Let's talk about the idea of "age-appropriate" fashion choices.
In starting Birdie & Claire, we conducted customer interviews and surveys, and it looks like a lot of people worry about what is “age appropriate” when shopping.
Here’s the Birdie & Claire philosophy.
We feel strongly that there is no such thing as "age-appropriate" fashion. If you love a piece of clothing and feel amazing wearing it, we say: go for it and rock that outfit.
There are no "rules" when it comes to fashion and age. The feeling is the key here—feeling comfortable, confident, and like yourself.
When we say we are designing with mature women in mind, we are NOT saying there are new style rules that come with aging.
What we ARE saying is that bodies change during and post-menopause and throughout life stages. Some functional and pragmatic design elements can address those body changes and help make clothing feel good. These are the features we are focused on catering to in our product selection.
One example is breast changes associated with perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause. GenM, an organization dedicated to bringing together brands and organizations to help transform attitudes towards menopause, details the 49 common menopause symptoms in their work. Because of these changes, many women we interviewed were looking for tops compatible with a comfortable, supportive bra to feel their best.
But here is the thing.
Should women as they age wear backless outfits if they want to? Absolutely.
Should women as they age wear a tube top if they want to? Absolutely.
And…
Should there also be stylish clothing options on the market if you want to wear a bra with straps? Absolutely.
Personal preference matters and having options to express yourself however you want is important.
Birdie & Claire is a party that everyone is invited to and our hope is that women of all ages will fall in love with our timeless styles– but especially our older, wiser, beauties.
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