A sensible approach. Sorry, I lost my head.

Who would have thought that a post about an unprepossessing shirt would play matchmaker. :-)

and THIS is why I come back here.

Honestly I wouldn't label it as 'old lady', but I do think everyone should pass on that shirt.

Usually the evening drunken posts are angry and crazy. Y'all are fun drunks :)

LOL!

I wonder what their children will be like : )

"westsider, I'm neither uber thin or tall but I came to a point in my life that comfort has to trump style. Not all the time but during our hellishly HOT, MUGGY summers! I know all too well that capris are not the best look for me but they're cooler and when you have MS dressing as cool as possible is a must."

This.

I just got back from the store with 5 (count 'em 5), print tops. I guess I need to go back and re-evaluate the purchase. Darn it I really like them.

Finally Home, there is nothing wrong with print tops. I think it was just the one that the OP posted that most found unattractive. But it really doesn't matter what we think. If she likes it and is comfortable wearing it, that is all that counts.

After reading this thread, I walked in my closet and realized that it has only solids, a lot of black and white (and shades thereof). That's what I am most comfortable in and it's ok if others think I am limited :-)

2007marlene, I also have mostly solids...black, red, gray and the occasional navy. I look in my closet and think, how boring? And yet, I guess I find that most prints are either too-young-trashy-edgy or fumpy-dowdy-church-lady. And yes, I'm not only an old lady but a church lady as well.

99% of where I go is uber casual and I am pleased to see people wearing shoes and not flip flops. I will take capris, they seem to be a staple here and I don't find them offensive and I prefer them to untoned bodies exposed - some women do not need to wear shorts- but when it is hot and muggy, long pants are so hot.

Florals, people seem to either love or hate them so I say wear what you like. That top, however, is not flattering to anyone. But I am a floral lover.

Love j crews liberty shirts but I am too old for them now.

Linelle, not stepping on mtn's toes, but I think you and I now know each other well enough for you to just call me Marlene :-)

I am closing in on 69 in just a matter of weeks and I seem to now be living with an old lady full time! I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was wearing hot shorts and paisley blouses and white boots and being asked to pose for Playboy (by a well known photographer). No. I didn't do it. :-)

Then Marlene it is. It's liberating to finally be able to just say it. :-)

Oh yeah, those were the days. And they do seem like yesterday. Bare tan midriffs, going bra-less. Life is funny.

I too want to thank you all for this thread. I have new standards by which to judge when shopping for new tops. :)

I just did a stroll through my local Macy's and it's full of tops like this. More than that, they're featured displays.

Maybe I'm weird, but I liked that top. Old ladies around here wear one-toned tops. They don't go bold.

I just did a stroll through my local Macy's and it's full of tops like this. More than that, they're featured displays.

Was that in the "old lady" department? ;-)

Oh Linelle, my pleasure :) It's been an eye-opener!

Usually the evening drunken posts are angry and crazy.

Well that explains a lot! :o

Anyway, if my political views didn't keep me off your A-list invitee list, my fashion savvy (or lack of according to this thread) surely will. I BOUGHT THE SHIRT! Yes-sirree I did. DH and I went to the city for dinner last night and I asked him if we could make a couple stops before dinner. I told him the whole story of being on the fence about the shirt and then asking you ladies about it and the overwhelming "thumbs down". I wanted his opinion. And he'll give it to me. I trust his judgement. My long time sales lady was there too (didn't tell her about this thread). DH loved it and his exact words were, "those ladies are NUTS. You look great." I asked Joyce what she thought. She said it matched my bubbly personality and my smile. Bought it and wore it out the store. Not one but two compliments at dinner.

FinallyHome, I hope you don't really let the opinions in this thread cause you to return the tops you just bought and LIKE. If I hadn't had the reservation in the beginning about the shirt looking matronly, I wouldn't have asked the question. Once I tried it on last night, I knew it was not "old lady" looking (on me anyway). It's a spring and summer top but I went ahead and wore it last night since it's been spring here practically ALL winter! :(

FunkyArt, I totally agree about regional differences. And I think you'll find more florals in the south. I'll try not to be "caught dead" in it ;)

Thanks again everyone. Don't be shy to embrace color (and prints). Black/gray and solids can be so depressing.

Good for you, Monica! Wear it in good health.

What I notice when I go shopping it that it seems that everything is in style these days. If you look at people that are out and about, everyone is wearing whatever they darn well please. I'm glad of that too because I wouldn't want to have to go and buy new clothes every year like we used to have to do.

What a great post and I almost missed the best part where it veered off into a dating site. I had read the first few posts and then figured it would deteriorate into a 'don't insult old lady' post.

Yesterday I walked into my closet and realized that nearly everything was a solid, very few prints, and only one floral (beige and cream) and of course primarily black, navy and other dark shades.

Now after reading cutebronte's reply I wonder what that says about my personality - subdued, depressed, repressed!!! Yet I'm such a positive person that I know I annoy DH. I can usually find something positive in nearly any situation. When we heard water dripping in the family room and discovered that the roof was leaking due to some missing shingles one of my first thoughts was thank heavens we hadn't gone away that weekend as we had originally planned. We were able to call our builder who promptly came out and put a tarp over the leak and damage was minimized. DH was annoyed and complained about having to put on a new roof!

Maybe I need to buy some Lily Pulitzer!

......and this is all interesting because Monica, you just clearly pointed out that our opinions were really about how WE would look in the top, not how YOU would look in the top.

Ever notice how some people can "get away" with things that we personally would never dream of?

It's all about attitude.

I feel the sands of time racing through the hourglass. It's not scary or depressing, but it is a reality.

Linelle, isn't that the truth. I can not believe how much faster a year goes by now that I am getting older. Time is racing. I'm coming up to 57 and it just seems so unreal that I will soon be 60. Little ole me wasn't meant to age, just everyone else: ) I don't mind it so much. I just think a mistake was made.

I just did a stroll through my local Macy's and it's full of tops like this. More than that, they're featured displays.

Was that in the "old lady" department? ;-)

terriks, apparently it was. It seems this Macy's has two departments: Old Lady and Trashy Young Thing.

Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit. But it does seem that you can either have staid, dowdy, mature fashion, or clothes that only young, nubile folk should wear (and maybe not even them). There's nothing in between. And, to be fair, it's not just Macy's.

maire_cate said:

"Yesterday I walked into my closet and realized that nearly everything was a solid, very few prints, and only one floral (beige and cream) and of course primarily black, navy and other dark shades.

Now after reading cutebronte's reply I wonder what that says about my personality - subdued, depressed, repressed!!! Yet I'm such a positive person..."

Me too MC. I've always been a half full cup kind of person. If one of your favorite pieces of jewelry is any indication of how you dress, you dress like an elegant classic woman. That is not depressing. That's my favorite look.

The notion that the nearly unanimous opinion of a group of (mostly) impartial people has less weight than the remarks of people that we meet in social settings makes no sense.

It's one of my pet peeves about these forums, Someone posts a picture of a crazy paint job or an ugly dated whatever. And when others opinions don't match their view, the poster usually counters with "Well, people that come to my house love it." Well, people that come to your house are your friends and don't want to hurt your feelings.

When i see someone I know who is obviously proud of their outfit or decorating or whatever, I find something nice to say. It doesn't mean that I like it or that I don't think it's crazy or dated.

So, you asked a question about a top. Everyone said that it was matronly, old lady, whatever. You wore it, you liked it and got a few compliments. Great. But imo, a few compliments from people who were being polite and sociable aren't proof that the top is not "old lady".

d-gw, I agree with your post; however, taste is so subjective. I truly do believe that there are people who think the OP's shirt is perfection just like the same people would think my silk Equipment shirts are boring and depressing. If I were to wear the subject shirt, my friends would think I was going though some kind of crisis. I am fairly certain if OP wore one of my silk shirts, or heaven forbid one of my tailored white shirts, her friends would think she was going through some kind of crisis.

D,

Another possibility is that, the OP asked if it was "old lady", we voted that it was, and she might even agree. But she likes it anyway.

Sometimes when you are on the fence about something, facing a yes or no will reveal what you really want. I tell my kids that if you have to make a decision and aren't sure, sleep on it and see what you think the very moment you wake up. Or, toss a coin. Sometimes if you toss a coin and it comes up "tails, don't buy the shirt" the level of disappointment you feel reveals to you that you do want the shirt.

Maybe defending it made Monica love it all the more.

Marlene and Mtn, I completely agree. If that is Monica's style and she is happy about it, that's great. There are plenty of those tops in the stores so others must like them as well. But to come back and finger wag about opinions that you asked for is less than gracious.

Like I said, the way this thread played out is one of my pet peeves. Which is my problem :)

Totally agree about the finger wag, d.

D, you are right about that, I hadn't thought about that. But it is almost a reverse snobbism.

Mtn, totally OT (no this is not about your and Linelle's hook up :-) ), but did the Louis Vuitton situation get resolved?

I told him the whole story of being on the fence about the shirt and
then asking you ladies about it and the overwhelming "thumbs down". I
wanted his opinion. And he'll give it to me. I trust his judgement.
My long time sales lady was there too (didn't tell her about this
thread). DH loved it and his exact words were, "those ladies are NUTS.
You look great."

He would have been my first stop then, since none of us will see you in it. In the two months you've been pondering the shirt, you never asked him his opinion?

OT - again.

Marlene - what a wonderfully kind thing to say and you have no idea how that perked me up today. We've had painters here for over a week removing wallpaper and sanding, sanding, sanding - I swear they were prepping for the Sistine Chapel. Now I get to put all the china back into the breakfront - after dusting the interior and washing all the china. That drywall dust is amazingly invasive.

Thanks again!

Maire

There was nothing "old lady" about the model in the initial photo. And the top didn't age the woman. People I see wearing similar tops here in new England all appear young and vibrant. As I said earlier, old lady here tends to be monochrome.

Glad you went and bought it! It gives you joy.

I am kind of put off also. I don't care that you bought it and ended up loving it-- that is great. But to come back and tell us your DH thought we were nuts and to basically say, HA-- look at what everyone else says is.. as D-gw said, "less than gracious".

I also have to take exception to the thought that monochrome is "old lady" -- that's just silly.

I think one thing we all didn't take into consideration is how a garment can change depending on what is put with it.

Example one: In the shirt picture Monika posted it looks teamed with a denim skirt.

Example two:

I've had similar tops like that. They were pretty common. I think I got mine at JCP.

But wear what you want, seriously. Like a PP said, you see literally everything.

Now, if I end up being interim dept chair--long story, I will need to dress better in meetings and would absolutely need some new clothes.

People can be sure be different. When I come here for an opinion and the majority vote is nay, I usually change directions.

It is sometimes shocking to me that I can be that far off sometimes. But, I value and respect the opinion of those here as I have gotten to "know" many of you through what you have shared on this forum.

Monica, I think you probably expected a whole other reply and our answers were not what you expected.

Gscience, just posted when you did!!!!! Start another thread on the dept chair possibiity,

gsciencechick, congratulations. Or condolences.

Seriously, I worked at as an administrator in a private research university for many years, and worked closely with the most grant funded department chairs, such a key position and they are rarely given proper support or training, especially in leadership and managing people. Best of luck to you.

And WRT to the OP, why were any of you expecting a tiger to change its stripe? Also, I don't think anyone gets complimented as much as the OP does, well, except if one is fishing for compliments, hmm, kind of like she was on this thread.

I think some of you are being a tad overly sensitive. Relating the story of buying the top and what DH said was in no way "wagging" a finger and/or making fun of anyone. And my opinion of gray and black clothes was just that, my opinion (like ya'lls). BTW, I have black and gray, just very little of it. DH wasn't being hateful or hurtful. I've taken this thread in stride and not been offended in the least (some people would have been). I've thanked everyone for their comments and said I appreciate them. Just thought you'd like to know the outcome and how I came to my decision.

Shirt is actually shown with a pair of jeans. I'm planning on wearing it with white capris this spring and summer. Sadly, I can no longer wear the type shoes posted above and haven't been able to in 20 years :( Wish I could! I'm a mostly tennis shoe, clog/mule, sandal person. I'm a stay at home mom, wife and Grammuffy who likes a colorful wardrobe. I'm not in the business sector so I can wear my pretty, colorful, happy wardrobe whenever I want :) Welcome to (part of) my closet. The shirt in question is hanging on the far right. Sorry if it offends anyone ;)

Don't your blouses get wrinkled hanging like that?

I don't think the OP's husband's comment was meant to be snarky. This was a fun exercise for all. I myself will solicit opinions when I am on the line about a purchase, whether it is a simple shirt or a couch. I actually need to stop doing that and learn to go with my 1st thought. That is, if I like it, get it.

FinallyHome, I hope you don't really let the opinions in this thread cause you to return the tops you just bought and LIKE.

Not only did I keep them, I went back and when exchanging one due to wrong size, I got another one.

You guys. Everyone's invited to Mtn's and my room. The party's just getting started.

I'll bring mimosa ingredients!

ETA: what should I wear? Can I wear my paisley pajama pants and lime green tank?

cattyles, only if there is some lime green in the paisley :-)

I'm in sweats, but only because it's still too chilly for a muumuu. But don't forget the booze.

Funky, wear your tiger jammies. The ones with the spots.

Hehe. I read that and didn't even blink an eye.

It reminds me of when my son was about 5 and told me his room was as clean as a feather.