By order of importance:
1. White hair.
2. Other visible signs of age, such as wrinkles, sun spots, etc.
3. Too much weight.
2. Short hair instead of long.
3. Lack of attention paid to changing bodies and how best to find clothes that fit.

The pattern, color or style of clothes matters less than the above. Make-up or absence of make-up matters less than presence of frown lines, crow's feet, white hairs, etc.

I include signs of age as stylistic choices, even though many women chose not to do anything about it, and I respect that choice.

I agree with the points in this blog post: https://40plusstyle.com/how-to-dress-after-40-and-still-look-hip/

But I also think the overarching message of that post is that the goal is not to look young, it's to look good/stylish. And if you are over 40, trying to look younger is often aging. So wearing tight clothes, chasing trends, trying too look too polished/perfect, buying cheap/ill-fitting items because they are trendy, or conversely buying all very high end items, can all make you look bad. And if you are over 40, looking bad will make you look old because, well, you're getting old.

My favorite looks from that post are on women who look their age, but also look great -- stylish, happy, comfortable in their own skin.

Anonymous wrote:Wearing blush on the apples of your cheeks is ageing, which shocked me because I had done this for years and years. I remember teen magazines in the late 90s advising how to apply blush on your apples, and had no idea there was another way.

Here is a video showing the better method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjOb4KsnOA&t=29s

Try it!

I see what she is saying and I think the alternative application looks fine, but I don't think the first one is aging. I think it's just out of style -- the trend now is toward a more countered look and a "clean" face (don't yell at me, I didn't come up with that term) where cheeks and eyes look bare but the face is defined by strong brows, color (not necessarily bright color, but strong color) on the lips, and eyelashes. The "side blush" works to counter and therefore looks modern. The "apple blush" takes away from the "clean" face and therefore looks dated.

Agree with the other PP that she's applying too much color on both sides, but that's likely just to show the difference -- most people wouldn't apply that much. She also hasn't fully blended it.

Hideous even…

Anonymous wrote:OMG yes capris. Not like...cropped gauchos that are back in. The kind that are just longer than the knee and tight. Horrors.

No, those are awful too.

Anonymous wrote:Wearing blush on the apples of your cheeks is ageing, which shocked me because I had done this for years and years. I remember teen magazines in the late 90s advising how to apply blush on your apples, and had no idea there was another way.

Here is a video showing the better method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjOb4KsnOA&t=29s

Try it!

This is not someone I'd take makeup advice from. My goodness. So much of it. Greasy and clown-like.

Skinny jeans with tunic tops.

Anonymous wrote:OMG yes capris. Not like...cropped gauchos that are back in. The kind that are just longer than the knee and tight. Horrors.

The cropped gauchos suck too, they’re just too cheap to make pants that can be hemmed now so everything is “cropped.”

Anonymous wrote:Wearing blush on the apples of your cheeks is ageing, which shocked me because I had done this for years and years. I remember teen magazines in the late 90s advising how to apply blush on your apples, and had no idea there was another way.

Here is a video showing the better method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjOb4KsnOA&t=29s

Try it!

She looks terrible! Blush on the side of your head is not a good look. The “wrong” side is better but still too much blush.

We’re in an epidemic of too much blush on par with the late 70’s/early 80’s.

OMG yes capris. Not like...cropped gauchos that are back in. The kind that are just longer than the knee and tight. Horrors.

Wearing blush on the apples of your cheeks is ageing, which shocked me because I had done this for years and years. I remember teen magazines in the late 90s advising how to apply blush on your apples, and had no idea there was another way.

Here is a video showing the better method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KjOb4KsnOA&t=29s

Try it!

In my 40’s I just don’t care if I’m “aged” 98% of the time, so a lot of it is just people prioritizing practicality and comfort.

Lots of floral patterns.

Clothes that don’t fit properly.

Capris. Ugly Summer Sandals (see various links on this forum).

What are some common style choices that you think age women in their 40s?