(no subject)

[wouch.livejournal.com]

At what age is one "too old" to dress EGL?

PS: If you think you can never be too old, seriously, you CAN be too old. I just dread being the wrinkly chick trying to dress like a little doll. OK, well, I'm just questioning myself because all the street shots in G&L bibles are of 19-yr old. Waah...

Comments

[gloombox.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on the person. I mean, damn. Lookit Mana. He's at least thirty. XD

[wouch.livejournal.com]

Mana doesn't count!

Agreed...Mana is a special case. I'm a mere mortal.

[vampy.livejournal.com]

Mana is also a special case because his own profession needs for him to always look the way he does. Almost like a requirement. He created the fashion, he is known for his style and looks and ageless quality. So Mana can get away with being him for a very long time to come.

[xiekitchin.livejournal.com]

mana is a MAN? *feels totally stupid*

[vampy.livejournal.com]

hehe um yes, Mana is most definitely a man

[miyu-sakura.livejournal.com]

I think that once you start to seriously embark on your adult life, you should stop goofing off. Gothic lolita is basically a hobby and fashion movement.

For instance, when I graduate college, I am definetly going to stop dressing up if I haven't already. This is because after college, I will be going to law school, and I will have to have a professional life. It would be weird for me to expect to be taken seriously while still wearing doll clothes.

Although I will always try to dress elegantly and with some other flair than the normal 9 to 5 business wear, my life will change too much to support certain indulgences. Reading manga will be one thing.. but going out in clothes with younger people is another.

[wouch.livejournal.com]

I'm also starting law school next year (environmental/patent law)! ^_^ Any emphasis?

But, seriously, I've been working as a "professional engineer" for more than 3 years now and have been wearing the dool clothes afterhours. I think I need to stop sometime in the near future...teehee

[miyu-sakura.livejournal.com]

I guess I'll stop when I feel that I've reached the appropriate age for stopping. At this point, I feel as if I am still young in spirit. But as my friends and tastes get older, I'll probably become more inclined to not wear gothic lolita...

Law school emphasis? Either entertainment law or trade law. Gotta get the $$$

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

I don't see a point to stop something someone loves to do. I'm probably the oldest person on this community, and I still dress it, have been dressing for over half my life, and I won't stop until I get bored with it. :D

[jola.livejournal.com]

i'll bet i've got you beat ... i "won" the last time this question came up ;)

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

mmmmm, I don't know, I just might have you beat. YOu first :P

[jola.livejournal.com]

30!! but Feorag has me beat ;p

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

How old is feorag?

Okay so now we have to state our birth months because I'm 30 too. giggle.

[jola.livejournal.com]

look down further in the thread :) 38. so we both lose ;p

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is way too cool, I think it's commendable that she keeps up with things. I read about a lot of people tacking age to things like how you dress and what not. To me I don't think age should be tacked to anything, why limit ones self. I was at the dark arts festival in Denver last year and there was this 60 year old couple out there dancing to gothic and industrial, it was so beautiful.

[bakashojo.livejournal.com]

i'll be 30 in october and i will dress gothic & lolita for a while still...till i start getting wrinkley. when i am too old i will keep my sweaters and handbags and can wear some of the blouses still.

[utopophobia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it depends... Like, if you're a senior citizen then NO xDD... But I like this picture of a family I saw in one of the EGL Bibles...though the mum and dad were more EGA...

[vampy.livejournal.com]

It completely depends. I would've said at one time there is no age limit to EGL. But to be honest on reflection you also have to take your own life choices into account. Your own career and where you wish for your life to lead. If you are in a sort of artistic profession, you can more or less get away with it. Because more often than not if you do have to meet a client, you just tone your look down, it's that simple. Since people that are in the artistic professions aren't subjected so much to having to deal with people on a very regular basis.

Whereas the girl that commented above about going to law school..yes..I would say you either stop dressing EGL altogether because you need to give yourself the best impression possible. Or you leave it for the weekends or special events only.

When you get older anyway you can move onto dressing more EGA, which is the older moreso elegant equivalent in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong. I work in an artistic profession [I do web design and illustration] and can more or less get away with dressing in my style with no problems. Depending on the client and job, my look does need to change. If working for a corporate company and I have to actually meet up with them, then yes, my look has to tone down a bit..but it's not forever. I've had to work in offices before and just dressed as myself because unless I'm taking on freelance work, there is someone else recieving the work rather than myself!

Then again I cannot honestly say I dress completely EGL either. I mix my style a lot so have the elements, but I'd never call myself an Elegant Gothic Lolita.

[uglylittlewhore.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's so much how old you are, but how old you look. Some 30-year-olds look 16. Some 16-year-olds look 30. I think, once you start really looking older than 20 or so, it's time to stop. Asian girls can get away with wearing it longer, I think, because they tend to look younger, longer. I don't know why that is; I just know that I'm jealous of it. XD

[avant-gauche.livejournal.com]

thats rubbish it depends how you where it!

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

I think also it's all about you feel inside when you dress the way you do. If you feel silly, you will come off silly.

[lilitheve.livejournal.com]

It absolutely depends on you. If you start to feel you look to old, or feel silly, move onto EGA. You can look to old to do the "Alice" little girl look, but victorian dolls come in adults, too.

I don't, however, think there is ever an age limit to stop dressing the way you like, just different ways of going about it as you age.

The gothic community is a good example to look at. You see midddle-aged people still doing the gothic look, but far less scantily clad as when they were 21... Less skin tight vinyl, and more fitted flattering dresses. Look at Stevie Nicks, she's never stopped. ^_^

Decide for youself, but give it good thought. It will affect your carrer choices, etc. in the sma way as tattoos or piercing if you decide to do it full time

If you want a job in an office, you'll have to blend in. I don't have to worry, but I'm also aware that my career choice isnt for everyone. I am a construcion worker, and so i wear old beat up clothes and work boots all day. When I come home I want to look cute and girly, so I do.

[terrified.livejournal.com]

Add me to the "It depends" crowd. I've seen older women who would look absolutely adorable in EGL...

[jola.livejournal.com]

well, i'll lay it out there for you guys: I'm 30 :)

and it's ok.

Now granted, i tend not to dress loli. When i do occasionally it's just "dress-up", my usual mode of dress is casual goth (or corporate goth). When I go out I do deathrock/vintage goth/EGA because i like it and i feel comfortable in it. EGL or sweet loli, well, it feels like more of a costume to me so i don't do it too often, though i think the look is fun and i do play around with it once in a while. I think it's all about comfort and what you look good in. Nobody wants to look like a sad imitation of a younger person, on the other hand if you like a style and it works for you then i think you should go with it! as in all other things i think you need to be wise about what looks good on you and what doesn't.

[bronfish.livejournal.com]

Here, here! ^.^

[avant-gauche.livejournal.com]

You go girl,lady women oh whatever you go

[sorrowsdemise.livejournal.com]

I was just now telling jola, how I don't think people should tack age to "who they are", because all you are doing is limiting yourself. Just because you hit an age doesn't mean you have to stop the things you love. I admire and think you are great. :D I think jola and I follow after you in age giggle.

[cutiechan.livejournal.com]

Whilst it is true that the clothes can make the man, sometimes it's the other way around. In fact, it usually is the other way around; material can take something only so far.

At any rate, a woman who's 60-something and wrinkly confidently wearing GL and doing her thing will look better than the 15-year-old who's unsure about how she appears to the rest of the world. It depends on the person, not only because of how they appear on the exterior, but also depending on their motives for doing so.

I think that if someone maintains their fondness of EGL throughout the years, they'll be wise enough to know and understand that certain things will no longer look good on them. The whole miniskirt-wearing principle when you're OBVIOUSLY too old; I have more than a slight feeling that it's evident to the individual in question as well. I have a feeling that older individuals (I mean OLDER) who are interested in EGL understand that the EGA looks would be more approrpriate to them. That, in the sense that it compliments how they look; it being more sophisticated, and slightly more downplayed than the EGLish look.

Whatever makes you look good, honey.

[megaraptor.livejournal.com]

Simple, condensed answer: when it starts looking bad.

[babydollstarz.livejournal.com]

When you say "wrinkly chick trying to dress like a little doll" I think of Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. WOw, that could be really scary.

[pure-terrorist.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was thinking myself! Ooh, scary image.

[babydollstarz.livejournal.com]

you are too old when you look like ^that^

[jola.livejournal.com]

oh dear ;D

[evilmzkitty.livejournal.com]

i agree with all the 'it depends' answers, i guess you'll know when you're starting to look too old for it.

i'm 28 but luckily i still look REALLY young so i THINK i can still pull it off!

[sumirechan.livejournal.com]

I'm 28 and probably dressing too young for my face, so I'm not one to talk, but if you feel too old for the lolita silhouette, wear skirts that are longer and narrower. Which means EGA, as people have mentioned above, or things like Pink House (http://www.pinkhouse.co.jp/main.html), long a favorite with middle-aged housewives who are somewhat detached from reality.

[pure-terrorist.livejournal.com]

I've heard of pink house only in manga before, Yami no Matsuei (where they tried to get a male character to dress in drag) and Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. I thought it was more of a mainstream, early 90's flowy frillly brand, but I'm glad to see it's audience is older! XD That's absolutely adorable. I can imagine a cute Japanese housewife in one of those dresses. ^_^

[redtonic.livejournal.com]

well saying that someone's too old to dress lolita is like saying someone's too fat or ugly to dress lolita too... so i can't really say... that one can be too old for it. I think everyone should wear what they like.

[yapipie.livejournal.com]

I think it's the way you carry it. If you can look at yourself and still say HONESTLY to yourself that you think the clothes are fitting for you, then why not? Although of course, not everyone may agree with your own opinion of whether you look good or not dressed like that at whatever age, but if you still feel comfortable with it, then I think it should be okay.

I'm 24, and I'm starting to move away from the overly dolly stuff because I'm starting to think twice about walking out the door once in a while! When I think twice, it means change into something else. BUT there are times when I look at myself and say, "yay", then go outside feeling good :)

I think in a few years I might have to start switching to EGA though ^_^

[littlemanganeko.livejournal.com]

I'm 24 too ^^
but I agree its how you feel about what you dress. for me I wear a uniform to work so my clothing is choosen for me and when im out and about i wear casual jean/slacks with nice shirts so when i want to feel really pretty i wear egl. who knows what i'll wear in a few years.

[skyldiga-rin.livejournal.com]

I'm completely with the ones who say that it depends... I'm 21 soon, but still asked for id when I buy cigarettes(in Sweden you have to be 18), so I take that as a sign I don't look my age... (-_-);; But then again, I don't dress loli every day, mostly because my wardrobe doesn't allow it. But yeah, as long as you feel okay in the clothes, and think it looks good on you, then why not? (^_^)

[purplelucrezia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be nineteen soon, and was starting to be afraid of being too old for it. I guess I'll be alright for a while yet though... *sigh*

[undeadlysilence.livejournal.com]

BOTOX!

[serpentbearer.livejournal.com]

I'm nearly 31 and have no intention of changing the way I dress because I'm getting older or because of my career (though I dress in corporate attire at work). I tend to steer clear of really frilly things and pastel colours and go more for an EGA look or a slightly pared down EGL, but then I would have done the same at 16. I don't dress gothic lolita style all the time, and would probably dress up more often if I was slimmer (not because I think it looks wrong on bigger women or anything, but because I don't fit into my more floofy stuff at the moment and I can't really justify buying more!)
I do anticipate that there will come a time when I may look odd wearing knee socks, mary janes and a frilly dress, but that time hasn't come and I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. As many other people have said, the EGA look works well on older-looking people.