Fashion Rules for Forty-Somethings
Tips for Wearing Dresses and Pants and Tops and Swimwear
Turning 40 is a defining moment when it comes to following fashion. It is the age when a woman teeters on the brink of becoming mutton dressed as lamb or turning frumpy.
Having a (fashion) mid-life crisis seems to manifest itself in two ways, says Trinny and Susannah, TV fashion gurus of the British nation. “Dressing far too young or giving in to frumpiness” is a common dilemma, according to their book, What You Wear Can Change Your Life (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004).
The secret is to look stylish and elegant, following some, not all of the fashion trends. At forty, a woman should know enough about her body to begin to understand which cuts and colors flatter her most. Reaching forty-something is not so much about following fashion but more about creating a sense of style.
Often being in a stronger financial position than a twenty-something, this allows older women to invest in some expensive classic pieces which are sophisticated and timeless. These can be updated with shoes, bags and other accessories in the colors of the season.
Instead of buying cheaper, poorer-quality fashion clothing from local high street stores, stylish women should buy fewer, more expensive, tailored outfits in beautiful fabrics and flattering cuts.
10 Rules of Style for Forty-somethings
1. Colors
- Reaching your forties does not mean taking refuge behind boring colors. Whilst keynote essentials are crisp white and slimming black, a woman is not necassarily doomed to a monochromed life.
- Select the best of the season’s colors, avoiding those which make the skin look sallow and are not compatible with skin tone. Eye color is usually a good guide for what suits you. Bolder and more sophisticated shades like this season’s Rococco Red, Snorkel Blue and Golden Olive are less draining and aging than pastels.
2. Dresses
- With so many dress styles to choose from, avoid leg of mutton or ruffled sleeves and go for simple styles. Maxi dresses are a feminine alternative to pants for those who wish to hide their legs and hips. Spring and Summer 2008 sees Grecian-drape dresses and closer (not clingy) cuts, rather than the diaphanous milkmaid and gypsy-style skirts of 2007.
- Showing too much flesh is a forty-something faux pas. You can get away with a smock dress if you balance out bare legs by covering up the shoulders and chest or layering it with pants. If showing a wide expanse of flesh up top, then balance it out with longer length skirts.
- Take comfort in the fact that only middle-aged, curvy women can really carry off a wrap-over dress. It is one of the few styles that stick insects and size zeros fail to have cornered the market in.
3. Trousers or Pants
- A really well-cut pair of black trousers in an expensive material will go with almost anything. Avoid this season’s high-waisted cummerbund pant trend unless you are tall and sleek enough to carry it off.
- Leggings, the fashion furniture of our generation, should be worn under dresses or tunics and not be the focus of an outfit. Leave that to the domain of an eighteen-year-old!
4. Tops
- Avoid baby-doll, smock-type tops or ones that are too tight-fitting, which make you look like a squeezed hot dog sausage. Nothing screams "stylish" more than a crisp white shirt with a pair or well cut pants. Longer length tops are more flattering at forty-something, unless you have the figure of Kate Moss.
5. Swimwear
- No matter what your size, one-piece swimsuits are more stylish and elegant than a bikini. The secret is buying a good cut. If you suffer from a large stomach, then choose a swimsuit which draws attention to the bust and not to the middle.
- Wrap and rouched swimsuits can minimize a spare tire. Miraclesuits, available online and in many retail stores, are sexy and perfect for older women. They claim to make a woman lose 10 pounds in 10 seconds, given that they contain three times as much lycra as a normal swimsuit.
6. Handbags and Purses
- Nothing is more telling about a woman’s age than her handbag. Invest in one or two great designer bags which suit your body shape and can be teemed with the staples of your wardrobe. Nina Garcia, author of the Little Black Book of Style, recommends that everyone should have three different kinds of purses. Women carry their life around in their handbags, so a big bag is both trendy and practical, especially for mums.
7. Shoes
- Turning forty does not have to mean relegation to flats and boring court shoes. A mid-height heel is stylish and sexy and can make you trendy by accessorizing a classic item with shoes of this season’s colors.
8. Underwear
- You are what you bra. An badly fitting bra is both unflattering and aging. A bra that fits correctly can take years of your figure. It pushes up your breasts and guides them inwards, giving a much slimmer outline.
9. Hair and Make Up
- Having reached your forties “Tinted moisturizers are too sheer for you now," according to Eve magazine, January 2008, 40’s Beauty. "Moisturizing foundations will cover lines and wrinkles."
- "Nothing is more ageing than long hair once a woman reaches a certain age. The difficulty is knowing when you have reached it," says Tess Stimson in her Daily Mail article of 3rd January 2008, "Just When Does a Woman Get Too Old for Long Hair?"
- With Spring 2008’s maxi-dress trend, longer hair is back in vogue. However, older women should take note that a short, layered bob or sassy cut can really melt away the years.
10. Classics Pieces for the Wardrobe
- Finally, getting rid of the tat and investing in a few timeless pieces is perhaps the most important step to achieving your sense of style. According to Garcia, there are 10 key pieces that every woman should have.
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