My daughters are home from college, and it’s amazing what you can learn from the younger generation.

As we shared the bathroom mirror, I remarked on my daughter Danielle’s clothing choice, “I didn’t know you wear turtlenecks. It looks great, but I would never have thought to choose that for you.”

“Mom, turtlenecks are back in style.”

Back in style? I never knew they were out… or ever in, for that matter. I just thought of them as a necessary evil. You know…for when your husband is wandering around the house in a short sleeve t-shirt while you’re wearing thermal base layer, turtleneck layer, hoodie-with-hood-pulled-up layer and fuzzy blanket layer because, although the thermostat reads 60-something degrees, it feels like single digits.

If you talk clothing with any young-ish person, you’ll discover a wealth of information. For example, one of my younger colleague’s mother is a City of Rochester Official who asked for her advice on what to wear to a gala.

“And she was going to wear pantyhose, for Pete’s sake!” my 30-something friend exclaimed, exasperated by her mother’s lack of fashion sense.

What? Not wear pantyhose? To a gala event?! What is this world coming to?!

Out of curiosity, I sought pantyhose advice on the Wardrobe Consultant fashion blog. According to blogger Hallie Abrams, it’s better to go without, and absolutely requisite with open-toed shoes. She did, however, add the caveat: “Princess Kate has made pantyhose cool again.”

Thank you, Princess Kate, but how did I miss the memo they’re not cool to wear? It must have been sent while I was busy rummaging through drawers for my favorite turtleneck.

Blogger Hallie recommends using Sally Hansen’s airbrush legs if you’re too vein (pun intended) to go au naturel. I wonder if you can airbrush on a layer of warmth too, or are Rochester women relegated to pants or frostbite all winter?

Suddenly feeling like Downton Abbey’s Dowager Countess in the age of the flapper, I decided I should, perhaps, subscribe to a fashion blog for women d’un certain âge (that generation that still refers to (hand)bags as purses or pocketbooks).

Do you know there are literally thousands of fashion blogs for women over 40, 50 and 60?!

I was somewhat relieved that I was not alone in the fashion misfit boat, but who knew we needed so much help?!

Maybe my New Year’s resolution should be to clear my closets and drawers of all vintage clothing items. The problem with that is, Saran Wrap has never been my best look.

Photos above courtesy of Fashionista.com and DailyMail.co.uk.

Originally published in the December 27 issue of Beyond the Nest.