Dressing With Ageless Style

I have met so many women in their 50s and beyond in the last several years who appear as if they’ve given up on style. They come across as tired, frumpy, hopeless, wondering what happened, wishing they were ten years younger and twenty pounds lighter. Out of date with their style, and needing an update more because they will get a burst of energy injected into their lives than to look ten years younger. They WANT the style change. They’re just not sure where to turn to create the change…

Here’s my take on letting your style go after fifty:

Don’t wait for catastrophe before you take care of self.

My body has changed and that’s OK.

Here’s how to feel good again:

Style can be ageless when you feel good in your own skin and forgive your body stories

You CAN be well again

You CAN feel beautiful again

I’ve said it over and over again. It’s not important that you’re trendy and fashionable for other people — it’s more important to feel good about your appearance for YOU. If you’re dressed in frumpy clothes day and night, day after day, and you feel sad about it day after day, don’t you think that’s going to bleed into your relationships, your energy level, and your life?

Ageless style is about keeping up your body, mind, and soul spirit into your 50s, 60s, and beyond. It’s about staying interested in meeting new people, having experiences, setting new goals, and bringing happiness into your life. Your appearance and the way you feel about yourself goes a long way in supporting your life goals. Feeling frumpy and dowdy just isn’t going to cut it — I don’t want to hear the excuses about your weight, your body shape, or your financial situation. You can have ageless style at any size, shape or budget!

Being the “fixer” and educator that I am, I’ve come up with 3 things you can do to start your AGELESS STYLE UPDATE on your own schedule and in your own closet (or at least DIY):

Ageless Style Tip #1:

Learn the colors that light you up right now and start wearing them every day. Wear tops that match your eye color. Wear complementary colors. Use pops of colors in your accessories, such as brightly colored shoes, a colorful handbag, or colorful eyewear frames.

Ageless Style Tip #2:

Get over your body changes. Learn your current body type and find clothes that flatter your shape, even if that means cleaning out almost all the clothes in your closet. Bypass your body shape by choosing to wear dresses that flow over your curves. Or, celebrate your curves with fitted silhouettes.

The common triangle, or pear shape, woman carries her weight below her waist. The ageless style woman wears layers and toppers that give her an elongated look. She celebrates her hippy curves with form-fitting dresses, and flirts with tunic length tops and skinny boyfriend jeans (okay, you can skip the holes if that’s going too far).

Ageless Style Tip #3:

Learn some simple style update techniques. When you wear a loose-fitting (oversized) top, pair it with tight, fitted bottoms, and vice versa.

Update your eyewear with fun, flirty glasses and sunglasses. You’ll get noticed in good way!

Update your hair style — literally fire your hair stylist (sorry hair stylists reading this, but maybe you’ll get some new clients!) and walk into a new salon and ask for a new opinion on your hair color/style.

Start mixing textures, patterns and fabrics. For example, mix a light pattern with a darker pattern. Or, mix a heavier sweater jacket with a light, flowy skirt. This is a sure-fire ageless style technique. Look in your closet and notice what fabrics and textures are in there. Are they all similar fabrics? I see this a lot in my clients’ closets. Style rut? Fabric rut?  Ideally, you want to have a mix of fabrics, such as cotton, jersey, linen, nylon (or a high quality polyester), silk, suede or leather, woven, etc. to add interest, dimension and style to your outfits.

Whatever you choose to adopt as your ageless style, have fun with it, and allow it to uplift you every single day! Please feel free to share your ageless style tips. Would love to hear them!