(As written for On The Coast Over 55’s)
Many clients think, once they approach a certain age that their ability and need to get dressed up and wear the “latest trends” expires. They voice their concern that “what does it matter anymore, I’m old”… well would you say this to your friend in a retirement village who wants to look nice when she has visitors or goes to her morning tea get together with other mature women? Of course not, we are NEVER too old to look and feel stylish (or sexy for that matter).
I (Sam) used to love seeing my nan take pride in herself and her appearance. In fact, she wore lipgloss and knitted scarves in the latest colours until she passed at 90 years of age!
We are a long time dead so choose to enjoy the most of every minute alive by being the best you possible!
Below are the top 5 Style Dilemmas we get from our more mature clients.
Wardrobe concern 1: “I don’t want to look like mutton dressed up as lamb!”
Style solution: Stay true to your style, but don’t wear anything that is an undesirable distraction to your appearance. Undesirable distractions are: Clothing that is too tight, Colours that are too harsh or too pale for your complexion, garments that don’t flatter your figure.
Wardrobe concern: “I dress older than I am”
Style solution: Don’t go too safe with your wardrobe and styling choices – you could end up looking matronly. To avoid adding years to your appearance, always add an on-trend element, be it a scarf, handbag, lipstick or shoe in the season’s “it” colour. A new hair style or change of hair colour at least every two years will also help keep your look modern and fresh.
Wardrobe concern: “I am too old to wear fashionable things”
Style solution: As I mentioned earlier, style does not have a use by date! Since staying updated is an important part of being stylish you are never too old to wear something that is modern and “in”. That said, there are two important rules to abide by:
1 Only wear the fashion item if it is suitable for your body shape and colour palette
2 If you can remember wearing the fashion item or look previously (another decade), don’t wear it the same way this time around! Even when a trend does reappear, it always has a slightly new take. If you wear the trend as you did previously, you risk looking outdated.
Wardrobe concern: “I can’t shop where I want because I’m not the target market”
Style solution: In today’s competitive retail world, fashion houses are doing
all they can to diversify their ranges so they can benefit from a greater share of the market. Most brands cater for a wide age demographic and even if they don’t necessarily cater for your age demographic, it doesn’t matter! You may not find an entire outfit but you could find the perfect item that can modernise your look. See for yourself: next time you’re in your local shopping centre, pop into a shop you wouldn’t normally go to and have a good look around, you may be pleasantly surprised.
Wardrobe concern: “I’m scared I’ll look ridiculous if I wear the latest fashion”
Style solution: Over-styling and excessive accessorising is a style no-no at any age. To ensure you never commit this style sin, don’t have more than 2-3 “fashion focus” and “style statement” elements to your look. These can be an item of clothing, shoe, bag, accessory, hairstyle or makeup look. For example an outfit consisting of a knee length leather skirt (style statement), silk blouse (timeless piece), animal print bag (fashion item), new season statement earring (fashion item) and patent leather pump (timeless piece) is a stylishly balanced outfit for a woman of any age. If a studded belt and statement necklace (fashion items) were added, the outfits focal points would be fighting for attention and could make the wearer appear overdone.
We hope the solutions to these concerns help you to realise that style doesn’t have an age limit!
Vibrantly yours,
Sam & Jordi Woods x