ROPHO — Lifestyle, Identity & Ageing with Confidence
Sometimes I catch myself looking in the mirror and wondering
Did I ever truly have a “style”…
or was I just wearing what life expected of me?
In our twenties many of us dressed to belong, to impress.
to attract attention, or even sometimes to avoid it.
Later, work often took over, uniforms of one kind or another, suits, overalls, boots, branded shirts, these became our identity whether we liked it or not.
But now, in our sixties, something much more interesting happens.
Some men become much more comfortable in their own skin,
others become less sure, and quietly start to disappear into safe, neutral choices.
So what actually happens to style as we get older?
The Sunday Best Years
My earliest memories of “style” weren’t fashion magazines or designer labels, they were village life.
I grew up in the Hampshire village of Swanmore, my father was a butcher, part of a family business serving local farms and families.
During school holidays I helped deliver meat and vegetables in an old van, simple yet very happy days, a slower world more contented it seems in my rose tinted memories.
Style back then was practical, flat caps, wellies, thick jumpers, practical clothes for work, not for show.
But Sunday was different.
From our bungalow beside the church I would watch neighbours arrive.
Men who had spent the week in mud-stained boots suddenly appeared in pressed suits and polished shoes,women adjusting their hats,children tugging at stiff collars.
That weekly transformation fascinated me.
It wasn’t fashion,it was dignity, it was pride, it was people choosing how they wanted to be seen.
Then Came Influence
As I got older, style came from somewhere else entirely.
Films.
Music.
Heroes.
A band on Top of the Pops could change hairstyles across the country overnight.
James Bond made suits look powerful.
Steve McQueen made denim and leather look effortlessly cool.
Like most young men, I followed along, maybe you did too.
We weren’t just choosing clothes, we were choosing our identities.
Fast Forward to Now
So where does that leave us today?
Some men I know now live almost permanently in trainers and polo shirts.
Others still enjoy the sharpness of a casual blazer and good shoes.
One friend recently bought himself a leather jacket at 65, and looks better than he did at 40.
And then there are those who quietly feel unsure, not wanting to look like they’re trying too hard, not wanting to look old either.
Perhaps style in later life isn’t about fashion at all.
Perhaps it’s about confidence.
Fashion Changes. Style Stays.
Fashion is seasonal.
New colours,new cuts, new rules.
Style is different, style is personal.
It’s what makes you feel comfortable, but also makes you like yourself.
By the time we reach our sixties, we’ve earned the right to ask a different question:
What do I actually enjoy wearing?
Not what should I wear.
My Own Small Goal This Year
To think about style as expression again, something to think about and not just clothing as a necessity.
Maybe refresh a few things, maybe stop saving the “good clothes” for special occasions.
Maybe decide that ordinary days are special enough.
Because if not now… when?
I’m curious…
Do you care more or less about how you dress these days?
Have you developed your own style over time
or simply stopped worrying about it?
I’d genuinely love to hear how others see this.
It’s a conversation worth having.
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