I know how you feel. You’re washing your face in the morning and catch your silhouette in the mirror and you shriek back – who is that person and what happened to the twenty-six-year-old? Where did the years go?
I’ve finally come to terms with being of a certain age – I’m over the hump so to speak. Now it’s a matter of making every second count, not wasting a minute feeling badly about my body, learning to feed and take care of my body, and spending more time doing things that bring me joy.
Style trends have come and gone over the decades (thank goodness!). I’ve adapted my individual style over the years, tweaking it here and there to fit my lifestyle, body and career changes.
What about style after fifty?
I don’t believe that age has anything to do with style. If you love current trends, wear them. If you have fantastic legs, show them. If you prefer to cover up completely, you can still look stunning! Everyone can have fabulous style at any age. The joy is in discovering your style.
Make Style Your Own in Your Second Act!
Here are some of my Style Success Rules to Live By:
- Know yourself. What is your coloring? Has it changed since you decided to go gray? What is your body shape? Knowledge is everything and knowing how to flatter and enhance your coloring and body shape is a great way to approach style. You don’t want to walk around looking pale and tired, do you? Knowing the colors that bring radiance to your face is worth a million bucks. It gets you noticed for all the right reasons!
- Appreciate your assets and work with what you have. I can’t tell you how many women I work with tell me about the body parts they hate. It usually takes me by surprise because that’s not the body part I expected her to criticize! I used to wish I had an hourglass shape with round, full hips. Then I discovered all the ways I could create the illusion of an hourglass shape from my rectangle shape using garment shapes, and that wish melted away.
- Build a wardrobe of essentials. Great style is built on a foundation of good basics. Your lifestyle dictates what are essential pieces for you. When you invest wisely in essentials that fit beautifully and bring you pleasure, it boosts your confidence. For more information about essentials, download my free ebook, “Your Ten Wardrobe Essentials.”
- Create a wardrobe that allows you to Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. What does that mean? When something works, run with it. If you feel beautiful and powerful wearing a pair of dark-colored straight pants, a white or blush top, and a structured jacket, then your closet should have several straight-leg pants, a dozen various light-colored tops, and several structured jackets. An outfit can have many re-incarnations and some of the most stylish women I know wear the same combinations over and over. Why re-invent something that is already successful?
- Identify someone who has a style you admire. Understand the elements of her “look” and define why it appeals to you. What are the attractive style features that reoccur in the way she dresses? You can adapt the pieces for your look if they don’t work on your particular body shape. In my upcoming “30 Days to Style Success Workshop” I will have participants create a style vision board to define the looks they admire. This is so helpful in creating a reference for style when you build your wardrobe.
Individual style is about re-interpretation and investment of your time and money. It is about being aware of who you are, your lifestyle and the opportunities available to you when you dress confidently.
Who inspires your individual style?
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