As I was leaving a lunch at the club house the other day I noticed
a woman who I am guessing was 80ish; I’m saying “guessing” as it is impossible
to tell a woman’s real age what with all the hair dyes and great make up. <Grin>
She was wearing high heels, and one of those dresses that are long in the back
and short in the front and I thought, cute or inappropriate for her age? Ha Ha,
I thought, look who’s talking about inappropriate attire, as I had on my Stones
(famous insignia) T-shirt with leggings. But as is usual for me, this got me to
thinking, wouldn’t this be an interesting blog topic? So off to the research I went, as usual, to
see what the so-called experts had to say.
Before I get into the experts opinions, here are the off the
top of my head thoughts on fashion; just because you are of a certain age that DOES
NOT mean you can’t be stylish. Contrary to what our youth obsessed
culture tells us, that everyone over the age of 30 should either a) dress like
Miley Cyrus or b) wear horrible mommy jeans and Christmas sweaters. Yes, yes, I
know, many trends are geared for the younger generation, but it’s the seasoned/mature
fashionista who can exude real style!
But you say hey, what about those of us who have crossed the 60-year
mark and still want to keep it poppin’? Well
that is exactly what I want to explore, so let’s see what the experts have to
say on this topic.
In one of the articles about fashion for the aging (that
would be us) by the budget fashionista, she gives us this advice:
Please throw out the
following:
1.
Floor-length floral
printed dresses
- Muumuus (unless they are for lounging around
the house)
- Long (ankle-length), unstructured, A-line
skirts
- Elastic-waisted pants that make everyone look
like a balloon
- Unstructured pants and suits
- Large, oversized t-shirts (hmm, I love these
with sweats in the winter <Grin>
- Khaki/mauve-colored grandma flats
- Unstylish jumper-type dresses (usually made of
khaki or jean material)
- Sweaters with embroidery, appliques, etc.
(especially Christmas sweater
Then start re-building your wardrobe. The easiest first step
is to go the monochromatic (i.e. wearing one, simple color like blue, red,
green, black, white, khaki, etc.) route. Which will make you look slimmer and
classic. Now monochromatic doesn’t mean boring or boxy, just
means keeping it simple.
Hmm, interesting take; then I thought back on my own Mother who, as I was growing up, was always an embarrassment to me. When miniskirts and go go boots with diamond mesh black stockings were the thing (60’s as you can tell), out struts my Mother in exactly that. OMG, I thought, she needs to dress her age. As an adult with a teenage daughter I recall she felt the same about me, and my granddaughter was heard saying the same thing to my daughter. I am sure those of you who have a daughter can relate to this experience.
Hmm, interesting take; then I thought back on my own Mother who, as I was growing up, was always an embarrassment to me. When miniskirts and go go boots with diamond mesh black stockings were the thing (60’s as you can tell), out struts my Mother in exactly that. OMG, I thought, she needs to dress her age. As an adult with a teenage daughter I recall she felt the same about me, and my granddaughter was heard saying the same thing to my daughter. I am sure those of you who have a daughter can relate to this experience.
Who knew, there are a myriad of blogs and articles on style
for older women. Here is what was written on one such blog which had me fuming,
as their obvious intent was to sell us the matronly clothes they had on their
site: “ Much like any other aspect of life (cooking,
love, money, and so on) turning to those that have seen and experienced more
than yourself for advice is a wise choice. Keeping this in mind, we couldn't
help but notice a gap in our blogger coverage for women that are no longer in
their twenties and thirties—but not anymore! We read through reader comments,
scoured the web, and asked around for the best blogs by "older"
women, and the process was so thoroughly inspiring that we had to share. Scroll
down to see our list, and if you love their look be sure to shop pieces
inspired by their style!”
Why did this blog anger me? Well, the arrogant statement of “turning to
those that have seen and experienced more than yourself for advice is a wise
choice.” The mere fact that we are over
60 says we have more than likely seen and experienced far more than this little
fashion blogger. Here is the definition of fashion:
fash·ion
noun
1. a popular trend, especially in styles of
dress and ornament or manners of behavior.
"his hair
is cut in the latest fashion"synonyms: vogue, trend, craze, rage, mania, fad
I will share
with you a few statements from the experts: “Maybe you grew up in a very conservative environment, so now is the
time to explore fashion and learn more about style icons like Jackie Onassis,
Jane Birkin or Audrey Hepburn. We see woman over 50, such as actress Diane
Keaton and model Lauren Hutton, regularly continue to outclass younger starlets
because they have remained consistently stylish with clothing that is not only
perfect for their age, but also possesses a look that suits their personalities.”
Seth Cohen writes and has featured hundreds of style profiles of men and
women over 60. He told Vogue magazine, “Advertisers are silly not to focus on
such an important and large segment of the population. Youth culture is
important but it’s sad when everything in the media starts to look the same – so
many of the faces are expressionless and lack character, and it doesn’t make
sense to chase an impossible dream of eternal youth.”
I think ole
Seth hit this dead on, eternal youth is an impossible dream. What I have seen
and have experienced in my community are some very fashionable ladies who make
the best of what they have and don’t let age slow them down a bit. If they like the fashion, well then they buy
it. It appears that in retirement fashion is still a huge part of their lives. This is confirmed to me by the many fashion
shows I attend here for the different clubs and events! Sometimes it seems that there is at least one
fashion show a month! Ok, Ok, maybe not actually, however it certainly feels
like I go to a lot of fashion shows! What
I admire the most about these shows is the models are ladies from our community
and they come in all shapes and sizes. I
often feel that the fashion designers should take stock, it really is an
untapped resource!
I, like many
of us as we age, would like to take “age” out of the equation. I say we applaud the milestones in our lives
like graduating from college, landing that new job, finding your life partner,
traveling the world, or whatever you have achieved in your life and not focus
on age. Then on the other hand I have to
admit there is a big difference between who I was at age 25 and who I am in my
60’s, and the differences deserve to be acknowledged. It all meshes together
with the life lessons I learned at each age. So as my identity has evolved and
changed through the years, so goes my fashion style as I continue to climb that
life ladder.
Another
headline from the experts reads: How to
not look too old (or too young) and dress for any age! I just don’t get it! Who
gets to decide what is too old or too young?
I have seen a new style looking better on my 80-year-old friend than on any
15-year-old. It’s called knowing your body type and adorning it with what accents
it. Wouldn’t you rather look great
(period), than great for your age?! I know I would!!
What
I am not hearing on these blogs is: the goal is to be chic at any age and make
your style gorgeous, without an expiration date! While doing all this research I was unable to
find out who the “They” are who have determined what age appropriate clothing
is! As we
are all aware, Americans are a society that bases everything on age; from our
rights, our behaviors, our health habits, our family priorities, our looks, all
of these things are centered on the number of years we've been alive! I say to
heck with that, it is obviously a very flawed system! I don’t think that fashion should apply to
everyone based only on numbers that really don't have anything to do with a
person’s maturity. Perhaps instead of saying that women should dress
older or dress younger, we should redefine "age appropriateness" as
something that inspires confidence and creativity, as opposed to the
trepidation and feeling that one's stylish days are over as soon as a certain
number appears on their birthday cake. <Grin>
My
take away on this: It is this bloggers
opinion that there is no reason to stop caring about fashion after the age of 60
and onward. Instead of being resigned to the so-called age appropriate clothes,
how about just defining and developing your own personal style. By now we are
all very familiar with our body type and what does and does not look good on
us. We all have mirrors after all and are more critical of ourselves than
anyone else could ever be. <Grin> So if your style is like Diane Keaton (my
personal favorite), or more flamboyant like Goldie Hawn, or just casual jeans
and a T-shirt, then go for it, do what makes you happy and what you feel good
in. When it comes to "age appropriate" clothing, perhaps it's not so
much about numbers as it is about one's own confidence and ability to pull off
trends and styles without looking like they are trying to be anything other
than themselves. And to quote Dorothy Parker, “Years are only garments, you
either wear them with style all your life, or else you go dowdy to your grave!”
I thank
you again for taking this retirement journey with me, or as I refer to it, “my longest coffee break." I'm just sayin’…
Diane Keaton
Goldie Hawn