It’s safe to say that what I wear today is hugely different from that which filled my wardrobe five years ago. And that’s not a fashion thing.
It’s me. I’ve changed.
I’ve got older. My job has changed. My kids have grown up a bit.
I don’t want to dress like my daughter but I don’t want to dress like my grandmother did at my age either.
I still want to look on trend but I don’t want to be a slave to the catwalks.
Picky, I know.
And it seems I’m not alone.
I received this email from reader and blogger Debra from Home Life Simplified:
I am 39 – have been at home with my kids for eight years – and have spent my 30s stuck in a small fashion hole. I no longer have an income so feel I cannot spend big bucks like a 39-year-old might do if she is working or wealthy. Pre-kids in my 20s I shopped at Portmans, Sportsgirl, Cue etc. Now I shop at Sportscraft (on sale), Sussan and the random chain stores like Target (to supplement my clothes bought overseas). There must be some good clothes out there that are age appropriate AND affordable without being daggy. Most brands for 35-50 year-old women have hefty price tags to go with them. In Sydney I would head to boutiques like Quick Brown Fox (my old fave when we lived there), but I have not stumbled on anything like that here in Brisbane. So maybe the issue is cities outside Sydney and Melbourne? Do you know where to get interesting, good quality, yet affordable clothes for over 35s?
Which got me to thinking.
1. I’m pretty damn lucky in that I’ve found the stores that *get* me. Between three boutiques here on the Sunshine Coast – Soul Diva, Buderim; Zambezee, Mooloolaba; and Eve Boutique, Maroochydore – with top ups from Country Road (and Saba and Witchery if I happen to be shopping in Brisbane), I have most of my wardrobe bases covered.
2. Styling You readers are pretty cluey when it comes to sniffing out a clothing label, chain store or boutique find, so I thought … why not enlist your help to create a list of fabulous boutiques, labels, online stores and chain stores that sell amazing clothes and accessories just right for women aged 30 and over?
Are you in?
Either leave a comment and a link to the store or label below or post a link on the Styling You Facebook page. I’d love to know what makes that store or label so special. Is it the way the store is merchandised, the service sublime, the labels stocked just right for you.
I’ll use this list to create a national directory if you like … consider it a community shopping service for women around Australia. It will also be a list we can add to as you find new treasures.
Photo credit: iwalkkonthestyyledside.tumblr.com





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