hit by a meteor in an hour so it's not worth dwelling on a future that may not exist
There are so many ways life can cut you off from things you enjoy and love you don't need to be embracing proactively ruining your passions because you've hit some age. You may find your tastes evolve or migrate over time but you shouldn't be checking the calendar for when you have to stop wearing streetwear and migrate to polo shirts and chinos.
I've actually found it easier to wear more offbeat fits as I get older because judging someone for their clothes seems so silly and childish at this point.
We have so little time here that I can't imagine not just wearing what you want to wear and celebrating people who do the same
This is a super interesting point. I’ve definitely found myself doing the opposite of this for a long time and being much too concerned about what others think which I’m dealing with. Dressing your age could and perhaps should, in some sense, be reframed into having the confidence to dress how you want.
When I was in my early 20s especially I felt pressure to try to dress maturely because I was trying to find my place in the world and in my career
I think when I hit 30 I was more confident in who I was / wanted to be and finally felt freedom to just put on clothes I wanted to. Most people don't care, and the ones who do aren't worth worrying about
I think more so my age dresses me. Like, getting older (almost 40) I feel less connected to trends and more interested in comfort. Right now that works out great with looser stuff being in, but who knows maybe I’ll just wear PRL Andrews the rest of my life. Sounds fine. And I think I’m actually more comfortable experimenting too because I just don’t care as much. It’s always easy to say you don’t care about what others think, but age has actually made it more of a reality.
Though there are some things that I just don’t think look good on me as a vibe. Like backward baseball cap? Skate shoes? Can’t do it anymore. Wore this everyday for years as a teen. I feel I’m cosplaying teen if I put this stuff on, but it’s more of a preference for me, not something that I think is bad. Seen plenty of dudes my age in backwards hats that look great
i was dressing pretty conservatively when i started posting online (these two fits are from when i started)
many of the fits and what i perceived as ‘rules’ got stale over like a year. since then i feel like I’m mainly having fun when pushing it
benjamin button ass style progression
Every once in a while I’ll see a 60+ person on the streets dressed in a style I would typically associate with someone in their 30s or under and it really stands out - but in a good way. A common criticism seems to be that an older person dressing that way looks like they’re trying to hold onto their youth but if you have swag and project confidence in yourself (and they do in spades) I’m gonna think they’re cool as hell
I love fashion influencers age 50+, they always radiate such confidence it‘s really inspiring, I look up to that
I definitely dressed a lot more "mature" at the beginning of my professional career. now i realized nobody gives a shit and progressed to wearing more and more whimsical stuff.
2 days ago a girl that studies with me told me she can‘t even imagine me wearing „normal“ clothes and that even the thought feels unnatural and that felt so affirming
The way I dress really is a part of me, why forcefully change that
holy
is funny right?
Yeah to a degree I feel like the mentality of “I need to dress my age!” is inherently immature tbh
There are some clothes that are obviously marketed to teens, and as long as I'm not buying that I feel like I'm dressing my age.
I don't think most people who are worried about dressing their age are actually at risk of dressing too immaturely
For me, as with any creative pursuit, maturing with age means becoming more confident in your tastes. I always love seeing stylish older people wearing stuff they’ve collected over a long time, combined in a way that’s reflective of their personality.
Sometimes you can get a sense of how where they are today is reflective of their life and I think that’s a really beautiful thing about clothes that comes with time.
Greyman cata is a throwback
before the curl routine got solidified
Cool toddler is my preferred vibe
like how a designerly scandinavian mom would dress her kid
Old dude here. The only thing that looks almost always off when older is trend chasing (but then that's never a good look for anyone really)
In what way? Do you mean following every micro trend or something else?
I do think it can look very cool when older people are dressed in outfits that are trendy atm
The former
A bit late to the conversation, but I am pretty sure that I am one of (if not THE) oldest regulars here. I think it is always about being authentic. You dress like whatever feels like YOU.
All kinds of things can affect your identiy, including age. So your tastes might change with age, and in that way it makes sense to grow. But not because you're "not allowed" to wear something because you're older, that's ridiculous.
There is a 70 year old guy who lives down the street and is a snowboarder, and always dresses in colourful snowboarding/skate clothes. I think he looks rad, and I think he is embracing his identity.
if you have the desire and the necessary ability (swag, aura, whatever) i see no harm in trend maxing, regardless of age
https://www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/fashion/unlocking-your-inner-grandpa-at-seouls-hidden-thrift-gem
topic reminds me of this v fun article
If you have sufficient swag, no rules apply.
Also an old dude here. There was a prolific reddit poster who was older and had a great style/fits on the subreddit before the split
many of those prolific reddit posters migrated to discord fwiw
on the back half of my 30s and i think you're not only able to dress how you want but should dress how you want, especially if you're older. the young people of today will be the older people of tomorrow, and i imagine life would be easier if it was ingrained that age isn't a barrier to authentic personal style rather than whatever biases our parents taught us
Right now is a really interesting time because everything is geared towards Gen X, so all of the trendy stuff is what we always wore anyway, but when that dramatically shifts, I suspect that you’re more right then wrong. We basically got an extra spin of the wheel and didn’t have to adjust at all. That won’t last forever.
Yeah as a Gen X, its weird. Because I dont want to dress like I did when I was 20, because I didnt have it figured out.
Supremely glad that the current generations get to enjoy Big Pants though.
I haven't seen that particular poster here. All good anyway
I assume you mean Jerry?
Yes
He still posts on Instagram occasionally. Seems to be doing well. Definitely a stylish guy!
this is the correct answer I think
wear what makes you feel like the best version of yourself