Last night, my husband and I attended my cousin's wedding. She's 24, has been with this man for four years, and they're both in the same prominent field. She's got a slim figure none of us can trace, because it's certainly not a family trait, and she's genuinely delightful. All in all, the girl has made good decisions and I'm happy to see her happy.

One thing I noticed, however, and I've recently noticed at other family gatherings, is that the older women in my family seem to be completely incapable of dressing their age. The mother of the bride looked fit and stylish, but the amount of makeup she wore ruined the overall effect. Her dress, which was teetering on the edge of too much, seemed to tilt, simply because the makeup was such an obvious attempt to look 30, rather than her actual early 50s.

She wasn't the only one, either. My dad's cousin, who is currently in one of her slimmer phases wore an overly form-fitting, bright teal, sleeveless dress, which would have looked far more appropriate on a woman in her early 30s, rather than one who just celebrated 50. Another aunt, nearing 60, wore a plus-sized romper to the wedding shower a few weeks ago.

So, where's the line, between looking youthful and ridiculous? How do you all gauge whether or not you're too old for a fashion, whether or not the makeup is too extreme? I tend toward feminine fit and flare A-line dresses, myself, and try to avoid anything too high above the knee. How do you avoid it, though, being the 50-something in a romper, trying to appear youthful, but coming off as... a little desperate?

Edit: To be clear, these women look good for their age. What detracts from this is the obvious attempt to look younger and wear younger fashions.