The Best Places To Shop If You’re Over 40

It was the late, great style icon Iris Apfel who said, “When the fun goes out of dressing, you may as well be dead.” That may be true, but it can be difficult to have fun when you’ve aged out of the fashion world’s cherished 20- to 30-year-old demographic and you’re trying to find clothes you like. 

Although ageism in the fashion industry still exists, times have changed quite a bit — as have perceptions of what 40-year-old fashion looks like. (If you can recall, actress Jean Stapleton was only in her late 40s when she portrayed the iconic — if not frumpy — perpetually housedress-clad character Edith Bunker in All in the Family.) So where are the best places to shop if you’re 40 or older and not wanting to look like a retro sitcom character, but also not exactly vibing with the Hollister crowd? We asked some verified card-carrying 40-plus consumers and tapped into some expert advice to help you navigate your next shopping trip.

1. Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack

Hands down, Nordstrom and its discount sister store Nordstrom Rack were the most popular polled choices for quality clothing as well as service satisfaction. They’ll even assist you with a stylist for free. “I recently went to Nordstrom, where a personal shopper — at no extra fee — had a dressing room full of clothes ready for me upon my arrival and kept checking in and bringing me options throughout,” says Kim Moldofsky, a life coach for women in midlife. 

Stylist Nikki Frenney often posts her Nordstrom Rack fashion finds on her popular Instagram page, and applauds the retailer for its plus-size selections. Her advice to over-40 shoppers is to really define what your style is, and what pieces you feel good in. “Now that you’re in your 40s, you should have a pretty good idea of your style preferences, [and the] most flattering colors and cuts for your complexion and body type. This will make it so much easier to build your capsule wardrobe,” Frenney told the Today show.

2. Amazon

Not surprisingly, the online giant was a favorite amongst our pollees. Let’s face it — however you feel about Jeff Bezos, he’s made clothes shopping a whole lot easier. 

San Francisco shopper Kari Dahlen agrees. “As a person who is 50-plus and with recent weight gain, I find many in-person shopping options intimidating,” she says. “Amazon does a great job of identifying which size would work for me given my past purchases and what other users have reported about sizing for a given garment.”

Author and stylist Alison Lumbatis often shares her Amazon wardrobe pieces on her TikTok. Her advice for shopping when you’re over 40? Think less about your age, and more about what you feel comfortable in. “One of my favorite things to tell women is they’ll ask me, ‘Are ripped jeans age appropriate? Is this age appropriate?’” she said in a YouTube video. “I’m like, ‘It has to be you appropriate. If it fits and flatters your body and you feel more confident when you look in the mirror, that’s you appropriate and that’s all you need to worry about.’” 

3. Boden

Known for its stylish clothes and not-so-outrageous price tags, this British retailer sells mostly online and by mail order. (Some of its items are also sold through Nordstrom.) It’s known as a favorite of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and younger celebrities, such as Selena Gomez and Billie Eilish, have been spotted in Boden pieces, too.  

Stylist Alison Gary has it on her list of favorite retailers for women over 40. “Quirky prints, interesting details, and great quality makes Boden a place you should check out. The thing is, Boden’s quirkiness is sophisticated and looks better on grown-up women than those right out of college,” Gary said. 

4. J.Crew

Famously known as the go-to brand for Michelle Obama while she was First Lady (she wore a pair of J. Crew leather gloves to her husband’s 2009 inauguration), the New York-based clothing company has been around for four decades. With a mix of casual wear and elegant, dressier pieces, it’s been consistently popular with celebrities including Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow. 

J.Crew’s reasonable prices make it appealing for the rest of us, too. TikTokerRabiah, a teacher who goes by the name “thewelldressedbee” and describes herself as a “Mom 40+,” frequently shares her daily outfits with her followers — and J. Crew ensembles are among them. And knowing that teachers always appreciate a good deal, she featured a video pointing out that J. Crew offers a discount to teachers and students. (It also offers a discount to first responders, medical professionals, and military personnel.)

5. Anthropologie

Anthropologie — part of the Urban Outfitters family — has been around for more than 30 years and has 230-plus stores around the world, so there’s a good chance you’ve set foot in one at some point and browsed its assortment of clothing, accessories, furniture, and home decor. It’s still popular with a lot of the shoppers we polled, many of whom said they liked the “vibe” of the store and that they could find pieces that were comfortable, but still hip and stylish.

Personal stylist Susie Wright — a former buyer for Nordstrom who doles out fashion tips to her 419,000 followers on Instagram and was recently named by style site Busbee as one of its favorite 40-plus fashion influencers —frequently features items from Anthropologie, like in this video, where she singles out the brand’s jeans as her all-time favorites.

6. T.J. Maxx

There’s also still a lot of love for old standby T.J. Maxx, which has been around for almost 50 years. Our friends singled out the retailer as a place where you can get basics such as T-shirts and workout clothes, snag a deal on a luxury handbag, and then run upstairs to pick up a great frying pan, all in the same shopping trip. We love T.J. Maxx’s sister stores, too, including Ross and Marshalls. The thrill of the hunt is part of the fun.

7. Thrift Shops and Consignment Stores

Last, but certainly not least, thrift stores and online consignment shops such as Poshmark are highly recommended for scoring over-40 fashions. Almost every respondent we heard from, even while naming their favorite retailers, said they loved shopping secondhand as well. “It means better-quality brands for less money,” Georgia resident Mir Kamin says.

While some just love the thrill of scoring great finds, many cited wanting to lessen their carbon (or cloth) footprint. “I like buying used clothes for the price and doing a little bit to stop the clothes piling up in landfills — and letting them pile up at my house,” Pasadena resident and fashion collector Linda Zupan tells us. “Right now I like Farm Rio and can find cool pieces on Poshmark at a price I can afford. I collect vintage Betsey Johnson and the pieces are getting harder to find, but I’ve found them on Etsy.” 

Crossroads, a nationwide chain that sells high-quality used clothing, gives you the option of buying, selling, and trading your clothes. Retired educator Suzanne Eisenberg likes the quality of its merchandise, and also the less-waste aspect. “What’s so cool is you can find great designer pieces that cost the same or less than Target or Nordstrom,” she says. “I love when I find a vintage sweater or purse, too. Not to mention it’s the best recycling program around — less to end up in the landfill.”

As Apfel said, keep dressing fun. Most importantly, seek out what makes you feel comfortable and good about yourself, trends be damned. Even if it’s a housedress.