The Dress Diaries – Part Two
June 3, 2010Dear Diary,
I have a confession to make. Can you keep a secret?
Remember in yesterday’s Dress Diaries I told you that I was out of control buying summer dresses? Well, once again my shopping compulsion has taken over, and I’ve been snatching up anything that is cute, summery, comfortable and fun, and I’ve suddenly realized that….gulp…….some of these dresses are…..cringe….. JUNIOR brands.
Diary, as you well know, I’m in my 40′s, well, at least in years. Mentally and emotionally, I think I’m still in my 20′s.
But I read an article once that said that people over 40 should NEVER, EVER wear junior dresses, even if they think it looks OK. If it has an odd-number size, the article said don’t even attempt it. EVER! The article was very firm on that statement. And I’ve read some blogs and comments where the language gets almost nasty and cruel when they describe seeing women in their 40′s shopping in the junior section. They accuse those type of women as having low self-esteem and being…….COUGARS! Isn’t that a little extreme and judgmental, Diary?
Interesting enough, remember when I posted concerns about me wearing this junior brand dress last February? I had a poll, and 85% of the respondents said it as OK for me to wear that dress.
I’m torn and confused, Diary. Here are some dresses I’ve bought that are Junior brands and I want you to be honest, Diary. Are they too young for me? Am I setting off Cougar-wannabe- vibes?
For the dress on the left, I just Googled “Xhilaration” brand and found out that it’s Target’s junior brand. I didn’t know, Diary, really I didn’t. I bought it because I was specifically looking for more colorful dresses (most of my summer dresses are black and white). But it fit, and was very comfortable – so much so I actually lounged around in it the Saturday afternoon I bought it. Is it too young? Too short?
As for the Moda International dress on the right, I will admit that I did find this in the junior section of the Restyle consignment store – but it wasn’t labeled as “Junior Section”. It was just right next to the dressing room, and this dress caught my eye because it was so unique and pretty – with that drop waist lacey/ribbony thing, and so comfortable – it’s that T-shirt stretchy material that just fits like a glove.
Here’s another Junior brand dress that I bought – a strapless polka dot dress! Isn’t it pretty?
The brand is Ruby Rox, and I also found it in the Junior section of Restyle Consignment store. It was $14.99 – which is alot for me to spend on a dress. But I’ve never owned a strapless dress – in fact, I’ve never even tried one on. I’ve never felt I’ve had the “girl power” or “equipment” – oh hell, I’ll just say it – the breasts, to hold a strapless dress up. So I was curious just to see how these things worked – and it stayed up – like magic! I felt kind of glamorous in it – like what people wear on the red carpet.
Oh, I hope somebody invites me to some girlie event like a shower or a wedding this summer, so I can wear it! I mean, assuming it’s OK that I can wear this Junior brand dress….what do you think, Diary?
But Diary, I have one more exciting thing to tell you! When I bought this strapless dress, there was one thing that was missing – can you think of what it is? I felt a nice white cropped cardigan would be perfect for this dress. So on a whim, I drove over straight from buying this dress to a Goodwill, and look what I found:
Apostrophe, New With Tags for $3.89. Isn’t it perfect – all lacy and pretty?
So Diary, that’s all for now. I still have a few more dresses to tell you about, but I’d like to hear what you think of this old lady and her Junior brand dresses…..it’s a very confusing gray area in my book. But apparently some people have pretty defined lines. Sigh. I don’t even like that Courtney Cox show Cougar Town….well actually, I’ve never even watched it because I don’t like the premise.
So like me pretend I’m Carrie Bradshaw and ask the question, “Can women in their 40′s wear junior brand dresses without being accused of having low self-esteem and being a cougar? Are there occasions when if something fits, and is not outrageously offensive, it’s OK to wear?”
I think all 3 dresses look great on you. However I think they might be too “young” to wear to work. I’d save them for weddings or showers where ‘fun and flirty’ is more appropriate!
I would not have guessed those dresses to be Juniors. They looked great.
I think they are all cute dress.
I like them all, and I don’t think they look too young. I order clothes from Victoria’s Secret turn out to be Moda International, so I don’t think it’s necessarily a purely junior brand. Also, I didn’t know that Xhilaration was Target’s junior brand. I have stuff of that brand that’s “Medium”. No one knows if it’s junior or not, so who cares? As long as you feel good in it, go for it.
Hello. I actually OWN the Xhilaration dress you have pictured! I wore it to my high school graduation, if that helps. I am 29 years old now. I still have that dress and I considered wearing it again just a few days ago.
Ha ha – that’s hilarious, Jeanie! That’s awesome that you can still wear it, AND think it’s appropriate and timeless. Thanks!!
At least you didn’t say “I USED to own that dress, wore it to my high school reunion 10 years ago, and donated it to Goodwill…maybe that dress used to be mine!” Now THAT would be slightly embarrassing!
All 3 dresses look great on you and I think you should wear them! We’re told not to pay attention to sizes on clothing and “go up a size” if we need to, so why not “go down a size” as well? I wear clothes that fit me and look good, including juniors (as long as my chest fits – that’s the major difference in the size categories for me). I simply do not care what the size is. I have to admit though, those shoes in the second photo of the strapless dress make it look frumpy.
OH MY GOD- You look great. Much better that many of the juniors that are deemed acceptable cronologically to wear them. That is what I do not get about our culture. it is ok for some chubby 17 year old to walk around wearing innappropriate attire that shows off more skin than it covers, and yet we older broads have to actually have to put thought into…not the hemline…not the tightness…but the style of a dress.
I don’t know about you but I am not giving in. I will be wearing my denim mini skirt until I am 106.
Woo hoo!! Yea Beth! I love that attitude!! I so agree on the ultra tight clothes young girls wear today – it seems that have no shame showing off all their nooks and crannies!! I can’t wait to check out your blog!
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[...] dresses I have bought so far this summer (well, except for that strapless number I wrote about in DD2. It’s Merona, so it’s not a high end brand, but I think the fit, the style, the [...]
You look great in all those dresses. I’d start worrying about wearing “junior” designated clothing the day men start being accused of having low self esteem for pursuing younger women.
I’m definitely writing this about a year too late, but I think those dresses look wonderful on you. The length of all three dresses are good too and would be appropriate at any age. With the exception of the third dress, I cannot imagine the other two being worn by someone in the juniors age group unless they were a bit older (I happen to still be “juniors”).
Also, as far as I know, there are more mature items in the Juniors section of many stores usually geared toward the some of the petite/less curvy ladies out there.
Rozka –
Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad there’s alot of room for interpretation when it comes to junior wear!