How to be fashionable at any age
By remembering the “3 C’s” when you dress: clean, classic, and coverage.
CLEAN: Clean lines create a clean silhouette which makes the body appear more youthful by skimming the trouble spots instead of calling attention to them. Complicated cuts, seams, and details usually call for a killer body to pull off, so if you haven’t got it, steer clear of those styles.
CLASSIC: Classic styles are called classic because they remain in style year after year. Why? Because they look good on so many bodies! Sheathes, A-line skirts, flat front pants – all tend to flatter a variety of shapes. What’s more, because they remain in style year after year, classics are easier on the budget than trends. So go for classic rather than trends.
COVERAGE: Covering appropriately is the key to aging gracefully. If your upper arms, thighs, and décolletage have all seen better days, it’s time to cover them up a bit instead of sharing the wear-and-tear with the world. Now I’m not talking about draping yourself in a tent for the rest of your life. Far from it. I’m talking about wearing short sleeves instead of going sleeveless, Capris instead of shorts, and modest necklines instead of plunging necklines.
Now I know that covering up the parts that used to turn heads and draw envy can be tough to take for some women. Which is precisely why beautiful jewellery and fine fabrics are the revenge tools of choice for many well-dressed mature women.
So your bustline isn’t as perky as your twenty-something daughter or granddaughter. So what? Add a beautiful necklace and draw envious glances from women of all ages. Don’t have the same backside you did as a teen? Encase it in a fine fabric and see how many men go out of the way to hold the door open for you. People will look where you focus their attention, so use that knowledge to redirect their interest to the parts you want them to see.
Or, as actress Cybil Shepard once said, “I like to flaunt what I have left.”
Don’t flip through fashion magazines and bemoan the fact that you don’t look like the models. Instead, look at the various fashion elements to determine what will and won’t work for you. Are printed scarves all the rage this year? Grab a few and be trendy. Are mini skirts the style of choice? Pass and bank your money.
See how easy this is?
“A woman has the age she deserves,” Coco Chanel once said. You don’t have to go under cover and dress “like a little old lady” just because that’s what your mother or grandmother did. You’re your own person.
If you remember to dress in clean lines and classic styles and cover appropriately, you can still be fashionable – AND draw long, lingering glances from handsome men – – whatever your age. And if THAT doesn’t make you feel like a blushing girl again, then honey, nothing I can say will!