Mutton Dressed as Lamb..

Next month (on New Years Day, to be precise) I will turn 37, placing me solidly in my "late 30s".  This has gotten me thinking about my style and if I should be making some changes.

Now, as a general rule, I do not think much about my age.  This could be due in part to the fact that I identify more closely with my personality than with my age, and partly because, courtesy of genetics (thanks Mum and Dad!) and copious application of sunscreen, I have a baby face that never really changes that dramtically.

Case in point..  Here is a picture of me 11 years ago with my eldest child.

..and here I am earlier this year with same child (on the left) AND my youngest child.

Kind of creepy in a "Picture of Dorian Gray" sort of way, right?

However, because my face never really got in my way, I've always dressed to suit my whims.  Part of what I love best about dressing vintage is that I have a veritable buffet of style to choose from.  Some days I wake up and feel inspired by the 20's, and other days I'm all about the 50's.  I like the casual looks of the 90's on occasion and sometimes I'm moved by the 60's.  Headbands, bows, Mary Jane shoes, it's all good.  I wear what feels right, with no consideration for age at all.

Which brings me to my point (and what has been weighing on my mind of late).  Should I change my style to suit my actual age?  Or should I dress to suit the age I appear to be?  Or, should I simply be brave enough to dress to suit my personality and to heck with propriety?

Some of the style icons I am fondest of have thrown propriety to the wind and chosen to stick to their "look".  Betsey Johnson, for example, looks just as spectacular and flamboyant at 70 as she did in her 20's:

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Or, another one of my favorite style mavens, Iris Apfel (90!), distinctly her own person with her fondness for bright colors, her signature glasses and no consideration for "age appropriate-ness", only for what suits her:

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Or even someone closer to my own age, Milla Jovovich (36), who has stayed true to her fun, vintage/indie style and even designs her own line:

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These women have all built a "look" that was uniquely them and then stuck with it over the years.  They paid no attention to their age or the trends, they were simply themselves...and maybe this is where the lesson I need is hiding.  Perhaps I don't need to concern myself so much with what is right for my age as I do with discovering my "signature" and incorporating it into what I wear.  My current style can be frenetic and all over the place and perhaps what would make me more comfortable as I get older is to refine, to clean out the things in my closet that don't really "match" my aesthetic, to get rid of the items I purchased because I thought they were fun at the time, but that never seem quite right when I wear them.

With that in mind, I plan to dedicate the coming year to discovering and defining my own style.  I will shop, sew, research and track down inspiration to help me become even more "Me".  I'll share each step with you all!  Lessons learned, techniques discovered and tips and tricks that help me along the way.  I hope you're as excited as I am :)

Hugs and Smooches,
D