YOU may have lived in “mom jeans” in the ’80s and have your favorite ballet flats from the ’90s to thank for your bunions.
But wearing such fashionable clothes today reveals your age.
This is what TikTok users say, who, despite bringing back many styles from the 90s and 2000s, make fun of others, considering them outdated.
There are 90.2 million posts between Gen Z and Millennials, with hot topics of debate including the types of jeans women over 27 wear, the length of their socks, and even the way they tuck in their shirts.
Here, fashion editor and millennial Clemmie Fieldsend reveals how TikTokers are judging you and that what you wear is, apparently, an instant indication of your age.
Shoulder bag
Just a bag, right? No.
The fashion policy of your sweet arms is a complicated matter.
If, like us, you spent your youth cramming everything into a handbag, chances are you’ve now graduated to a crossbody bag, like 59-year-old Sarah Jessica Parker.
Maybe wear a crossbody bag that hits your hips or higher.
The longer version indicates that you are from Generation X or a baby boom.
The tallest, dubbed the “millennial Birkin” by TikTokers, claims to be in his thirties or forties.
The irony is that Generation Z, who only carries a phone and keys, now prefers the slim shoulder bags we loved in the ’90s.
French fold
In the early 1900s, the term “French tuck” was coined by male stylists on the show Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.
He was referring to the Parisian way of wearing half the shirt tucked in and the other side, and the back part, tucked in.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, a millennial, is a fan of the look.
But older generations prefer a full pleat, as does Generation Z.
“Gen Z vs Millennial Shirt Tuck” has 71.2 million posts, with younger people saying 30-somethings should tuck everything in to show off their waist.
If you’re a Gen Xer or baby boomer, congratulations for staying alert and wrapping up well.
You’re in style!
Short denim jacket
Wearing a denim jacket over a floral midi dress and white sneakers paired with a leather Radley backpack can be your ideal look.
But it is also declaring your age.
According to Generation Z, the standard cropped denim jacket with chest pockets and the occasional rip or embellishment is out.
could be bad news for Amanda Holden, 53 years old.
On the other hand, the denim jackets are gigantic and come from vintage stores with excessive prices.
The “faded leather jacket” has racked up more than 450 million views on TikTok.
So dust off your oversized biker or denim jacket from the 80s or 90s.
The training sock
There are over 40 million posts on TikTok debating what the coolest sock length is.
Generation Z says they should be visible, go up to mid-calf, and you get extra points if you wear them over gym leggings.
If you wear any other type of sock, you may also be able to walk with a walker.
There’s no escaping it: No matter how much Botox you’ve had, putting on a humble sports sock, also known as a no-show, will reveal your millennial identity, indicating that you were probably born in the ’80s, or earlier.
Mom’s jeans
The main difference between denim is mom jeans, which are named after moms from the 1980s.
Think Rachel on Friends and Cindy Crawford.
While the skintight, ankle-length style made a resurgence in the 2010s and was seen on style-loving models like Kendall Jenner, 20-somethings on TikTok aren’t impressed when us old folks wear the style.
They say it’s a big fashion red flag and that we should opt for wide-leg or barrel-leg jeans.
Discuss
FROM ’60s rocker Danny Zuko in Grease to Alexa Chung and Rihanna in the ’00s, Converse All Stars have been a staple shoe for decades.
The sneakers were first designed in 1922.
But Generation Z would not be seen dead in them.
If you stick to your guns, you’re certainly not twenty years old.
Today, trendy sneakers include chunky “Dad” styles and colorful designs from top brands Nike, New Balance and Adidas.
Another age revealer is tucking your laces into your shoes instead of just tying them.
Celebrated trends are a no-no for Generation Z
Mini skirt
MARY QUANT forever changed the way women dress in 1958 when she created the miniskirt.
But if you wear one today, it’s probably an outdated style.
That is unless it’s a microskirt, with a crotch-skimming hem, because that’s the length Gen Z prefers.
With a strong influence from the “skelt” (a belt-skirt) of the 2000s, the micro-mini is flooding TikTok.
If you like to wear a more modest miniskirt, a couple of inches above the knee, which was popular in the Nineties on celebrities such as Melanie Sykes, now 53, you will look lovely, but you may also walk around with your age stamped on your forehead.
Wrap Dresses
It’s been half a century since designer Diane Von Furstenberg invented the wrap dress.
And it has certainly stood the test of time, with Madonna, the princess of Welsh and Michelle Obama, 60, embracing the style.
However, Generation Z has finally made time for the look, so you won’t find a twenty-something wearing one on a night out in your city.
On social media you will only see women over 30 on one.
Yes, they flatter the waist, bust, and stomach, but according to TikTok, that’s not great.
Gen Zers prefer cottagecore style, the kind of milkmaid-style dresses that are suitable for whimsical strolls through sunlit meadows.
