jersey fashion & age

[OakLeaf]

One of the guys in my club wears a Primal jersey that's a replica of Pink Floyd's "Division Bell" album cover. This guy wasn't all that young when the album was released...

My jerseys are all hi-viz yellow, hi-viz yellow and hi-viz yellow.

I do still wear the skateboarder T-shirt that I bought 20 years ago at the LBS when I'd neglected to bring a top for an indoor training session. It has cockroaches all over it. I'll still wear it next year when I'm 50, too.

[Zen]

I like that puppy jersey.

I've been looking for a black helmet with orange flames and if it was the right price I'd wear a skull and crossbones jersey in a minute. my avatar is an actual photo of me

Get out of that mindset before it drags you down. If I worried about what people thought I looked like I'd never leave the house.

[Aggie_Ama]

I am turning 28 next month so I guess I am young enough to be wearing those jerseys but if I was turning 58 I wouldn't care. I have a Mighty Mouse t-shirt my husband bought me several years ago, I love it. At least once every few months someone comments that they think I am about 20, not closer to 30 maybe that is why I get away with it. Or maybe that is why they all think I am so young but no I also dress age-appropriate and get it. If you like the crazy primal wear stuff get it, if you like solids wear 'em. I feel like I am limbo on juniors vs. womens and I shop in both. I don't wear brand names, I guess I am blissfully unaware of what I need to be doing!

I am put off by 50 something's dressing too provocatively for their current figure, not age necessarily. You know the person wearing clothes she could have when she was a trim, thin 20 year old but just looks like she is trying too hard now. I have never even thought a thing about them wearing a flashy jersey.

[bmccasland]

I think for cycling kits - wear whatever you like! I'm pushing 5-0 and PLEASE don't tell me I have to look at "sensible" solid colors. GAAAAK! I see so many cute jerseys.... and then there are socks!

For street clothes, I think there is some general age and body type guidelines - good sense - that some people don't seem to get. Thus the need for "What not to Wear". I don't want to dress like a matron, but I know I'm not a teenager either.

[derailed]

Wear the clothes which make you happy. Don't second guess, if the jersey makes you smile, and every time you are thinking about it, you smile, you will be "the happy lady in the cute puppy shirt".

I wear things on the bike I could not wear on the street, I'm going fast enough not to hear any giggles, and it makes me happy!

My sympathies on your loss, and many happy years with your new pup.

[Thorn]

Wear the clothes which make you happy. Don't second guess, if the jersey makes you smile, and every time you are thinking about it, you smile, you will be "the happy lady in the cute puppy shirt".

Excactly what she said!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm 54 and I wear whatever i like, what works for my activities, and what just makes me happy.
Anyone who thinks of themselves as old at 40, 50, 60, or more is selling themselves short and may be missing out on some of the fun of life.

When I hit 80 I'll probably finally see myself as 'old'....but I'll still wear whatever I damn well please. I know lots of women in their 50's and 60's and 70's who wear all kinds of wild, colorful, and yes sexy clothing and they wear it wonderfully. Their vital elegant style blows other women out of the water.

Personally, I think I look best in short skirts with tights or leggings, and I wear that a lot for every day stuff. I won't think twice about wearing it when I'm 60 or 70...if it makes me happy.

The nice thing about getting older is that you care less and less about what you think others are thinking.

[beccaB]

I don't like to wear designs that accentuate my bra size which strangely large. Isn't the grass always greener on the other side of the fence? But I will wear whatever designs I like as far as my bike clothes go, but dress conservatively elsewhere. I'm 47 and comfort is more important to me than design, but I do have some pretty bright colors. One is that Rwanda coffee jersey, which is eye-popping, but I have had a lot of favorable comments on it. I'm a little too statuesque to wear anything "cute" but if I like it I wear it!

[Tokie]

Ow LPH - I see you hit more than your elbow, one-handed typista! Hope you're resting better as you heal from your fall! Tokie PS wear whatever you want to! There's something for everyone - if we all looked the same, it would be boring! But I know what you mean. I have a teeny waist. But now (53) I suddenly don't care to bare my midriff at the gym. Those tops are going to goodwill. Just what makes me comfortable. Tokie

[Tuckervill]

I don't like to wear designs that accentuate my bra size which strangely large. Isn't the grass always greener on the other side of the fence? But I will wear whatever designs I like as far as my bike clothes go, but dress conservatively elsewhere. I'm 47 and comfort is more important to me than design, but I do have some pretty bright colors. One is that Rwanda coffee jersey, which is eye-popping, but I have had a lot of favorable comments on it. I'm a little too statuesque to wear anything "cute" but if I like it I wear it!

Um, if that's you in your avatar, I don't see anything "strangely large". Look pretty normal to me.

Me, I was a C cup when I was 15!

Karen

[Chile Pepper]

My jerseys are all hi-viz yellow, hi-viz yellow and hi-viz yellow.

This is my approach too. I don't care what I look like on the bike, as long as the drivers can see me.

Oakleaf--what are your favorites?

[Biciclista]

speaking of visibility, check this out: this is my husband, a shot i took this morning. He is buying me one of these sashes. how's that for visibility?

the first stripe on his back is his rainy pass raincoat, in screaming yellow orange which you can hardly see, but you can see the reflective strip.
The next stripe is from a sash that the Seattle Randonneurs sells, and I will have my own soon.

[Zen]

speaking of visibility, check this out: this is my husband, a shot i took this morning.

What kind of lights is he running (and why not red)?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What kind of lights is he running (and why not red)?

All those glowing white things you see there are not lights, but are reflective patches of one kind or another, as seen when car headlights shine on them. (The two big lower ones look to me to be reflective triangle patches on the backs of his panniers?)

Screaming yellow is good for daytime biking, lights and reflective patches are good for riding after dark.
Here's what a screaming yellow top does for you in the daytime, visibility-wise:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3330/...b7f8a3cdf3.jpg

[Skierchickie]

Okay, I've gotta weigh in on the original question. I am 43. I tend to dress pretty casually / quietly. Usually plain, with no patterns (almost NEVER any prints). HOWEVER, bike jerseys are a great place to go crazy! I don't go too crazy, but I do go for more fun colors and designs than in my regular clothes. One of my favorites is a sleeveless Primal Wear Don't Bug Me jersey (black with green vines and ladybugs all over it, with a little orange VW Beetle hidden among them). I guess most of my others are a lot plainer than that, but still more fun colors than my street clothes. Every once in a while a jersey just calls out to me, and if it isn't too expensive, I'll get it. I'm more concerned about appropriate fit than colors.

In my opinion, age has nothing to do with print and colors in bike / running / skiing clothes. Don't worry about it - dress fun for having fun.

My most outlandish article of clothing? A Hot Chillys ski race suit that is plain black on the lower half (like tights), and black and white fake snakeskin on the top half. I love it, but never wear it because it is kinda snug these days, and it is one piece (hard to deal with in those last-minute porta-potty stops). The weirdest part is the crotch zipper - I've always been afraid the nylon zipper will a) suddenly give way in a crash, or b) be way too noticeable to people lined up in the row behind me. If it were two-piece, I'd wear it in all my ski races.