Appearances count and you want to present a polished, put-together look that shows off your unique personality and style. It’s important, especially as we age to maintain good grooming, highlight your best assets, and wear clothes that suit your style, and body shape, flatter your skin tone, and ideally are a nod to the current trends. If you let yourself go, or make these common fashion mistakes you will look unkept, outdated, older than you are, and like you don’t have a dime to rub together.
1. Ripped Jeans
Unless your 16 ripped jeans aren’t cool or edgy and they will make you look like you’re trying too hard, or poor and not trying at all. That goes for any ripped, shredded, overly distressed, or embellished fabrics. Keep your look classic and chic with medium-rise, medium-wash denim in a timeless straight style.
2. Vintage Trash or Treasure
Thrifting and wearing vintage clothes is affordable, on-trend, and a great way to do right by our environment. The trouble is one woman’s trash is not always another’s treasure. Shopping for vintage is an art according to Eva Dayton of Consignment Brooklyn who shared her top tips with here. Most importantly make sure you look for clothes and accessories that are timeless, fit properly, and in mint condition. Smelly, worn-out, and outdated clothes will age you and make you look like you can’t afford to buy new ones.
3. Ill-Fitting Clothes
Ask any fashion expert and they’ll agree that fit is everything. When you wear clothes that are shapeless, baggy, too tight or don’t fit properly, you look sloppy, outdated, and like you’re not trying. This will send a message to the world that you either don’t care or don’t have the money to buy the right pieces for you.
4. Outdated Trends
You honestly don’t have to spend a lot of money to look stylish, on point, and polished according to stylist Sarah Meikle who is a huge advocate for a chic button-down. There are lots of great retailers like Zara, H&M, and Madewell creating high-quality on-trend affordable pieces. So there’s really no excuse to get around wearing outdated, worn-out styles or clinging to the trends that suited you decades ago (like the boxy 80s blazer). Keep across the latest trends— retire these ones— invest in good fabrics, timeless pieces, and styles that flatter your shape.
5. Pilled Sweaters
Nothing screams poor, disheveled, and out of style faster than pilled sweaters and worn-out fabrics covered in fluff. Cheap fabrics will always pile faster and if you do invest in cashmere it’s important to treat it with care if you want it to last. Do that and it should last for a lifetime knitwear experts told Forbes. Use a lint roll to remove fluff, have your clothing dry cleaned and if it’s seen better days, hand it over to charity.
6. Scuffed Shoes
Accessories can make or break an outfit, so pay attention to the finishing details. Scuffed, dirty, or shoes that are out of date will ruin your outfit, age your look and borderline make you look homeless. Invest in good leather, clean shoes regularly, have them re-soled, and throw them out when they are past their use-by date.
7. Worn out Bag
The handbag you carry every day is a reflection of your style and personality and an important part of your fashion wardrobe. Not only does your bag carry all of your essentials, but it can also give you sartorial points. So if it’s an outdated style, tattered, broken, or distressed, it’s time for an upgrade or you risk looking unpolished, bordering on poor.
8. Mismatched Socks
Wearing mismatched socks might be cute when you’re five but no it’s not a fashion statement. It’s a statement that you are too lazy or broke to wear a matching pair. Statement socks, especially worn with chic loafers or cool sneakers can elevate your look, but wearing ugly, tattered, or unmatched pairs says something about you and your appearance.
9. Wrinkle Warning
It doesn’t matter how chic, cool, or expensive your clothing or outfit is, if it’s wrinkled, crumpled, and unironed you will look a mess. Always iron your clothes, have them dry cleaned, or steam them in a shower so you look polished and not poor. Pay attention to the fabric, as cheap synthetic fabrics and linen styles are common crinkle culprits.
10. Stained Clothes
Wearing dirty or stained clothes is a major no-no that will draw attention to your appearance for all the wrong reasons. Sweat marks, wine stains, or clothing that has turned yellow is off-putting and will make you look unkempt. Wash your clothes regularly, use a stain remover, or have them dry-cleaned. And if the stains don’t come out it’s time to trash them.
11. Bad Makeup
Makeup should be applied to enhance your natural beauty, make you look younger, and elevate your style game. Heavy matte foundations, glossy shimmery eye shadow, and blush can all settle into fine lines and wrinkles and make you look older and less attractive. The wrong lipstick shade can make your lips thin and your teeth yellow and overdoing the mascara and eyeliner can draw attention to signs of aging and droopy eyelids. Less is more.
12. Cheap Fabrics
Poor-quality fabrics can look cheap and nasty, making you look tacky and out of style. They will also pile, fluff, and wear out faster. You don’t have to spend the earth to look fashionable, but inferior synthetic fabrics wrinkle fast, cause sweating, and cheapen your look. It’s better to go for natural fibers that are breathable, hang better, and last longer.
13. Unruly Hair
A great haircut can take years off your age and make you look polished and put together. Hair naturally thins and turns grey with age, so it’s important to use good products, protect it from heat damage, have regular trims, and keep your hairstyle up to date otherwise you’re appearance suffers.
14. Bad Grooming
Regardless of age, it’s important to have a daily skincare routine and practice good grooming and personal hygiene. Neglecting your teeth, not taking care of your nails, dehydrated skin, unruly hair, body odor and a bad diet will age you and make you look like a poor hot mess.