Do you know what your fashion options are now that you’re over 40, 50 or beyond? Sometimes it’s easier to know what we don’t want from fashion than it is to know what we do want. No one goes around saying, “I want to look more matronly.” Or, “I’m going for the dowdy look this season.” So how do we find what we want from fashion and the current run of trends while remaining age appropriate? This is a challenge but one to focus on so that your age defying style will remain victorious.
When you’re under twenty, you can wear nearly all trendy items, all at once, all over your body. Not so with mature women. Pile on the flowy tops, the low-riding jeans, the platform shoes and the long scarf wrapped three times around the neck and you’re looking at a fashion victim.
So what are the criteria for dressing age appropriately yet maintaining your great sense of style?
Choose one trend at a time. If you want to know what not to do, think to yourself, “What would Mary-Kate and Ashley do?” and then do the opposite. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, child stars of TV’s Full House and currently fashionistas with a clothing line, never meet a trend that doesn’t have three trend friends that want to join the same outfit. This collage approach to wearing multiple trends expires at the age of 24. If you’re 42 or over, best to showcase one trend (two at the most) at a time. If you like mixing masculine and feminine elements (a semi-sheer floral print blouse with a gray pinstriped trouser), leave out the tribal element. If you prefer a modern look, go for architectural shapes in your clothing and add patent shoes or belts while leaving the bohemian pheasant tops alone.
Keep it simple. If you’re going for the tribal trend, a necklace of carved multi-sized strung beads can be a statement necklace and all you need to add is a classic white summer pant and a khaki-colored safari jacket to look completely in style and appropriate. Overdone would be mixing multiple ethnic prints in tops and bottoms and then adding the necklace for extra credit—a no-no.
Hide your underwear. You may see the celebrities in US magazine photos shopping on Rodeo Drive wearing black lacey bras clearly visible under sheer white tops. Or they’re wearing summer dresses with straps falling off their shoulders or deciding not to wear a bra at all. Do not copy this look! Underwear should be where no one can see it. The proper undergarments make the outer garments look their best and shouldn’t be singled out as a fashion accessory. If some of your summer tops need special types of bras, take those tops with you to the lingerie dressing room and don’t leave the department until you’ve got a solution. You’ll enjoy your summer so much more when your undergarments are working with, not against, your outer garments.
Not too tight, just right. There are two things that make a woman look matronly and older. One is wearing shapeless clothes that hide the body; the other is wearing clothes that are way too tight all over. It’s important to fit your clothing to the curves of your body without looking like you’re wrapped in spandex (and leaving nothing to the imagination). Fit is crucial in looking confident and at ease. Jeans should not have their buttons strained or popping out. Short-sleeved t-shirts shouldn’t be binding your biceps. Your bustline shouldn’t be turning a striped pattern into a wavy pattern. The more clothes gracefully follow the lines of your body, the more you look healthy, in shape and not defined by age.
Sometimes the difference between too tight and just right is going up one size. A note to junior department shoppers: you may be able to find accessories in the cheaper junior departments of big chains, but do not buy your clothes there. Junior sizes are for smaller, budding bodies. Women’s sizing accommodates a female body that has matured and developed into an adult. The junior version might be skin tight while the woman’s version will be cut fuller in all the right places. You won’t be sacrificing style for fit when you move into the department that caters to you.
Embrace your youthfulness. Dabbling in trends is a way to add this important element to your look. Your clothes can be classy while adding accessories that give your outfits some fun personality. This season pick up a colorful sandal, a multi-colored crinkled linen scarf, or some colorful bangles. Enjoy all the things that don’t come in sizes but are really fun to wear: a new lipstick color, cute shoes, scarves and shawls, handbags in fun colors. Youthful energy is what makes us feel alive and healthy, sexy and radiant.
Get help pulling your age defying look together. It may take a professional eye to update your look with new trends while staying true to your personal style. A second eye can introduce you to new, creative and fun ways to add the “wow” factor to your fashion choices. Getting your look right while working with me can save you from taking risks on items that you’ll never wear. Plus, you’ll be looking fabulous in no time. Call me and we can set a date to make you the fashion victor of this season and beyond.
Regina Gershman is a member of Association of Image Consultants International. Her goal is to empower her clients’ appearance, style, behaviour, communication, business, social and dating etiquette, anger-management, adult & teen’s self-esteem.
For more information, please visit: www.reginagershman-imageconsulting.com
Regina can be reached by email: regina@reginagershman-imageconsulting.com
or at (780) 901-7065.
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