A friend’s Facebook post caused quite a stir recently after she pondered getting a pair of denim dungarees. It looked like maybe 85% of her female friends weighed in on the debate with polarising opinions - the majority were cheery go for its, you can carry it off comments but there were a few mid-life fashion crisis insinuations or gentle jibes about rocking her dungies one shoulder down, á la Demi Moore in the film Ghost.
So using a Carrie Bradshawism it got me to thinking about age-appropriate dressing and how now I fall into the - ahem latter end of - 35-44 age group, this is more of a relevant conversation. But, at what point are you deemed ‘too old’ for a certain piece of clothing or trend? Some fashions just take a few seasons to penetrate into the mainstream (who can forget Meryl Streep's brilliant character Miranda Priestley's 'cerulean sweater' monologue? Watch it here). Let's face it, no one thinks you are Pepsi and Shirley backing singer if you add a neon-pop accessory anymore than playsuits have become as mainstream as they were in their seventies heyday.
So is the resistance to wearing dungarees a trend-led rationale or is it ageist? Dungarees have been around for a good few seasons now but still seem to divide us into love-em-or-hate-em camps. Maybe the hesitation comes if you already ‘did’ this look earlier in life and it just seems inappropriate to wear it now. One of my earliest fashion memories, is wearing a hand-me-down pair of bright red Osh Kosh dungarees until they were so short, my thrifty mother chopped them into 'shortalls' (yes, that does exist as an actual word). At university I recall a fondness for a terribly unflattering bottle green boiler suit style dungarees. And yet, I can’t help thinking that if I didn’t live in a country where humidity surpassed 85% on a daily basis then I would already be wearing a hole in the knees of a pair of denim dungies...
Fran from @thefashionlift LOVES her dungarees
source: instagram
Overalls have definitely been overhauled since Daisy Duke’s days. So I was pleased when my friend shared a fantastic picture sporting her new denims and doubly pleased that she’d gone for the same ones that I’d seen modelled by the lovely Fran Bacon from @thefashionlift which I’d sent over to her as ‘inspiration'.
So in celebration of the power of denim and for women who are not yet past their dungarees-sell-by-dates, this week's mood-board is anchored around a fabulous pair by Frame. A black top from Isabel Marant Etoile is a stark contrast but the pretty lace details softens the look. Add statement sneakers from Mollini with Elyse & i's striped Percy bag to complete the look. Finally, tie it all in with my favourite watch brand Cluse and cool accessories in the form of this gorgeous cocktail ring from Poppy & Maria and some horn-rimmed shades from Burberry. Credits and images below. Enjoy.
Credits & Image Sources:
1. "Rodge top" by Isabel Marant Etoile from Matches Fashion
2. "Antibes cropped stretch-denim overalls" by Frame from Net-a-porter
3. "Percy" tote in black + white by Elyse & i - shop it here
4. "Burberry Sunglasses" available from Zalora
5. "Piant" by Mollini statement sneakers available from their website here
6. "Minuit Gold/Midnight Blue" watch by Cluse available from their website here
7. "Blue Calci signature ring" by Poppy & Maria available from their website here
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