<p>Hee hee, my old, old favorite wallet was black. It would disappear into the bottom of my puse and it was well…an issue…not enough to replace the wallet of course because that moment is painful, but enough that when that wallet finally started falling apart and I was forced to purchase a new one I got a colorful one. Voila. Problem solved.</p>
<p>Fireandrain,
I spend my days/evenings in office and hospitals. so I feel more professional carrying a nice bag (tho cost under $300). My brief case–used daily for 25 years–is only my second. Its a Coach leather, cost $50 (on sale, naturally), 10 years ago. People do notice bags and shoes. By now, I can get away with wearing jeans 1-2 days a week. I don’t like shopping, so I buy less but classic clothes. It helps that I can do simple sewing, like hems and zippers.</p>
<p>My ‘new’ wallet has bold red/green stripes on it, so doesn’t get lost. My g/f got tired of my former wallet, which was totally frayed and overstuffed.</p>
<p>All right now you’ve all made me feel a little inadequate…maybe today’s the day I’ll go to TJMaxx and look at the cool bags…but will I be able to pull the trigger? Who knows. I don’t think I’ll be able to tell one that’s cool from one that’s…well…way past cool.</p>
<p>dke - at 52 I dress better than I did some years ago. In my case I think it is a combination of going back to work outside the home, living with (critical) teens, and the awareness that as I have grown older I just need to make more effort to look good.</p>
<p>I love bags, but find it easier to use the same one most days. I have a nice black Coach hobo style that I carry a lot in the winter, a tan bag I am using right now and a white summer bag. I would like to buy another bag for spring/summer in a “fun” color maybe green or yellow. Any suggestions? Needs to be large enough for glasses in addition to the usual stuff, so nothing small.</p>
<p>Orange is pretty big right now. Price range?</p>
<p>I really overhauled my wardrobe this year. When I was young I always bought high quality classic pieces and mixed them in with whatever was in fashion and I’ve continued wearing those classic pieces for the past twenty years. I don’t know, I gues what not to wear made me realize that my clothes were getting tired, were in general too long and overall too baggy. Shoes and accessories I always stayed “up to date” with because I’m a shoe and jewelry junkie. I had not bought suits since the 70s and early 80s. I went crazy this year and bought some nice jackets (that fit appropriately and are much shorter and more fitted), a couple new suits that I can mix and match the pieces and new skirts that are much shorter. New tops with a tighter fit. I also bought pants - I had never, ever worn pants to work. That was a monumental step. Took a pile of favorite wool skirts to the seamstress and had them hemmed and in general just overhauled everything. 6 lawn and leaf bags of stuff I hadn’t worn in years went to Goodwill and all my jeans. Bought new dress jeans (YUCK) that fit better and were more modern. It felt so good. I never knew what a new lease on life I could get out of overhauling my work clothes. I have no idea why this happened over twenty years except that my attention was so focused on my job and the kids. The time went so fast that I wasn’t even aware of how old my clothes were. When I shopped it was for kid clothes and I thought I looked OK when I went out the door and I probably did…maybe just alittle dowdy and alittle chubby which I’m not, but not sloppy. Now I look much more pulled together and modern I have to admit. So yes, I’m dressing “better” than I had in the past. Interesting my husband has never, ever commented on how I dressed heading out to work, but lately he’s mentioned that I look “nice.” Cool. Bonus.</p>
<p>Momofthree, your new clothes sound great. I have found that jackets, even for casual, really make me feel better. I was always a cardigan gal until they started to make me feel like I was being stuffed into a cashmere sausage casing.</p>
<p>I have to admit I kept my cashmere twin sets 
but I’m not wearing them as much this winter as in the past even though they look so comfy and warm on those cold winter mornings.</p>
<p>Alum,
Are u just on Twitter? I can’t seem to find your blog</p>
<p>My D2 loves vintage cashmere cardigans, they are so much nicer than the stuff Jcrew et.al, sells, plus you don’t have the ecoguilt, from knowing you are contributing to the loss of topsoil in China.
:o</p>
<p>( just do a google search for her blog using the title- I think I found it)</p>
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</p>
<p>Cool! I had to overhaul my wardrobe as well, the trigger being my weight loss. I noticed the same phenomenon - H, who rarely paid attention to what I put on, now comments that I look “nice”. And he does not complain that I go shopping once in a while or surf Shopstyle :)</p>
<p>I’ve put the URL in my cc profile. I think if you click on my name you can see it. Thank you all for being so persistent. I think I need to go find Sybbie and see if I can get Chickie to do a guest post:).</p>
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<p>Me. My daughters benefit from my new interest in clothes also. As I shop for myself, I invariably find something for them also.</p>
<p>Great buy yesterday - for my daughter, not me, but I have to share so please indulge my thread hijack for a moment. An elbow-length jacket (I picture it dressing up a skirt or dress for the “business casual” she needs on occasion). Brand - Theory; price tag (still attached) - $350.00; Stein Mart one day super sale price - $19.41.</p>
<p>emerald, my daughter loves my cardigans too. Several walked off with her (with my blessings) after her last visit home. Ignatius, I don’t count that as a thread hijack - great brands at fabulous prices is always news. I love Theory. Kind of Calvin Klein/Michael Kors with an edge.</p>
<p>^^Yes, great brand!</p>
<p>(I feel very honored when our girls “adopt” my clothes or shoes, LOL!)</p>
<p>Have any of you gotten like this? I’m 54 and during the “peanut butter and jelly years” (which I call my kids’ early childhood) I pretty much wore what I wore in college. (I don’t work “out of the house” as they say</p>
<p>I had my first when I was 24. I was so into being " a mom" and because my H had horrible jealousy, I dressed in long Laura Ashley cord jumpers, sweaters with lace collars & heaven forbid- * sweatshirts with appliques!*</p>
<p>I did go shopping then, but it was to find her gorgeous mousefeathers dresses- the early 80’s didn’t have so many clothes that I liked, although I did have a Madonna period that was fun.</p>
<p>Now I don’t really like much of the clothes- styles boring- colors uck- I see in the stores- in the malls anyway- when I have time I like small neighborhood shops better. ( and they are so expensive- I would only pay that much for something if I really * loved* it)</p>
<p>I wear levis jeans and jcrew tissue tees- converse tennies and ariat cowboy boots, luckily most places I go, those work.</p>
<p>While my breast reduction 10 years ago makes it easier to find clothes that fit on top ( although I still have the short arms), I seem to be more curvy, yet still smaller than who clothes are made for.
Depressing- cause even when I want to find something it is tough.
Like tonight- I am going to [Hoot for Haiti](<a href=“http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/02/duff_mckagan_a_few_songs_youll.php”>http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2010/02/duff_mckagan_a_few_songs_youll.php</a>) and I am * really* pumped.
But what do I wear?
I need something comfortable- but I don’t want to look dowdy or like I am trying too hard.
the 50’s are as tough as adolescence sometimes.</p>
<p>^^
I think your jeans, tissue tee, and cowboy boots sound great for this show. Do you have a good jacket? For example, if money were no issue, you could put a vintage Chanel on top. Or Anthropologie, in this day and age and world of realistic budgets…Or even a short leather jacket? I have a cropped military jacket made out of sweatshirt fabric that I’d probably wear in this situation:). I can’t stand to be uncomfortable, but I still have a horror of dowdy…</p>
<p>Cashmere and interesting Sigrid Olsen sweater sets became my uniform when suits became too formal. My “kids” (meaning the girls in my residential facility) would comment, so I barely wear these sweaters as sets. I do put on the cardigans over other tops, so less matchy–more youthful. Custo Barcelona has great tops.</p>
<p>I hope JustaMom finds a great, colorful bag today. I think we ‘guilted’ her.</p>
<p>Very rewarding that your spouses note the change.</p>
<p>Emerald–I leave it to the others to offer advice, as I’m no expert.</p>
<p>Sigh…I did go to TJ Maxx…had a really cute green bag IN MY HAND…and couldn’t do it. $79.99. I forget what brand it was. Maybe next time. :(</p>
<p>I am embarrassed about my purse collection. I have too many. My favorite bags for the last 3 to 4 years are relatively inexpensive nylon bags. I find leather bags a too heavy for me now.</p>