By Diana West on Saturday, October 13, 2007 3:09 AM

Vogue magazine is now doing its bit to get us gals to look, or at least think about looking more grown-up. Fashion-coaching women to have “courage” and “no fear of chic,” the September issue sounds a downright old-fashioned note in exhorting women to adopt a “valiant style” (read: get dressed up). It showcases women who do just that, including Vanessa Bellanger, image and style director at Chloe, who declares:

“I guess I want to look more adult now. I think it is really bad to try to look younger than you are, which is so prevalent in fashion. You have to be comfortable with your age.”

It’s “really bad” to try to look younger? Well, snap my tube top. As Vogue put it, “When did you last hear that in our mother-dressed-as-daughter-and-vice-versa times?”

The magazine also goes on to emphasize the importance of wearing clothing “appropriate” to the occasion. It begins to sound more like a wise old granny talking than a trendoid glossy. There is also a salvo against “the sloppy syndrome” that offers,...

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