Age Appropriate Clothes for 30s

I wear whatever I feel comfortable in and I am in my thirties.

I used to work for a fashion designer and learned to have the confidence to wear whatever I want. You're gonna have way less fun in life if you always ask yourself what other people might think of you.

I'm in my late 30's and I just threw away all my bras. You know why? Because even though I always got fitted, theyre just soooo uncomfortable.

I personally don't wear colorful things. I'm very minimalist. I wear plain things in black, off white and grey. Skirts (different length), dresses and pants. No jeans (they're uncomfortable as well).

For jewelery I either wear minimalistic earrings or a necklace, never both.

One article will tell you to avoid the studded bag and the next one will tell you to get it....

I think you should get the bag with the studs, wear the comfy skirt with the built in pants and just be happy :)

I am an avid believer of wearing whatever the hell you want and wearing it with confidence. Women have been shamed and conditioned to dress how society deems fit for too long. Those expectations are impossible to keep up with and often present contradicting information. Example: “wear neutral colours, always aim to look sleek, otherwise you look immature and vapid”. And then being told “wearing neutrals washes you out and makes you look like a grandma. Dress colourfully, be bold and express yourself”. It’s exhausting. Women can be more than one thing.

Of course there is a time and place for certain outfits, but the only thing that matters about your outfit is whether YOU like it and whether it makes YOU happy. There is naturally going to be conflicting opinions and ideas in this thread, and all of that is okay! What's important is that you be your authentic self and don't try to fit into a mold that just isn't you.

The grannies in my community wear the most colourful, sparkly clothes. They are living their best life.

In my teens, I insisted on dressing plainly in drab colours because "colours and sparkles are for old people" - or so I thought. 😆

I'm making more and more eccentric fashion choices as I age. People are often delighted to see my colourful outfits with fun patterns - I get a lot of compliments. Okay, I have also gotten funny looks, but I chalk that up to: they are just stunned by the magnificence they are seeing.

I do tone it down if I have a meeting at, say, a bank. So I do understand there are situations where you need to present a more "corporate" image to people. 😉

But seriously, enjoy your studded bag. I sincerely doubt most people would look at your bag like "that woman has a handbag too studded for her age!"

I don't place much value on fashion trends. I've always worn whatever the hell I wanted, and I'm not 30 yet but nearly. Sure, some people will underestimate me or whatever, but I'm not here to act like someone I'm not. That's not authentic and people dislike that even more.

I think a HVW wears what makes her happy and comfortable without giving a fuck what other people think

Wear the damn skater skirts, girl! If you wear clothes that you don’t feel comfortable in and you don’t feel like *you* in, it will show. How you dress is one of the first things people notice about you, you want to show off your unique personality through that! When you look in the mirror and love what you see, it will radiate throughout every pore of your body and people will notice.

For reference, I’m 30‘s and I have a wide spectrum of styles I like to wear. I have tie dye crop tops that I’ll wear with baggy jogger pants and timb‘s one day, and off-the-shoulder neutral colored sweaters that I’ll pair with leggings and canvas shoes the next day.

tldr: Wear what you want, your fashion sense is probably way better than you think it is. :)

Forget the guidelines. Decide what works for you and your life.

I dress not to please myself but to avoid friction. I have learned the hard way that dressing in a certain manner draws attention to myself in a city with a lot of crime and violence (especially against women), as well as random men who feel free to harass women. I wish to move about efficiently and with minimal attention drawn to myself.

Generally this means dressing modestly and without loud colours. I prefer high quality clothing but I avoid obvious labels or displays of perceived wealth. I wear understated gold jewellery and I put it on when I get to work. I always wear shoes I can run in. I never wear anything overly "feminine" nor do I wear skirts on public transit. Is it worth having my legs stared at and having to move multiple times? It seems other women in my city are doing the same -- I rarely see anyone in a skirt and heels anymore on my commute to work.

I am always neat, tidy and well pulled together which communicates respect.

I wish I could express myself more through fashion. Blending in and being almost invisible as much as possible is the way for me.

My style regularly changes over time I followed trends through my teens/20s and even early 30s. I'm now late 30s and just discovered color analysis and color seasons. I want my clothes to be comfortable but also work for me as in show me off. I am in the middle of collecting clothing that shows off my clear skin, bright eyes, natural hair, and flatters my figure.

I say "collecting" clothing because I'm acquiring all these new to me items via 2nd hand modes like Thrifting and ebay etc. So it's taking time and I'm being very deliberate about what I buy.

Besides being picky with color and fit, I'm only buying clothing items that are made with natural materials: Wool, Cashmere, silk, cotton, linen, leather.

I don't have any polyester or acrylic materials in my wardrobe anymore.

Natural materials are more comfortable and usually last longer. I can also go longer in between washes with some materials like wool because it's naturally good at self cleaning and odors can be aired out without requiring washing.

I'm finally getting a wardrobe I'm proud of and I think every piece makes me look healthy and vibrant.

My clothing is working to show me off and support me.

I'm in my mid-30s. I wear what's comfortable for me (t-shirts, hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, longsleeved cotton shirts, tank-tops, cardigans, jackets, jeans, sneakers, etc). I don't care a single bit about my age. The kids these days can pry my skinny jeans off my corpse. 😄Life is way too short to wear supposedly fashionable clothes (that will trend out of style in like 2-3 years now anyway) that are uncomfortable, cheaply made in sweatshops, and whatnot.

I tried changing up my style a bit in my 20s and it just didn't feel right. So in my 30s I reverted back to what I listed above and I'm living. Love my band shirts and stuff. I get more compliments on those and showing off my tattoos than I ever did being "fashionable" or "acceptable" or "cute". lol.

Focus on curating your personal style and forget the fashion rules by age. Some fashion tips are useful as you get started, but every rule can be broken and it will look more fashionable.

A good tip for looking out together is having a belt, bag, and shoes that match- it will make any outfit look coordinated. Neutrals are both overrated and underutilized. NAVY, DARK GREEN, MAROON, EGGPLANT etc all those deep jewel colors can be considered neutrals if they are in a matte fabric and the tone is a little darker. Conversely, with the season changes, pastels can be considered neutrals for the spring.

I've been experimenting with pattern lately and blouses are a great way to add pattern to your wardrobe, but still keep everything work appropriate. If you don't experiment with your professional style (the uniform you wear most often) you aren't gonna learn much about what you like

i love cardigans

As a devoted STEM person, I delegate all work wardrobe decisions to the professionals so that I can have more free hours to myself. I use stitch fix and gave them

-my Fenty foundation shade for color matching

-my height

-my chest, waist, & hip measurements

- professional industry

They nailed it with that info and all I have to do is try on what they send me.

If it doesn’t fit, I send it back. If it fits I pay gladly.

Do what works for you.

I collect cardigans and am a fan of certain color combinations. I am a bit ocd about being coordinated in color but I took color theory and was very interested in it back in college art classes. I just buy stuff in my favorite colors and sort of build the outfit around what colors the cardigan is.

i would say it’s a sort of preppy style I have which I don’t think is really attached to any age. It’s comfy for me and makes me happy. But I also think a few pieces for versatility really make a difference. I have one fancy coat and two pair of heels, which dress up a casual outfit very quickly. And one nicely fitting black dress.

You don't have to follow "age appropriate clothes" anywhere but to work or professional meetings. There is no reason for you to hide your self expression and personality behind generic age appropriate clothing just because you got older. That's just giving in to cultural ageism. Except at work because well that's a professional environment.

Oooo I’m excited to answer this one for how I’ve managed this myself as a thirties woman in a job where business casual is the typical go-to, but I love color and print and wanted a way to “professionalize“ my funky style! There are lots of ways to age up your wardrobe without losing color, print, or whatever your own unique aesthetic is!

Jeans are allowed at my workplace, so on most days you’ll find me in jeans and a button up and blazer or jacket. I have a lot of fun printed button ups from vintage stuff to Ann Taylor Loft or Talbots. I found a lot of great Calvin Klein shirts and blazers at Marshall’s when I was first looking for work stuff, so that might be a place to start if you’re looking for more basics. Ann Klein is another brand to look for; I love the stretch of this brand bc I am hella curvy.

I work with mostly women, and then tend to wear a lot of sweaters and jeans, so I wear stuff like this too. But I love to look a little more “in charge with the artsy style” so my favorite work looks are the blazer and button down combos. A black or navy blazer with a fun floral, striped, or otherwise printed button down are my favorites, and sometimes I wear jewelry (small stuff in good quality) and sometimes I don’t. I do not wear heels except for chunky boots, so I got a few slip on sneakers and boots to go with the look. I also got a nice large bag for my work laptop In black to go with almost everything.

I’ve been complimented by both the young and older people in my office (especially the women) on always looking put together and having fun interesting style.

while you may not want to look as colorful as I often do, the same principle can apply to you. I have blazers in basic colors and for summer and winter, and then I have some in fun colors or fabrics and a few jackets of various styles that can work over a button down, sweater, or nice shirt.

The way I dress and present myself seems to inspire respect in the men around me in particular, because I dress like I know what I’m doing and I keep my makeup and jewelry to a minimum if any, even if I’m brightly colored. I think this has helped me look old enough to be responsible, while still keeping my youthful energy!

i feel like in my thirties is when I’m finally finding my adult style that isn’t as influenced by other people, so I wear a lot of that stuff when I go out too, and I have to say, if you’re trying to avoid male attention, wearing a button down and blazer with jeans combo in the styles I do and the way I wear them works so well for keeping lv men away.

im so happy to help with this, because finding my style in my thirties has been a total joy of an experience, so if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!