Age Appropriate Dress

At what age should a Herve Leger body con dress be off limits? (Elle McPherson wearing one in her forties - picture from www.thepunch.com.au)

Would you wear a dress this short in your fifties? (Sharon Stone, right - picture from http://www.stylelist.com/)

Would you dress like this in your mid forties? (SJP in Proenza Schouler- picture from www.couturesnob.com)

Age appropriate dress might not be something that other people think about that much but it is something that bothers me quite a bit. I am in my early thirties with children but I just can't seem to bring myself to dress to fit in with that stereo type of the 'yummy mummy'. I am well aware that as I get older, there will be even more stereo types and expectations of how I should dress. It also really terrifies me is that I might dress too grown up or sensible and people might think that I am older than I really am or a bit frumpy. It has even crossed my mind that if I continue to dress in the same way as I get older, people might use the dreaded words 'mutton dressed as lamb' to describe me.

The problem is deciding what sort of clothing is considered age appropriate and still having fun with my clothes. With many of the celebrities flouting the rules of what should be classed as appropriate for their age with great sucess, aren't the boundaries changing a bit. Think of Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and Cameron Diaz. They say that forties are the new thirties so why can this be applied to clothes too. For me personally, I couldn't get away with wearing many of the clothes that the celebs wear in their forties when I was in my teens and twenties so I certainly can't wear them now. As I get older I do feel the need to flatter my body by wearing clothes that really suit me.

The difficulty is that as you get older, you are expected to avoid trends and instead opt for classic styles. Being a fashion blogger, I am constantly immerged in the latest trends making them very hard to ignore but it I definitely think some are just not age appropriate for me. For example, I would love to wear a big hair bow but whilst it would have looked cute in my early twenties, it now feels a bit twee.

I guess it is all about the person and how they feel. There are lots of clothes that I do not feel comfortable in because of my height and body shape but I do like to wear fun, colourful and individual clothes. Whilst some might think I dress a bit strange (or not age appropriate), that is just me and the way that I like to be, I was just the same in my twenties, the only difference now is that I usually have to wear better quality clothes with a more generous cut and more often choose tailored pieces. Most of all I have an urgency to wear as many fun clothes as I can before I have to resign myself to granny cardis and slippers (although I am not sure that will ever happen).

What do you think? Do you ever consider whether your choice of clothes is age appropriate?