When it comes to the evolution of one’s personal style, it can be hard to steer yourself through the farmyard of life without ending up at the abattoir. Mutton dressed as lamb; lamb dressed as mutton, mutton dressed as ram (…but that is an entirely different article). What does it all mean?

One moment you are a hip, young thing in hot pants; the next, you are carrying more on your hips and the only place your outfit belongs is the butcher’s. How did this happen?

For some, it would seem that bad outfits are themselves victims of a vicious cycle. We start out young dressing to look older and end up looking like crap; then we end up old, wanting to look younger and end up looking like crap. And so begins the story of mutton becoming the lamb that no one wants to eat.

Savvy Style asks: Should your clothes really have to go to the slaughterhouse every time you have a birthday? Or are we the blind leading the blind on a social pressure to conform at a certain age? We do, after all, live in a lamb-obsessed culture, can you blame people for thinking mutton had gone out of fashion completely?

 “Mini skirts are out in your 30s  - it’s all about sophistication and professionalism,” quotes one Australian fashion magazine. How depressing. One minute you are the life of the party, the next you are focused on being ‘sophisticated.' Ironically, Carrie Bradshaw, who portrayed a women in her late 30s from Sex and the City was touted a style icon and wore mini’s and ultra short shorts with stilettos all the time. Even though the show has been retired for years – the love of her taste is still on the rise.  If her character was in fact mutton dressed as lamb then maybe mutton wearing lamb is exactly  what we should all be dressing in?

As for men, fortune shines upon you. The older man can do what he wants. They can dress their age because older women like it and younger women love it. Imagine Mr Big, the character in the same series of sophistication and manly charm, dressed in a fluoro trucker hat and Corey the-teenage-party-boy style sunglasses… Mutton dressed as ram is just as ridiculous!

Imagine what the show would have been like if Samantha (in her 40s) dressed in power suits, sensible chinos teamed with blow-dried hair.

“Sometimes I actually think some fashion writers make stuff up so they have something to write about,” says Paul Tonkin, a NY-based stylist. It’s his belief that the 'mutton dressed as lamb' is a small town mentality and has no place in international fashion arena.

“Fashion is changing. As people start look better the older they get, there is no strict rule about what someone can wear at a certain age – it’s what looks good. Bad taste or dated taste has nothing to do with your age."

This is where it gets confusing: style is subjective. 

“God, I wish I could wear that,” I often hear my mother say wistfully when we are shopping together.

It’s her belief that mutton with an addiction to fashion botox is where a person’s wardrobe can go wrong: their outfits often become frozen from expressing new feelings and emotions. 

“People get a look they like and they don’t let go of it. You need to evolve with the times,” says Mum. “Imagine if I went to the races dressed like I was eighteen. This is makes mutton look like lamb – when people can’t let go of looks."

In Paul's opinion, if you want to avoid bad mutton overtones, stay clear of  “make-up with shimmer; body glitter; cutesy hairclips; hair extensions; micro minis if you are in your 40s; and especially,” he says, “embroidery jeans! Nothing screams chopping block like a butterfly on the bum of a grown woman.”

However, for those of you reading this who refuse to buy into the mutton-lamb stereotype, never fear. Just as there are plenty of vegetarians who receive public acclaim for their ways; you too can become a socially accepted piece of meat. Just look at Madonna. Surely a woman pushing fifty, releasing a film clips wearing nothing but a lilac Lycra leotard did something for older women who love spandex the world over?

On the flip side, it’s this new wave of mutton getting physical that has caused a far more serious fashion faux pax in the eyes of Savvy Style. That is, young people dressing as blue-rinsers. Yes, the lamb dressed as mutton is a real concern…

“You just don’t need to be into ultra classic in your early 20s. It ages you,” says Paul.  “Collets, navy, thick gold jewellery; pashminas, twin sets, chinos, boat shoes, court shoes, thick foundation and harsh lipstick, should all be illegal before you turn 32.” 

This said, we are all mutton in the eyes of someone. So for anyone over the legal drinking age, here is a list of things you should never wear if you don’t want to look like a lamb chop:

Old McDonald had a farm… ee ei ee ei oo… And on that farm, he had a dress code… ee ei ee ei oo

Midriffs
Even if you have a good stomach they reek of teen spirit.

Belly Button Rings
Not then, not now, not ever! It’s up there with a dolphin tattoo.

Hot Pants
"Look I know it’s hard," says Paul, "but think of the of the benefits – you are legal now, someone can see you looking hot with no pants on… you don’t need them unless you are Kylie Minogue!" Chances are, you’re not! 

There seems to be only one solution and it lies with one key word. Mutton dressed as marinated lamb is the look to go through. It’s young enough to avoid being frump but it’s got maturity in its flavour that separates it from looking like fresh meat.