The Older I Get, The Simpler I Dress By Clare Snyder

I don’t care about looking interesting anymore. I used to stress myself out every morning while getting ready, feeling like I needed to present myself as perfectly accessorized and fashion-forward. These days, the silhouette of my outfit is what matters most to me. 

Every day, I look in my closet filled with different patterns, textures, and outlines, get overwhelmed, and still find myself reaching for the same white t-shirt, jeans, and boots combination that I mix and match almost daily. Maybe my prefrontal cortex is developing, or maybe I am becoming boring. Either way, embracing simplicity has allowed me to feel more like myself than I have in years.

As I get older, the less I care about wearing attention-grabbing outfits. Instead, I choose to wear what feels natural to me. Maybe in a month, statement pieces and loud patterns will feel comfortable again. But right now, simplicity feels the most honest. 

For generations, trends in silhouettes have influenced how women dress. Ranging from the inflated S-curve silhouette in the nineteenth century to the modern hyperfixation on the hourglass figure, fashion has always emphasized shaping the body into fitting the current trend. But silhouette does not need to mean making your body look the “best” it can. It can simply mean prioritizing a shape that feels natural and comfortable to live in. 

For a long time, I thought personal style meant wearing the most attention-demanding outfit in the room. I wanted my outfit to translate something about my personality into an outward expression, communicating my creativity, friendliness, and eagerness for life to the people around me. But at some point, this gets exhausting. The older I get, the more I no longer want my clothes to convince people of who I am. 

Yet simplistic dressing is still a trend within itself. Minimalism and capsule wardrobes come in and out of fashion the same way loud prints and textures do. Perhaps there is no way to dress fully timeless. There will always be a new trend, and personal style will continue to evolve alongside them. 

What matters the most is dressing in a way that feels honest and natural, which may mean a plain white t-shirt every day or the most striking outfit in the room. 

By Clare Snyder