Fashion: The Teen Years vs. the Forties

When I was a teenager, I knew what was stylish and knew all the trendy name brands, but I could not afford to buy them with my barely over minimum wage jobs at ice-cream and sandwich shops and at Belks.

Now that I am in my 40s and could possibly afford name brands, I can barely distinguish a name brand from a K-Mart blue light special and could care less if its stylish as long as it fits, covers everything it should, and is comfortable.

So, when my husband asked for some new casual shoes for his birthday, we had to consult with his style conscious younger brother to find out what was stylish.   When he recommended suede Chuck Taylor's, I exclaimed, "You have to be kidding! My husband is 40, not 16." Aren't those the type of shoes skateboarders wear?

Suede chucks for his birthday

Then I realized I was wearing a Justice top and Juniors yoga pants with sparkles around the waistband and had to laugh at my own hypocrisy.

Some of my Justice label tween bling

I loathe shopping and figure I might as well buy some clothes for myself while I'm at Justice shopping with my 10-year-old.  Apparently at 40, I can suggest that my husband not wear shoes that I think befit a teenager, but it's perfectly fine for me to wear clothes designed for children and tweens as if I'm in total denial about being middle aged myself!