Anonymous wrote:In what world is high waist comfortable, though? I bought a couple of pairs of pants last month. They look super cute under a shirt, but they come up to my bra! They feel really ridiculous (and hot, because too much fabric.

Anonymous wrote:44 here and I love this post. My early 20s were defined by trying to get jeans hemmed just right to work with heels and finding the just-right “going out top”. I live near a college campus now and those girls look way cuter and happier!

I do miss work clothes from that era, though- it was so easy to look put together if you shopped sales at J.Crew or Banana Republic. That was back when the quality of J.Crew suit separates and fabric was still good enough that no one could tell it wasn’t Theory!

I’m wearing my dressy Birkenstocks and baggy jeans today and feeling content. If someone could figure out tops for 40-somethings in this fashion era, I would appreciate it. Boxy tees and cropped hems are not great for my short perimenopause torso.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes to this. I am 43 and when my generation dominated fashion trends, we came up with the dumbest, least comfortable, most regressive stuff possible: low rise jeans? visible thongs? skin tight jeans? body con dresses? cold shoulder tops? tiny bikinis? 5" wedge sandals? and on and on.

I now live in straight leg jeans with high waists, slightly oversized tees, shirts and button downs, Birkenstocks and comfy sneakers, leggings with sweatshirts. Dresses that float away from the body and don't require Spanx. Linen everything. Flattering one-piece bathing suits that I can relax in and don't have to wax every inch of my lower half to wear.

I feel more comfortable in my own skin and like my wardrobe actually suits my lifestyle, I think possible for the first time since 1998. 00s fashion was an absolute travesty (even as Gen Z brings it back, they are fixing it and making it less about the male gaze and more about living your wildest Delia's catalog fantasies) and only got moderately better in the 10s. But 20s fashion is amazing - comfortable, body-inclusive, practical. What were we thinking???? This is better.

I completely agree and I’m also 43. I hated the “going out top” with the low rise tight jeans and the terrible cuts for dresses and shorts. I wish I had the body I had then with the clothes offered now.

Anonymous wrote:Yes to this. I am 43 and when my generation dominated fashion trends, we came up with the dumbest, least comfortable, most regressive stuff possible: low rise jeans? visible thongs? skin tight jeans? body con dresses? cold shoulder tops? tiny bikinis? 5" wedge sandals? and on and on.

I now live in straight leg jeans with high waists, slightly oversized tees, shirts and button downs, Birkenstocks and comfy sneakers, leggings with sweatshirts. Dresses that float away from the body and don't require Spanx. Linen everything. Flattering one-piece bathing suits that I can relax in and don't have to wax every inch of my lower half to wear.

I feel more comfortable in my own skin and like my wardrobe actually suits my lifestyle, I think possible for the first time since 1998. 00s fashion was an absolute travesty (even as Gen Z brings it back, they are fixing it and making it less about the male gaze and more about living your wildest Delia's catalog fantasies) and only got moderately better in the 10s. But 20s fashion is amazing - comfortable, body-inclusive, practical. What were we thinking???? This is better.