Too Old For Cut-Offs?

So whaddya think? Is there a "cut-off" age for cut-offs? I recently bought a pair of denim shorts that I had been lusting after since March (Lust-Have #45) and decided to take the plunge and buy them during P's most recent visit to San Fran. I toyed with the thought that perhaps I was beyond my "cut-off years" but then I thought if SJP can wear a bare midriff shirt in her 40's, I could certainly wear a pair of jean shorts in my (early) 30's . Really, what was the difference between a pair of jean shorts and the cotton twill ones from J. Crew that I had bought in New York? Both were the same length and style, except in different colors, and the J. Crew ones seemed both timeless and ageless.

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in her cropped shirt. Oui ou non?

The reason I ask about the cut-offs is because I am currently in Canada on vacation visiting my family. I am staying in my old neighborhood, in my childhood home, and after getting dressed today I felt a surge of fashion familiarity wash over me. I wore my new cut-offs and an oversized black tee paired with my Reef flip-flops. But somehow, despite the newness, I felt like I had been in this outfit before. Except it wasn't this year, or last year, or even in this decade. This look was from another era, a time when life felt so free yet was also filled with so much teenage angst and drama (also known as the 90's...). I glanced at my reflection in the mirror (the same mirror that once served as my final pit stop to apply my Bonne Belle lipgloss before heading off to school) and saw my young teenage self for a split second. She was kind of naive, definitely ever-pleasing, and was filled with an insane amount of self-doubt masked by what some would have perceived as over-confidence and snobbery. Older now, and far more experienced; I can still feel a part of that teenaged girl inside of me.

My reverie was shattered when I felt the tugging of my shorts by five little fingers. Baby E wanted to go play outside and waiting was not an option. I had a slight panic when I thought about what was in store for her teen years that lay (way) ahead. The panic suddenly turned into giggles at the thought of the things she would say to me. The ways that I would embarrass her, the places that she wouldn't want to be seen with me. I instantly became thankful that she wasn't quite at the age where she could tell me that cut-off shorts weren't made for mommies. So that being said, would anyone like to speak on her behalf?

Love, A