A fashion question.. =)
 

Hello ladies,

I'm new, my name is Katie. I just have a question to ask that's been bugging me lately, and I figure, from reading this board, that this group of ladies would give me the best answer. =)

I'm 21 years old, and I went shopping this weekend with my boyfriend to get some new clothes for Spring. I was horrified to find that most stores didn't carry anything for my age group, only the 12-17 ages.

I want to be sexy without having to compromise myself into looking like a slutty teenager. Is it so wrong that I want to look classy and feel sexy at the same time?

Any suggestions on how to accomplish this?

I shop at thrift stores, lol.

But the brands I always look forward to nabbing because they are timelessly fashionable and sexy? Banana Republic and Ann Taylor.

Sexy is a state of mind. :)

Look at the Misses department at your local department store.
You'll see fun, young, work and casual attire that should fit your body and your lifestyle well.

Some designers that always have nice selection for the 20-somethings:

Calvin Klein
DKNY
Ralph Lauren

mixedmedia: I always find something I adore when I step foot into a thrift store.

I definitely agree on the DKNY, but Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren don't fit my body style correctly...although I always notice them as being well-made and stylish.

That's another important facet of finding the right style...knowing what styles fit you...and suit you.

I love DKNY. I also like CK although it's pricier and I think more for work than partying typically.

You should try Guess, Express, Gap, Old Navy, and the floor with the Junior's department usually has a section for the older-younger crowd which has DKNY, True Religion, Bebe, INC, Lucky, etc.

It's frustrating feeling like you're in between. I'm 30 and finding that I'm going to have to start moving away from my favorite brands listed above. I'm looking into Anthropologie and Ann Taylor now.

But what it comes down to is find what you feel comfortable in and what fits your body correctly. I can't wear Banana Republic or Limited even though I like their clothes a lot and think that they are good for 20s and up. I am a fashion whore, but i still have some things in my closet from Target, Kohl's, and even *shudder* Walmart just because sometimes you find things that are cheap and fit your style anywhere.

Happy shopping!

Target is pretty awesome for the cheap goods. Don't run when Ann Taylor is doing the old lady thing - not everything is and their seasons do change. Gap is pretty good for your age range - flirty and cute, but not slutty. Old Navy, it depends on the season. CK is pretty awesome, but can be expensive. If you're going that level of expensive, check out Kenneth Cole too - I often like their clean, sleek lines. Very sexy, not very lame.

Target and Costco. I get most of my clothes at these two places. Target always has great shirts, and Costco almost always has a few things for younger women, especially jeans and pants. I also love Costco for the three-packs of ribbed tanks in multiple colors.

I think Ann Taylor gets a bad rap...some of my favorite 'girly' dresses are Ann Taylor brand...you just have to be patient. And the Ann Taylor sales are some of the only ones in the malls worth attending...I'm a stickler for quality and Ann Taylor clothes are that.

H&M, has some good finds as well as Target. I just happened to get a really cute little black dress there today for just $14!

Hey, I'm in the same vote as you. I'm 20 as well and I've come to find myself in the between stage of dressing like a teen and a young adult. I've been buying a lot of my clothes at Dilliards and other thrift stores. I don't care for the skirt up to my ass bit...when going out I'd prefer to have trendier clothes that show off a bit more skin...but then again the skimpiest tops tend to cost the most. Haha. Target is good too, I've also found I enjoy American Eagles stuff on occasion and prices aren't horrendous. Let me know what you find.

I'm 22. I run into a few of the same problems as you, but I've been finding my way around them.

I find that for my age and price range, NY & Co is one of the best stores out there. Of course, right now I'm looking primarily for more "career" looking items, though.

If I could afford it, I'd always shop at Express, United Colors of Benetton, and Banana Republic. I still shop at Kohls and Target for some more "basic" pieces (I almost always get jeans at Kohls, tanks and basic tees at Target), but I pick the rest of my cloths up relatively randomly depending on what catches my eye at the mall.

I'm going to keep my eye out for some of the brands mentioned here. There's no way I can afford most of the things I like at Anthropologie (though I love the store, it always smells amazing), but I'll have to see what I can find from DKNY & Ann Taylor.

If you want to go cheaper and you're looking for more casual stuff (and don't care about poor quality), you can always look at forever 21. I pick up shirts there and at Charlotte Russe sometimes because they're designed to fit pretty well.. that's the problem I have with most Misses' sizes.. I have a very narrow waist, so I would have to alter nearly all of their shirts to fit me (even an XS!), but I don't have to with clothes that were designed for my age group. At NY & Co, I wear a size 2 and an XS in shirts.. at Aeropostale (where I got a few pairs of bermudas a few weeks ago), I wear a 5/6 and a M.

Find what fits you well and flatters your features and you'll be good to go!

Thank you ladies!
 

You are all amazing. Thank you for such a speedy answer, I wasn't expecting that, lol.

I see I need to change where I shop. I'm going back to the mall this weekend, and with all this new information, I'm actually looking forward to it.

Thanks again! =)

Have a great time! Tell us what you find =)

I'm 23 and still dress like a slutty teenager :)

Just an update, I went to the mall like I had said, and I -absolutely- fell in love with New York & Company. That was exactly what I was looking for, though I'll have to wait until I go home to visit the other stores that were mentioned.

But for now, I'm dreaming of saving my money to buy the most beautiful turquoise dress I saw... =)

Thanks again, ladies!

How did I not see this update sooner? KRM - I'm so glad you found clothes that make you happy!!! It's not too hard to grow up when you have fun clothing stores like NY & Co.

I'm glad you liked NY & Co. I just dropped about $500 on new clothes for work at NY & Co and Express last week. Eeek!