A Survey of What Women Over 50 Don’t Want to Wear

I came across a thread online the other day that was started by a woman over 50. She sent a message to clothing manufacturers with a list of clothing items she didn’t want to see marketed to older women. Or any woman, for that matter. Clothing designers seem to be missing the mark when marketing to ladies of a certain age, and I agree.

Commenters on the thread added a few items, which are also valid points. The gist is that clothing brands want to make us look juvenile or frumpy and out of touch.

Watch me talk about this topic on YouTube

Below are examples of what women over 50 do not want to wear.

Ruffles

Many dresses feature tiered ruffled layers that accentuate the middle-aged spread in certain areas of our bodies. Sure, they are airy and “cute’, but they are not always flattering to our figures.

One woman commented that tiered and ruffled fabrics allow manufacturers to use cheaper (more narrow) fabrics, pieced together by cheap labor. The volume it creates fits more body types.

I have bought dresses like that, but now prefer a simple A-line look that elongates my petite, apple-shaped figure.

Cap and puffed sleeves

Another woman commented, “Real women have shoulders.” We do not need puffy sleeves to make them look larger, and they make us look like Barbie dolls. Cap sleeves on women with bat wings do not do justice to older women either. Most of us prefer mid-bicep sleeves to cover our wing flaps.

I recently bought a cotton blouse with puffy eyelet sleeves. The blouse looked great on the model, but when I tried it on, it looked dorky. I’m good at purchasing wardrobe mistakes, and this one will go straight to the thrift store.

One woman on the thread is sick of ¾ length sleeves. She is 5’10”, but those of us who are petite often need sleeves altered, and ¾ length eliminates that need.

Little House on the Prairie prints

I wrote a post about modern-day granny dresses. In the 70’s, granny dresses were made with calico prints. The Old West is ancient history, and fashion has moved on.

French fashion tends to avoid floral prints unless they are tiny. However, there is a difference between an elegant print and one that looks like something your Grandma wore. The BOHO (Bohomian) look often makes use of floral prints. It has a hippie vibe. If that’s what turns you on, go for it. It looks fabulous if done right.

Several women in the thread disagreed and love wearing floral prints.

I have walked away from most prints, especially those with large designs, unless they are small and geometric or vertical striped. A tall woman can carry off large prints, but 5’2″ me, looks overwhelmed. It really depends. Women with dark complexions can often carry off bold, striking prints and look fabulous.

There are no fashion rules for older women, just suggestions.

Smocking – anywhere

Smocking is a gathered section of material on a garment that creates tight pleats. They are held together with parallel stitches in an ornamental pattern. I am more of a fan of selective pintucks rather than smocking. Tight gathers squish the body, making it look larger than it is.

Pintucking (a very narrow ornamental fold or pleat often arranged in rows) is looser and is more figure-forgiving.

Synthetic clothing

Sometimes it’s hard to find affordable and quality clothing made of natural fabrics. Everything these days is made of polyester, nylon, or rayon (sometimes called viscose).

Viscose is a semi-synthetic fabric made from regenerated cellulose derived from wood pulp. It is processed with chemicals to create a silky-feeling fabric and is often used as a substitute for silk. The fabric is fairly light and breathable, but is prone to shrinking, wrinkling, and weakness when wet.

Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, silk, and cashmere are usually more comfortable and look elevated. Natural fabric blends are less prone to wrinkles and are a boon for those of us who loathe ironing like me. The only problem I’ve found with blends is that they don’t last as long. I don’t know how many T-shirts I’ve bought that develop tiny little holes in them almost immediately because the fabric doesn’t hold up.

Look at Uniqlo, Muji, Quince, COS, and Lilysilk to find clothing made with natural fabrics.

Giant armholes

Tank tops, which are cool in summer, sometimes have large armholes and straps that show the bra or no bra. They do not bode well for most older women whose “girls” have descended with age.

Deep V necks

I love V-necks because I grew bustier after having children. Crew and boatnecks make me look like a tank. But many V-neck dresses have deep cutouts and end up below the bottom of my bra, requiring a snap. Unless you’ve had a boob job, saggy breasts are not a feature you want to highlight in a deep V-neck.

Cropped jackets and shirts

Sorry, gang, but my belly button is not going to be hanging out anytime soon. Maybe in my next life. Cropped jackets are nice if you do not have a tummy, but I prefer a longer cut to cover my big belly.

Skinny jeans

If you are shaped like a pencil, skinny jeans are an option, but most older women want comfort. Straight-leg or flare jeans do not ride up and are usually more flattering.

My favorite jeans are NYDJ (Not Your Daughter’s Jeans). They are comfortable, have a little stretch, and look way better than MOM jeans.

See-through blouses

I remember when see-through blouses came out in the 70s, and my mom made me one. As much as I hate wearing a bra, no one wants to see that on a mature woman. Light-colored blouses that show your bra are not much better. We need opaque.

Back zippers

I bought a jumpsuit I love, but it has a back zipper. I had to purchase a zipper pull to get it on and off. Otherwise, I could get stuck in the ladies’ room forever trying to reach my zipper.

Blouses without side slits

This is for those of us who are not skinny as rails. I have ripped blouses and shirts without side slits sitting down, and I’m not that overweight. A blouse should have a little give at the bottom, so it doesn’t bunch up or tear when you are seated.

Spaghetti straps

Sure, you could wear a strapless bra, but are they ever comfortable? Not for me. Unless the shirt has a shelf bra, which works only if you are flat, I need a shoulder strap wide enough to cover my bra strap.

Fast fashion

Fast fashion is clothing made in sweatshops by enslaved workers from Third World countries. It is low quality, mostly synthetic, environmentally suspect, and often ugly. It’s better to purchase from ethical brands.

Comments from older women about what they don’t want in clothing.

The fashion industry is trying to infantilize us. Don’t fall for that patriarchal crap. Rise up and demand adult clothes with pockets!

The dresses this spring look exactly like what I wore to eighth-grade graduation. In 1975. No, thank you!!

And athletic fabrics? Moisture wicking? That’s all bullshit polyester. I grew up in the 80’s. You can’t fool me.

On puffy sleeves – C’mon I’m a hundred years old, why do I want to look like a baby?!?

Stop selling a party dress at 200+ $€ if it is polyester. I would not mind paying for silk, wool, hemp of any real fiber, but plastic, no.

Why does every dang dress have tiers and flounces that hit in exactly the wrong place, like the absolute widest part of my hip?

A big problem I am having lately is plastic threads being used to finish seam edges. Extremely irritating, to the point I’m considering ripping them out and badly re-sewing.

Just because some of us are thick doesn’t mean we don’t want pretty clothing. It all doesn’t have to be ugly or flowers.

Mary Jane shoes? I’ve been complaining about that style for grown women for years.. and purple & pink? We’re not 5!!!  (Personally, I love Mary Janes because they are comfortable and stay on. LOL)

I do not want bows on my blouses! I’d also like button-up shirts that don’t gap.

We want sizing based on measurements.

I just want cotton! I live in Arizona, and the racks are full of polyester shorts. The companies that sell thick polyester shorts should come to Arizona in August and wear them.

Clothing stores women over 50 respect

Here are some clothing stores mentioned in the Threads conversation that women over 50 recommend.

Boden | Nooworks (California brand) | J.Jill | Pact (All Cotton) | Quince (Natural fabrics) | Old Navy | Eileen Fisher | Universal Standard.

What to do with your shopping mistakes

Most of us have bought something and then decided we didn’t love it anymore. I often take my shopping mistakes to a thrift shop to recycle them. Others choose to store them somewhere. According to StorageCafe’s annual self-storage survey, Baby Boomers are the top users of storage at 42%, with clothing being the most commonly stored item. Still, others try to pack them all in their closet. That’s why I always suggest creating a capsule wardrobe.

What are your pet peeves about fashion marketed to women over 50? Do you disagree with any of the above? There are no rules for older women but I would love to get your opinion in the comments below.