I just turned 50, help me not descend into frump town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't get plastic surgery. Exercise.

Exercise is good for you and helps, but after a certain age doesn't always yield the desired results. Neither does surgery, but after a certain age everything doesn't hang, snap back and stay put the way you would like it to. A little snip and nip may help.

[Anonymous]

I am 46. I exercise and am fanatical about skin care. I don't dye my hair though. It really depends on your hair color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly feel like it is the sensible shoes. If you take the same outfit and where heel you look better/younger/hip. I can't wear heels so I don't know what the solution is.

Pointy-toed flats is the solution.

Totally agree with the pointy toed shoes, instant chic.

I would think most women who can't wear heels also can't wear pointy toed shoes. The problem for many is bunion pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geez - all these posts suggesting Botox and surgery are depressing. If that’s what you want, it’s fine but it’s also fine to not choose that route. OP - I think Vince is a good label for older women. Their stuff is simple but modern. Think about updating your makeup too. It’s really easy to get into a rut for years and the sort of makeup that would look better on you now may be different from what you wore when younger. Try playing around with jewelry too. Nothing expensive is necessary but a cool bracelet or pair of earrings can really punch up a look.

+1

I like the Style at a Certain Age blog.

Just looked at this blog. Awful. The certain age must be 75.

I like the blog- I think she does a nice job putting outfits together. There are a few looks that I didn't care for, but the majority look great- stylish without trying to look young.

[Anonymous]

On an old What Not To Wear episode, Clinton Kelly advised a older woman to not dress like a 30 year old because the 30 year old will ALWAYS win! This phrase keeps me in my lane.

[Anonymous]

Always wear black, either top or bottom with neutral colors -white or grey. Chic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Geez - all these posts suggesting Botox and surgery are depressing. If that’s what you want, it’s fine but it’s also fine to not choose that route. OP - I think Vince is a good label for older women. Their stuff is simple but modern. Think about updating your makeup too. It’s really easy to get into a rut for years and the sort of makeup that would look better on you now may be different from what you wore when younger. Try playing around with jewelry too. Nothing expensive is necessary but a cool bracelet or pair of earrings can really punch up a look.

+1

I like the Style at a Certain Age blog.

Just looked at this blog. Awful. The certain age must be 75.

Everyone ages. Even you will age. True story!

Correction. Even you will age, if you're lucky. Not everyone gets the privilege of aging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Always wear black, either top or bottom with neutral colors -white or grey. Chic.

This look is only chic if the colors look good on you. Many 50+ women don't look good in black, white or grey near their face, but look better with whatever colors flatter their skin tone closer to the face.

[Anonymous]

I like the Style at a Certain Age blog.


Just looked at this blog. Awful. The certain age must be 75.

I'm 50 and not a big fan of the style on the blog, but I don't think it's because it is "old" - my mom is 74 and has a better sense of style than that, in my view. For me is that some of her style choices are not cosmopolitan/sophisticated. But I do admire the concept of the website.

[Anonymous]

I'm 52, slim, and what's working for me is a smaller wardrobe with nicer pieces. I can't afford super-high end, but I get designer basics, and get them tailored. I love shoes and bags, and that keeps things fresh. And I still love to wear heels. I'm spending more time on my hair care and skin care. I'm pretty lazy, so if I keep up with cuts and color and good skin care, I'm good shape. I've been doing botox and light fillers for a couple of years, which I am not ashamed to admit I love. I will never go under the knife though. Whatever interventions I do need to be zero downtime and not too much $$.

I exercise, and have cut way back on alcohol. I also try to sleep a lot and eat well. I don't look super young, but I don't feel like a frump. My boobs are saggy (three kids), I have cellulite, and I have wrinkles under my eyes that are keepers (again, no surgery for me). So no chance of me looking 35 again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Diet, work out, grow your hair long.

No, no, no! Long hair is not the way to go. Mutton dressed as lamb and all that.
Find a length that flatters your face and doesn’t hide your features. Too many older women hide under a curtain of long hair and think it looks sexy and young. It doesn’t.

+1. Shoulder-length or mid-neck is absolutely fine, but long-long hair (especially when unkepmpt/unpolished) is usually awful, unless you truly have the time and budget to take amazing care of it.

My daughter has a friend whose mother, honest to goodness, looks like a witch. Haggard face, stick-thin frame, super-long stringy/dingy hair. If she got a shoulder-length cut and took care of it, she could easily look 10 years younger and three "points" better on the 1-10 scale. It's sad that she won't make this one easy change and instead looks easily a decade older than she actually is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly feel like it is the sensible shoes. If you take the same outfit and where heel you look better/younger/hip. I can't wear heels so I don't know what the solution is.

Pointy-toed flats is the solution.

Totally agree with the pointy toed shoes, instant chic.

I would think most women who can't wear heels also can't wear pointy toed shoes. The problem for many is bunion pain.

For me it is swollen flattened feet with other orthopedic issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been using the outfits at Halsbrook.com as inspiration. Their price points are all over but I find that the looks can either be gotten by rethinking stuff in my closet plus buying something from them plus supplementing from the gap (especially jeans). I like the nice priced classic handbags on their site that are both age appropriate and look classic. If you look at enough of their clothes/outfits, you will begin to see that they are careful to mix in some dresses with flats, long sleeves to hide arms, knee and midi lengths, scarves, ponchos and all with coordinating jewelry.

Here are some links so you can see what I mean:

https://www.halsbrook.com/catalog/product/25694

https://www.halsbrook.com/shop/dresses/fatima-midnight-blue-silk-dress-29652.htm

https://www.halsbrook.com/shop/dresses/navy-belted-dress-29452.htm

https://www.halsbrook.com/shop/dresses/navy-tweed-dress-with-white-multi-fringe-trim-30876.htm

https://www.halsbrook.com/shop/handbags/paley-midnight-navy-satchel-24638.htm

I'm on there email blast list. The emails are great -- they have outfit suggestions, sometimes tied to a particular destination (wedding, NYC weekend, beach party, etc).

HTH

Those are terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whenever I’m in NYC, Italy or some other cities, I often see older women who look really chic. I always study them and take mental notes because I totally want to be like that when I’m their age (which admittedly is coming up fast). I don’t often see many such ladies in this area... not sure why that’s the case - maybe there’s just a frumpier aesthetic here.

No there is a "giving up" among some women here. There's a feeling among some that taking pride in your appearance after a certain age is denying the aging process or buying into the patriarchy or something.

Or...I know this will be hard for you to grasp...there are some women who don't feel that aging naturally is "giving up". And some of us never embraced the BS stuff that women are "told" they need to do just to sell more beauty products at any age.

Just because I don't wear heels (never liked them) and am not a sucker for the latest trends in clothes (which usually look silly on most people) doesn't mean I'm frumpy. What is wrong with nice jeans, a nice t-shirt and a pair of sneakers? Nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not:

Pluck your eyebrows and draw them in
Wear a heap of foundation
Wear extremely bright lipstick

The most attractive older women wear less or no make up

Counterpoint:
Iris Apfel
Linda Rodin

Bright lipstick can be incredibly flattering. No one's going to be fooled into thinking you’re not middle aged with anything, os just go for looking great. And for the love of god, don’t think fillers, injections, tugs or pulls will really fix you. There's a florist I see on Instagram and she looks kind of spooky. Best of the best, but she looks nuts.