So now that the part of life where you have to not dress to impress but to dress to not displease has come knocking on my door.
Have any of you other hags on here been giving these inevitable facts any thoughts?
Pushing 50 may no longer be the time for leather jackets and jeans? Right?
Maybe the traditional grandma style would be more appropriate? Strolling elegantly down the sidewalk instead of revving the motorcycle? Tea instead of Bourbon? Setting a better example for my grandkids? Their mother doesn’t like it when they say that they wanna be like grandma lol.
I feel blessed to be in a stage of life where I can pretty much wear what I want most days -- and for me, all my life, my outfit of choice has always been a cartoon t-shirt and jeans or joggers.
I don't feel a need to impress anyone, only a desire to dress appropriately if I'm going to an event or place that requires something different.
I have a friend who's getting married next year; I pulled out the one dress I own, from like almost 20 years ago, and I'm so thankful I can still get into it. Yeah, I've put on a few pounds, but at least I'm in a range where I don't have to shop for or spend money on another dress, because you can see how often I wear them!

(Ironically, the shoes I had to go with it, which are just as old, are about kaput, so I guess I WILL have to shell out for some new kicks.)
The cartoon t-shirts I wear also draw in an interesting diversity of people -- most of the characters are from the 80's (Transformers, Super Mario Bros. original, etc.) so sometimes I'll get comments from people who must be of "a certain age" because they know who they are, or young folk who are cosplayers and drawn to all kinds of animated characters.
A dental hygienist I went to told me she loved seeing what t-shirt I would wear to each visit, because she said they made her smile the rest of the day(like the one making fun of a T-rex dinosaur's short, tiny arms, because T-rex's can't do pushups.)

This was a big motivator for me, knowing my quirky choices can cheer someone up.
However, there is a dark side of me somewhere hidden in a very elegant wardrobe cabinet that wishes she could be a bit of an Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly or Princess Diana. There is a grocery store I go to often that has a jewelry counter, and I like glancing at the window. I love anything shiny, sparkly, and blingy, but I'd never spend money on those things (and if I ever did, I'd buy imitation stones.)
I couldn't help but ask God why He made me to love such fancy things, when I'm really very plain and obviously dress down way too much to ever wear such things. To fill my need for sparkles, I often put a bit of glitter dust on my arms or in my hair, but that's as fancy as I get.
Maybe someday my inner elegant wanna be will make it to the forefront, but right now my clothes are too busy saying, "I am forever a kid at heart!" to ever let her shine.