I am trying to decide at what age low-rise jeans become just too low to wear. I have invested in some nice denim and am wondering whether to give these pieces away or not. Is there something to be done if one’s midsection isn’t quite as it was? Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. — Margaret, New York, N.Y.
The question of age-appropriate clothing and what exactly that means is complicated and highly personal, but it comes at some point for us all. I remember sitting in an Yves Saint Laurent show about a decade ago watching a model strut around in a tuxedo shorts jumpsuit and high heels and thinking first: Oh, what a great look, I should get that, it will solve all the problems of a minidress; and then, second: Actually, if middle-aged you wears that, you will be the ultimate mutton-dressed-as-lamb.
Sometimes, just because you can still wear something, doesn’t mean you should.
How you decide when those times have arrived, however, is the problem. There’s no hard and fast rule for anything in fashion any more, which is both liberating and confusing.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. There is one rule: Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself; that help you move through the world and be the most effective version of yourself.
As Karla Welch, the stylist who works with Tracee Ellis Ross and Sarah Paulson, among other grown-up women, said when I asked what she thought: “No amount of trend can trump personal confidence.”
Trend is an issue in your case, since low-rise pretty much everything is having a revival at the moment thanks to the wave of ’90s nostalgia sweeping pop culture. And honestly, there’s nothing like having a wardrobe staple co-opted by a younger generation that didn’t live through it the first time to make it seem off-limits for those who did.
All of which means what? If “bumster” (as Alexander McQueen called them) and belly-button-baring jeans still make you feel great, then you should go ahead and wear them. If you have the originals, just consider yourself ahead of the game. But if they make you feel insecure about your midsection, maybe it’s not worth it. You probably have enough to worry about in your daily life without worrying about your pants.
(On a personal note, just as I hope that at some point the lines on our face will once again be seen as an indication of life lived that should be celebrated rather than erased, I also hope some day we can embrace post-child-birth tummies, thus obviating this as an issue. But I know we are not there yet.)
And if you are still torn, Ms. Welch suggests some styling hacks to address any issues. Simply “tuck a tee in, or a fitted turtleneck,” she said. Add a great belt. And “think ’70s Jane Fonda.” After all, she never goes out of fashion.
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or Twitter. Questions are edited and condensed.
