by Patrick Sills

Created on: March 16, 2010

What fashion trends should a person ignore? The answer is quite simple, really. Anything he or she doesn’t like should be ignored! Just because a certain style of attire or footwear may be the latest rage and look cool on some people doesn’t mean that everybody must embrace it. Likewise, there are many different hairstyles out there. Some look good while others are hideous. In regard to the latter, those who deliberately make their hair appear as though they’ve just risen from bed particularly come to mind.

Here’s the problem, and this especially applies to those of us who are getting on in years: Walk into any shopping mall and you’ll find an abundance of stores that specialize in clothing. The walls inside; as well as the windows located at the entrances will be adorned with poster-sized pictures of models dressed in whatever brand of clothing the store happens to sell. And guess what? They all have one thing in common: These places are geared for young people. More or less, we’re talking about the 35 and under demographic. It’s as though these establishments refuse to acknowledge the fact that there are plenty of individuals who have long passed their third decade. Oftentimes, right along with these larger-than life photos of these Perfect 10-bodied twentysomethings, some obscure CD will be pumping independent alternative music throughout the store while attendants and cashiers alike will be wearing fisnnet stockings, combat boots, and have multiple piercings. As for the over-40 crowd, we are out of place, to say the least. At least we’re familiar with the smell of incense.

And so where does that leave us older folks to seek our respective wardrobes? Either Wal Mart , Sears, J.C. Penney, or the Land’s End catalog, that’s where. Even at these places, perhaps 20-25% of their inventory will be appropriate for the middle-aged segment. At the age of 50, there is no way this author is about to wear baggy pants with underwear showing 6-8 inches above the waistline. Unless the temperature outside can be measured in the single digits, there will be no knit cap atop the head, either. What’s up with that, anyway? What is so cool about guys wearing these things year around? Well, okay. Micheal Nesmith of the Monkees did it 45 years ago, but how many young people today would even know who the Monkees were?

This brings up another interesting point. Ironically, many of the retro hairstyles worn by younger generations are exactly the same as what we wore in the days when photos of Donny Osmond and David Cassidy were plastered all over the covers of teen magazines. Now try to envision Donny at 53 or David at 60 still sporting their 70s hairdos! It would be quite pathetic, wouldn’t you agree?

Thus, when a person reaches a certain age, fashion trends geared for the young are no longer relevant or applicable. This in no way implies that we should resign ourselves to dressing like retirees who play shuffleboard in Florida, but if we were to try dressing and/or looking the part of a 21-year-old college student on spring break, more than a few snickers would transpire. An individual in his or her 20s will define fashion in a completely different manner than someone 20 or 30 years their senior.

Fashion trends are therefore totally subjective. And put simply, those that do not apply; those that are age-inappropriate, should be ignored.

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