i really liked that plaid dress, but you know, i was eight...

when you are a child, you get new clothes as a matter of course, because you outgrow your other clothes. i mean, unless you are oliver twist or somesuch, just wearing your knickers and fingerless gloves until they crumble around you. but if you are an average kid, don't get too attached to anything because you'll outgrow it and have to get something else. no need to worry about keeping up with fashion because when you go to the store to get clothes that fit, you'll be choosing from whatever is available, which - unless you are oliver twist and purchasing second hand - will be an updated style.

but if you are a grown-up you are by definition grown, not growing, so you don't have this built-in new-clothes motivator. if you take care of your clothes, you could just keep whatever fits when you quit growing. like, say you're 23 years old and basically done growing and you get an outfit you adore, and you take care of it, you could wear it when you're 33, 43, 53... i think you get my drift. of course, you have to actually not grow anymore. you can't gain a bunch of weight or somehow else change shape. so you take care of yourself and take care of your clothes, and you can be inappropriately and unfashionably attired well into middle age - and beyond!