4 Things We Finally Threw Away Because They Were Too Young For Us … And What We Replaced Them With To Not Look Old
They’re that special.
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by The Candidly Team
We’re at the stage in life where we’re starting to question whether some of our clothes are too young for us. We’re also at the stage where it’s verrrrry easy to age ourselves a dozen years by leaning a little too hard into tropes about dressing “appropriately.”
So how to square this?
Basically we follow two very simple (not necessarily easy but simple) rules when getting dressed:
1) We ask ourselves “what clothes are most flattering on my body?” Because choosing things that fit well is 97% of what makes us look younger in our clothes.
2) When in doubt, we choose classic over trendy. (Note: Classic doesn’t mean uncool. It means quality, tailoring, and timelessness. Jean jackets and black boots are classic. They’re also very cool.)
Ok, so now to the point of this article. We recently decided to purge 4 items of clothing in our closet that our 23-year-old selves were all about, but they’re just doing nothing for us today. And, more importantly, we’re showing you the exact thing we replaced them with, so we don’t feel like there’s a hole in our wardrobe and so we can still feel cool/sexy/youthful-ISH in our clothes.
You ready?
1. What We Scrapped: Skinny Jeans
The Problem: Our perimenopausal bodies have long since decided they don’t like being squeezed into anything tight, but we also just don’t love looking like upside down triangles. There is zero balance or flattering proportion to a skinny jean. Unless we’re tucking the bottoms into a tall boot, we’re just asking for our shoulders to look broader and our thighs to look like turkey legs at a Renaissance fair.
What We swapped: These Flattering Barrel Jeans
WHAT: AG Hattie Crop Jean*
Why They Work: AG makes extremely flattering jeans that we’ve written about a lot, including THIS perfect boyfriend jean and THIS leg-lengthening flare jean. But the curve in this barrel jean is like sorcery. It just makes legs look slimmer while still having space. This pair from AG has the best proportions we’ve come across. They balance with any top, loose or tight, and they work with every shoe.
Price: $245
2. What We Scrapped: Underwire, Push-Up Bras
The Problem: Underwire is hell. Hell! It stabs, it digs, it creates bulges of flesh on our backs and round our rib cages. But we know what you’re thinking, “A dainty, little wireless bralette is not going to support my heavy bosom.” But, oh my friends, have we found the solution?
What We Swapped: This Wireless Bralette That Works On Big Boobs
WHAT: EBY Sheer Bralette*
Why It Works: We wrote a whole article about this grown-up bralette. It’s wireless and mesh and wildly pretty and yet, it holds up our boobs and gives plump, round shape to a C-cup and above. It’s also seamless, so no back bulge and hideous panty lines (should you get the matching thong*). In fact, as a set*, it feels like we’re living out our dreams of having a French lady level of allure when stripped to our skivvies. But the comfort really speaks to our loungey, slobbish souls.
Price: $59
3. What We Scrapped: High, Stiletto-Heeled Boots
The Problem: Pain. Pain is the problem. We won’t do it anymore. Cannot. Will not. We’re done.
What We Swapped: This Supportive Stacked-Heel Bootie
WHAT: Nisolo Alba Woven Platform Bootie*
Why It Works: The heel is still high, which is the whole reason we wear tall boots in the first place, but with these you get that height without an ounce of foot pain because there isn’t that dreaded incline. The comfort-to-chicness ratio on these Nisolo boots is maybe the highest of all time. They feel practically orthopedic. And Nisolo was kind enough to give us a code: Use the code THECANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $268
4. What We Scrapped: puffy, Froo Froo Tops
What We Swapped: This Whispery And Chic Turtleneck
WHAT: Soldout.NYC The Cashmere Turtleneck*
Why It Works: This slimming, black (tissue thin!!) turtle covers our necks that we are suddenly feeling quite sad about, and you can throw it on with any black bottom and instantly look styled and put-together. The skirt is actually from the same brand* and has that yummy jersey material, but it doesn’t show every lump and bump, blessedly. And if this outfit, with the black boots*, looks familiar it’s because we are all collectively remembering this outfit which was perfect 25 (!!!) years ago, and is still perfect today:
Image: NBC
Price: $245
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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