Speaking of middle age and clothing stores

[Nikia]

I stopped by Kohl's the other night. More than ever, it seemed that the junior's clothing looked very youth oriented and the misses section looked very older oriented.
I was somewhat confused about what section I should shop in, but ended up buying two junior tops.
I am 28, married with no children, wear 2-4 in jeans and pants, am 36C so wear a little bigger tops.
What guidlines should I follow as to when I switch over to the misses section.
Am I too old to be wearing junior clothes? After looking at what they had in misses, I feel too young to wear misses clothing. It seemed that a few years ago, the differences between these two sections weren't as great, but since they are I feel that I have more of a choice to make since there don't seem to be as many neutral clothes.

[haf216]

1. I say as long as you can wear a 2-4, yau get to wear anything you want!!

[LeftyMom]

2. I have the same problem, though I'm a bit younger, have a kid and

haven't been a 2 since the 7th grade. I don't want to dress like a high schooler, but I don't want frumpy office-wear for middle-aged women either. Oh, and I don't want girly anything, which makes it hard to shop in either section these days. Usually I grab a couple of shirts out of the junior's section (they fit me better because my chest is hardly ample) and some underwear then I head over to the men's section for most everything else.

[SoyCat]

3. I'm older than you but I know exactly what you're going through. A couple

of years ago when the flared, low jeans were everywhere in the stores I simply couldn't find any jeans that I liked. At 35, I didn't want to wear "mom" jeans but I certainly did not want super-low, flared jeans either. I had a heck of a time finally finding some jeans that worked for me. Levis 505s ended up being a reasonable fit--low enough but not "plumber butt" low.

I'm finding that lately, more and more women are complaining about feeling left out. Even my 76 year-old mom has complained that a lot of what is in the stores is either too young or too old for her. There seems to be no real happy medium.

[Nikia]

12. It makes you wonder what they are thinking

Perhaps, I am reading too much into this but it seems like women are thought to be either young sex objects (even before they are legal in most states) who wear skimpy clothing or are old and sexless and supposed to cover up. Available new clothing seems to really enforce this message.
I know that when I was in high school and college that clothing seemed more neutral in general. Sure there was the extremes but both sections seemed to have items appropriate for women in the middle or who wanted a more neutral look.
Last year when I bought a swim suit, I had to go to a sporting goods store. The junior's section had bikinis and the misses section had big baggy suits, usually with something added to cover up. I wanted a nice one piece suit that I could actually swim in.

[alarimer]

14. I buy a lot of my clothes at a sporting goods store

Or some place like Cabelas because they have jeans and shorts that I would actually wear and sizes for everyone. Since I never have to dress up, that is all I need really.

[SoyCat]

15. I agree--especially about the swimsuits. I'm just lucky that I found

several I liked a few years ago (end of season sale) and stocked up. Ugh, I don't look forward to the next time I have to buy another! I actually heard a salesperson in the swimsuit section say, "No one wears one-piece suits anymore." Oh really?

[WCGreen]

4. I think you can pretty much wear what you want to wear now....

I mean, as long as it isn't white after labor day....

[Sugar Smack]

5. Middle age?

:shrug: You're twenty-eight.

[pitohui]

6. junior is a size not an age

you missed the memo

[Nikia]

11. Yes, but the clothing in the sections is completely different

If they were in the same styles and on the same rack, I wouldn't have started this discussion. I am not asking DUers whether I should be wearing a 2, 3, or 4 for jeans for example or what size shirt I should wear.
I have been told that my body type is like a 5 k runner.

[radwriter0555]

7. Stick with classics and fluff things up with trendy stuff for variety.

I am well over 40 and can't stand the old lady mature women clothes. I wear denim, white or black jeans, polos or sweaters or v-neck tees with a sweater over the shoulders, heels, a KICK ASS handbag, tight turtle necks, lots of scarves, button down tailored classic oxfords, cardigans or long below the knee sweaters and jackets, wool riding jackets and boots and so on.

It's all about wearing what looks best on your figure and projecting the look that suits your situation and 'station' as it were.

If you stick with the classics and with cuts and lengths that work on your specific body type, the trendy accessories du jour to spice things up make all the difference in the world.

[RebelOne]

8. I am 67 and a junior size.

The misses sizes do not fit right. I buy juniors, but of course, do not wear the little skimpy tops. As one poster stated, junior is a size and not an age. In fact, I just bought a beautiful pair of junior-sized sequined jeans at Kohl's last week. I wear what I like not what other people think I should wear.

[NMMNG]

9. Wear what makes you comfortable

Just be glad you're not a 'plus size'. It's automatically assumed by many plus sized clothing makers that all who wear their clothes are over 45.

[Nikia]

13. I had a couple of mildly overweight friends in high school

I was puzzled how they searched for the largest clothing in the regular section, trying on several items in hopes that they would fit. At first I thought that it was a body image issue (that "plus" meant fat and the other section meant being ok). They pointed out the ugly clothes that they would have to wear though in the plus sizes and why they hoped so much that they could find non plus sizes that would fit.

[NewWaveChick1981]

10. Wear what you like!

:hi: There are many things in the "misses" section that do NOT appeal to me, and the same goes for "juniors". I mix and match what I like and will wear. I don't want to look frumpy, but I also don't particularly like flowy halter tops. Do what works for you and go with it! :bounce:

[Cobalt Violet]

16. Your not too old for juniors.

Your still in your 20's! Wear juniors.

[kskiska]

17. What's happened to petite sizes?

The original idea was to make current styles for shorter women. Somewhere along the line they've turned frumpy. Now, high-end stores such as Bloomingdale's and Nieman-Marcus are trying to drop petite sizes altogether - because they're frumpy.

What's a 60-ish 5'2" woman to do? Men can buy their pants in whatever length they require. Why should women be forced to alter theirs?

[Flaxbee]

18. I'd say, as long as junior styles fit, go there for updates

to your wardrobe, just avoid styles that show (a lot of) skin... that's for teenagers/early 20's, though I think once you're past college-age, you need to put the skin-baring stuff away (except perhaps for evening dresses, etc.). Seems it's easier to find cute tops in juniors rather than pants that often have super-low rises, super-exaggerated flared legs, etc.

Kohl's isn't really interested in the mid-style customer, lots of bigger department stores aren't b/c they make their $$ on cheaper teen clothing or shapeless, no-style "work" clothes (as if work clothes have to be utilitarian and boring). Some larger chains like J.Jill, Banana Republic, and J.Crew have stylish clothes that aren't teenybopper and aren't matronly. JJill can get a little too "hippy-flowy" for my taste, but the store has a unique style. All can be found online, too: www.jjill.com , www.bananarepublic.com and www.jcrew.com A teeny-tiny friend of mine who is probably built just like you - very athletic - wears size zero, and Banana Republic has pants that fit her but that she can easily wear to work as a division manager (very public position) - so, professional yet with a good fit that she might otherwise have had to look for in a junior's department.


Also, if you like online shopping, go to www.shopbop.com - I'm 37 (damn, just turned 37 a few days ago. Phew) and a size 6; I shop there a lot - very nice clothing, can be $$ but they have good sales - usually you'll find excellent quality like with up-to-date styling. www.bluefly.com can also be good -- usually about a season behind in styles b/c they sell surplus designer items (and shoes! lots and lots of shoes!). A huge selection of merchandise at bluefly can be overwhelming, but you can search by size and item, and they've got a great return policy.