Jennifer McUmary (0:00)

Are you ready to find out if what you're wearing is out of style? If you've been following along, you know this is part two of our Stop Looking Dated series and Today I'm sharing 10 specific pieces that have had their moment but are now killing your quest to look current. Let's get started. Hello gorgeous. Welcome back to the Everyday Style School, the podcast that gives real life style advice to real life women. I'm your host, Jennifer McUmary. I'm a wardrobe stylist who's been dressing everyday Women for over 25 years. And I'm the founder of Everyday Style, where we're on a mission to inspire women to love the way they look and give you the tools to make getting dressed easy. This is the second half of our Stop Looking Dated series. Part one was all about styling or how we're wearing our clothes. If you haven't listened to it yet, go check it out and then come back to this one. The description of my Scale o Trendiness will help you a lot in this episode. And if you're like me and you're not going to listen to directions and you don't go back and listen to it first, okay, fine, go back and listen after. Either way, Looking Dated is about wearing dated things. That's what we're talking about today in a dated way. And that was the first one. You got to understand both. So be sure to listen to both episodes today. I am not going to ramble on. I know you just want me to tell you what is dated and we're going to get there. But I do have a few disclaimers before we get to that. First and foremost, and I bet you know what I'm going to say, but with the world and the Internet being what it is, I need to say it again. Wear what you love. If in this episode I describe your 10 favorite items and you love them, great. Keep wearing them. I don't want to see any of our Style Circle members posting, Jen said we can't wear that anymore. No, I absolutely did not. What I am saying is that you can't keep wearing them and thinking they or you look current. Right? That's the difference. You can wear whatever you like. I encourage that as long as you love it and you know what it's doing for you. In my last episode I talked about how women use the word classic to mean styles. My eyes are used to, but I also see a lot of women using current as a catch all to mean things. I bought that I still enjoy wearing rather than Understanding that the force of your love, no matter how strong, no matter how deep, will not keep items from becoming dated. It doesn't mean you can't love. It doesn't mean you can't wear it. But it also doesn't mean it's still in style or current. Now, the second thing I want to mention is that this information is accurate as of April 2025. If you're listening to this years from now. Hello, future lady. I hope it's nice where you are. Please don't take this advice before verifying if it still applies. As we talked about in part one, things are always changing. They're moving up, they're moving down that trend scale, and eventually they do become dated. Third, this is not an exhaustive list. There is no way I could list all the things that are out of style. Like, guess what, everybody, Poodle skirts are no longer in style, right? I mean, we could. We could do this for hours. These are just 10 things that are recent enough that you might not know that they've become dated. But even then, even with that, I know there are more. It would just be, you know, a marathon episode. We're not doing that. All right. If you are a Style Circle member, we have added a special style coaching session to our calendar where you can send in photos of your items or your outfits and I'll tell you straight up if they are dated or not or how to tweak your look to make it more current. So while I can't list all the things that are current or dated, I can answer as many of your questions as humanly possible. That session is happening Tuesday, April 29th at 7pm Central. If you are not a member yet, there is time to join us before the session. And if you missed it, if you're listening to this later, the replays are always posted to watch on your own schedule. And I feel like there's going to be a lot of valuable insights in that coaching session. All right, final disclaimer. This is not personal. It's not meant to offend you. I know I am about to describe things that some people are wearing while they're listening, and I hate that. And I know the immediate reaction can be to feel a little hurt. After all, it can feel like I'm criticizing, and I am absolutely not. I'm just the messenger. This is just information about 10 pieces that are no longer in style. What you choose to do with that information is up to you. I want you to make style decisions from an educated perspective. That's all I Still think you are wonderful. All right, with no more disclaimers or preamble, here are 10 items that have seen more stylish days. Number one, let's just come out of the gate swinging with this one because I think this is probably going to ruffle some feathers. And that is the classic denim jacket. In a bonus trend episode in the the podcast for our members, I shared probably a year and a half ago that these had moved out of looking current and were sliding down that trend scale. And since then they just kept sliding and now they, they absolutely look dated. I am talking about the denim jacket that somewhat fitted, hits below the waist or at high hip. It has lots of seams through the body. You know the one we wore them over our swing dresses with a long necklace and like round toe ballet flats for years and years and years. I know you know, I know you can picture it. And I know you probably have one at least in your closet if you're not currently wearing it. That's what we're talking about. Denim jackets are everywhere right now and they can look super current. But not that one. That one looks like it came out of a bygone style era. I know that someone out there right now is thinking, but that can't be true. They're still available to buy and I just bought one. And yes, yes they are. You can absolutely buy brand new things that are dated. And you might be confused by that because you've probably heard me tell you that. To know if something is current or not, go to a store's website and look at what they're currently selling. Does your thing look like their thing? If not, it's probably dated. I stand by that because it's an easy way to get some quick insight. But there are a couple of things you need to watch out for. The first is which stores are you looking at? Take department stores like Macy's and retailers like DSW out of the mix completely. They sell too wide a variety for your search to actually be helpful. Instead, go to smaller brands, smaller boutiques, or you know, kind of single brand stores. And here's a really important thing. It has to be a store that in general has a more current or with it aesthetic. No. Hate to Coldwater Creek. They have some great basics. We put them in the capsule guides. But when we start looking for the trends we want to incorporate in the capsule for the season, we don't check to see what Coldwater Creek is up to. Right. If you like Coldwater Creek, fabulous. But to know if things are current or not, you're gonna have to do a little bit more detective work and look for stores with a little bit more now aesthetic. One of the fastest ways for me to see where an item is currently falling on that trend scale is to see where it's being sold. If you Google something and it only comes up on ebay and Amazon and some stores you would not consider to be stylish, chances are it's dated. But where it's being sold is only part of it. The other part is how prevalent is it? Let's take bootcut jeans, for example. There was a time where bootcuts were the thing, right? That's all we were wearing. And then skinnies came along and dominated, and boot cuts actually looked dated, but they never went away completely. You could buy boot cuts at every denim retailer, but instead of having like 10 styles and washes, they had one. And getting back to the classic denim jacket, I looked at Gap for this one, which I would consider to be a retailer that sells current looking clothes and has always been known for their denim. So I trust them on this one. They are still selling that classic icon denim jacket. So on first glance, you'd go, oh, yeah, it's still available. I'm good. But here's the thing. When I filtered for women's denim jackets, there were 29 results. Out of those 29, one. One was the classic icon denim jacket. That is only 3.4% of gaps denim jacket offerings for women. You know, I love a good number. The others were cropped or longline or had a peplum or a barrel sleeve, or they were a denim utility jacket style or a bomber jacket style. They all had something that updated the classic denim jacket into a current looking piece. So even if a retailer you trust is selling something, look at how many they're selling, the percentage of them. If it's just one or two out of many, you have your answer. Rest in peace. Classic denim jacket. I know we will. We'll be together again someday, but right now, you're making me look dated. So you're out. All right, number two is big earrings. And I am talking the big old teardrop earrings, especially the leather ones, chandelier earrings, and overly done metal earrings with filigree detailing or other texture. And honestly, this applies to most jewelry right now. These are styles that worked with kind of an earthier boho vibe of days gone by. And if you look at what's current, it's smooth metal or has inlaid pearls or inlaid crystals. It's just a lot more refined. And polished looking. The two exceptions to the big earring thing is hoops. Bigger hoops are still current, but keep them on the understated side. And also, long linear earrings are current. So if you want to make a statement, add those to your accessory collection. We want to go up and down instead of just kind of wide with your earrings dated. Item number three is low shaft and overly stylized booties. Let's start with the shaft height. Anything that's at the ankle or below looks dated. Booties that are more current have a higher shaft, more in the 6 inch range rather than the 4. Remember, we're not trying to show that sliver of skin between the jeans and the booties anymore. We want the boot to go fully under the pants. Now, when it comes to styling, just like everything else we've been talking about, less is more. Right now, booties with the V cutouts on the sides are dated. Perforated booties are dated. Strappy ankle boots are dated. Peep toe laser cutouts, dated. If you want a boot that looks current, choose one in leather or suede with a higher shaft and an updated heel, avoiding kind of that stacked cone shaped heel. And let the simplicity do the talking. Also ditch every taupe suede ankle boot. Those are, those are up. All right, number four. Back to accessories with long necklaces. I used to be a huge fan of long necklaces. I had quite the collection. But for the last few years they have not looked super current. And some of them are solidly dated. Long, simple pendants aren't as dated. But it's time to let go of any like boho feather. And I am seeing some longer corded necklace like on a black cord. Those are kind of coming back on the scene. We'll see what happens with that. But what I'm talking about is the long beaded station necklaces that look like they would have been sold at a home jewelry party in 2012. And I know this because in 2012 I was doing a home jewelry party selling these necklaces. These are the things that some woman is like, look, you can wear it in 12 different ways. You can wear it long or you can wrap it around your neck or you can wear it as a belt. Right. We, we probably all went to those. If you are having trouble visualizing this one and exactly what I mean, here's what I want you to do. Head to ebay and search for long necklace and then insert any direct sales jewelry company. You can do Stellen Dot Premiere Design, Silpata Park Lane. I know there are some I'm forgetting but if you know them, put them in there. Or you can search for Jill long beaded necklace. When those searches come up, you're going to know exactly what I'm talking about real quick. Right now, the current necklace style, it's shorter. It's definitely shorter. We are seeing some statement pieces coming back but they're like statement just metal necklaces. They're just not as dainty. They're not this, this huge over the top, lots of color, lots of whatever. If we are seeing color, it's a little bit more subdued. It's a single strand. So take a look at what I'm talking about with these long beaded necklaces and then take a look at some current stores that you like to see what necklaces are looking like right now. Number five is mid thigh cardigans. I'll be honest, I don't think this one is as dated as some of the others on the list. Another dated sweater style is super chunky sweaters like the oversized cable knits or really wide ribbing around the neckline and down the front. And I think the time warp magic really happens when you put the long line together with that chunky texture. There are some very beautiful high end, high quality minimalist longline cardigans that could be styled into my it just is category for like an office setting. But it would take everything else in your outfit looking really updated. And we're not going to get to current, we're just going to get to. It just is. And when I talk about this specific style still not being quite as dated. I'm definitely not talking about the open longline cardigan that you bought at Loft or Lands End years ago. They just have a little bit less refined look. If you want to look current without so much effort, go for cardigans that end hip length or even higher and throw in some buttons. All right, we are halfway through. Hopefully I haven't ruffled all of your feathers but you know there's still time. Let's move on to dated item number six which is slip on sneakers. I am not talking about things like Kizzix or running shoes that you don't have to tie a non tie. You can just slip your feet in. I'm talking about more of the vans style. These were super cute with skinny jeans rolled up but with full length pants or wider leg crops which is what we're wearing now. They just look dated and you're going to lose even more current points if you're still rocking the slip ons with like the higher vamp or mid top styles with zippers, especially the two zippers on either side of the vamp. What is looking current right now is either lace up sneakers with a thinner sole than we've even been seeing in the last couple of years, or if you want an easy slip on shoe, go with a boat shoe or a driving moccasin. At number seven, we have a pattern and maybe this isn't a specific item, but you can just apply this to any item of clothing with bold high contrast geometric prints. I'm looking at you chevron, right? Remember it? One thing I was struck by when I was doing my research for dated looks was all the high contrast prints, bright aqua with bright white, black with bright white. It was jarring because I realized we're not really seeing that anymore. And I, I hit up ebay to search for geometric print blouses, which is a great search if you want to get a visual of what blouses I'm talking about. And I had this overwhelming deja vu as I looked at so many blouses, mostly stitch fix ones that I had seen in clients wardrobes during their closet edits. And they're memorable because I probably saw the same blouse I don't know, 30, 40 times. That leaves an impression that will never ever leave me. But my point is that I haven't done an in person closet edit in over six years and I specifically remember telling people that it might be time to part with that blouse at the end of my in person time. So almost seven years ago I was telling people that look wasn't so fresh. Which, you know, it's been a minute, right? Patterns are now lower contrast, more organic or randomly placed, smaller scale and more subtle or any combination of those. Now along with this one, I would also like to give a special dated shout out to old school boho prints as well. While you're on ebay looking for geometric blouses, do a quick search for boho print top. You will see what I mean. This is that over styled, overworked look that I was talking about in that last episode. Both of these patterns kind of are. All right, let's stay on this overworked theme for number eight. And that is ballet flats with over styled toes. I'm not talking about the tiny little bow that has been around since ballet flats were invented. I'm talking about details like folds of leather on the toes, ruching, superfluous straps, big old round or oval buckles, all that kind of stuff. And I'm going to be honest with you, these have always been tough to pull off because when these styling details were big, the toe was also very round which cuts off the leg line and can look kind of frumpy in the best of times. And then you highlight your cut off feet with an attention getting detail. It it's tough. And going Back to my one on one days again, this was the mid 2000 teens. I was on a quest to get these out of my clients closets, especially in a professional setting. And there was an outfit formula that I used to call the junior associate uniform. And it was a printed woven shell top, an open cardigan, trouser pants and these flats. Even in 2016, 2017 it screamed please don't pay me what I'm worth. And you know what? I want you. I want you to get paid what you're worth. Before we move on to number nine, here's a really good example of what I was talking about in last week's episode regarding my thoughts on classic and how everything dates in my ebay ballet flat search. There was a pair of round toe, short round toe black patent leather flats with a huge oval silver buckle on the toe. But the title of the listing was classic black ballet flats. Not, not so much. Ballet flats in general are that classic timeless look. But these flats do specifically are not. It's like jeans, blazers, white shirts, denim jackets, whatever. All of them evolve. The ballet flats of now times are, you guessed it, a little bit more refined. They have squarer or pointier toes that are just a little bit more modern looking. And if you want something that makes more of a statement, you can still do that with a mesh style or a woven style or or even a Mary Jane. All of those look more current. All right. Dated item number nine is distressed jeans. And really overly distressed jeans are what we're talking about today. But I don't think any distressing other than a simple slash on the knee is looking very current. If we can see the stringy holes. No. Nope. If those stringy holes are on your thigh, double no. And if you're saying but stores are still selling them, come on, you know, you know I come with receipts on J. Crew, who frankly sells beautiful jeans. Out of 68 listings, two had any distressing at all and none were anywhere but the knee on madewell, also a great source for current looking denim. Out of 110 listings, there were three distressed ones. Loft had 153 listings with just one lonely distressed style. Remember, it's not just if it's out there, it's where it is and how Much of it there is. Those matter just as much. This is also a good example of why you can't put style advice in your mind vault and keep it as gospel forever. Years ago, I was encouraging women, even women of a certain age, to embrace distressed denim. They didn't have to look like they'd been mauled by a bear, but it was an easy way to look current. But now the current has changed and it's flowing in a more refined and polished direction. That no longer holds true. It was true at the time. It no longer is. That's how style works. So don't get too attached to any wear this not that advice. The only thing that will serve you forever is the principles and skills of creating your own style and dressing yourself and your body for life. Those things last, so put your efforts there. And then when styles change, which they inevitably will, you'll know how to dress yourself in whatever current you find yourself in. All right, last one. Number 10 on our dated list is oversized scarves. Friends, I cannot tell you how many times I recommended a YouTube video from Wendy's lookbook on 25 Ways to Tie a Scarf in Four and a Half minutes. The big scarf and all the ways to wear it were all the rage. And it was part of that overdone, over styled look that seems to be a running theme here today. The video is still there. You can look it up if you want. It was great. Wendy is fantastic. I love her. But in 2025, if you want to look current, there are not 25 ways to tie a scarf. I don't know exactly how many there are, but it's way, way less. I think it's like three. First of all, heavier, bulkier, bigger scarves that you can manipulate like that look dated no matter how you're tying them, whether that's in a triple knot, bird of paradise, or just like looped around your neck. Silkier square scarves are what's current. Now if you like that bigger accessory look, that bolder look, tie it bandana style behind your neck, right? And tuck it inside the collar of a tucked in button front shirt blouse. That looks very current. You can also fold it into a skinnier rectangle and tie it in the front or on the side kind of flight attendant style. And this works inside collared shirts or or over a crew neck sweater. You can use these square scarves in your hair and you can tie smaller ones on your handbag handles. You can still get the boost of color or pattern or interest you're looking for with a scarf without having one fully consuming your upper body. As with everything I've talked about today, there's an updated version that will allow you to keep wearing the pieces that you love and and look current at the same time. All right, there you have it. 10 items that are dating your look, whether you know they are or not. Remember now you've got the knowledge and you can keep wearing them. You can stop wearing them. It's up to you one more time. In case anyone missed it the first 17 times, wear what you love. That's the idea. This advice is for women who want their wardrobes to look current or at least not noticeably dated. If you don't prioritize that and it's perfectly fine not to just keep on keeping on, I'm just the messenger. Don't come for me. I hope your biggest takeaways from these two episodes are first, a better understanding of current versus Trendy versus dated, and the reminder that every piece you own will eventually become dated. It's just a matter of how long it takes. The other thing I hope you're taking away with you is is this general shift in styling and styles away from over everything, over accessorizing, over styling overdone to a more polished, relaxed look. Getting this current styling right involves investing a little bit more care and thought into each piece because we just aren't using all the smoke and mirrors for distraction anymore. But it is well worth it and it's beautiful when done right. Style Circle members, don't forget this special coaching session we've added on April 29, 7pm Central. Attend live or submit your questions in advance and then watch the replay. Whatever works best for you. That's all I've got for you today. I hope you found these episodes beneficial and that you're not too mad at me. Again, it's not personal. I still think you're wonderful. I will see you next time and until then, remember that your everyday matters. So get dressed for it and that's a wrap. Thank you for listening today. If you're loving the Everyday Style School podcast, I'd like to invite you to become a member of the Style Circle. It's our monthly all access membership that gives you everything we create to make style easy so you can save time and money, have easier mornings and more confidence all day long. You get our seasonal capsule wardrobe guides, all of the master classes we offer, and our exclusive members only podcast the Everyday Style School Extra credit. Plus you're invited to the Facebook community where you can get even more style support and inspiration I would love to get to know you and support your style journey. It's just $19 a month less than the cost of a clearance shirt you're never going to wear. Come join me and make your everyday style.