clothes these days...

What's up with clothes these days? Is it me? Or are clothes either geared to juniors and really skinny women OR plus sized women? Is there nothing in between for middle aged women who don't yet fit the Alfred Dunner crowd and have long been past the look for juniors? For women who swim in plus sized clothes but feel like sausages in sizes that are "supposed" to fit?

I am in that dreaded stage. The stage in life where the latest fashions are those that I wore twenty, if not more, years ago: baby doll tops with ruffles, the "Flashdance" look, tunic sweaters, skinny-legged pants, leggings, for God's sake. Now, I have heard that if a style has come back around in one's lifetime, you are too old to wear it. That brings up a whole other issue. If you have any kind of fashion sense, and if you are in the middle-aged-a-lot-heavier-than-you-were-in-your-thirties stage, we have problems. Lord knows we don't want to be walking around looking like middle aged women trying to hang on to our youth by wearing juniors styles. At the same time, I don't feel comfortable buying everything Coldwater Creek has to offer. Some things just feel like old lady clothes to me. I hate always having to ask, "Can you see too much fat in this?", or, "Is this too old lady for me?"

Yesterday I got a cute top at Target. It was a tunic, with a drawstring at the bottom, and some fabric that hung below. (Not a ruffle, I have to say.) It is loose, long, and I felt good in it. I actually bought some leggings to wear with it! I figured the top was modern enough to get away with it. I have yet to try them on, so if I feel like the hippos sporting fupas in "Fantasia" they are going back.
In any case, the top is cute.
Too bad I had to shop in the maternity department.