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Excluding a few companies like St. John's, Eileen Fischer and Forth & Towne, most of what comes out in the fashion world each year is designed for a very young audience. If you're over 40 and feel confused about what you should be wearing, here are three questions that can help you make sense of your dilemma:1. Is it clean? I don't mean 'not dirty' -- I mean clean, simple lines. Shift dresses, A-line skirts and well-tailored blouses are all items with clean lines.
2. Is it classic? Ask yourself: would you wear this five years down the road, or is this just a flash in the pan trend that you might regret come next year? If you would wear it down the road, it's probably a classic piece. Another shopping tip for finding classic pieces is looking for color. While it's not a perfect barometer, I've found that anything in camel is classic.
3. Is there good coverage? I'm not saying that women over 40 need to cover themselves like nuns, but a pop-out thong or a eyeful of cleavage is probably not a wise move for a mature woman. Instead, I think that women (and this applies to women of all ages) should pick one part of their body to flaunt. That means, if you are wearing a short skirt, wear a modest top. If you are wearing a revealing top, then simplify your bottom. Dressing at any age is about finding balance.
Filed under: Whatever Style, Fashion, Best of the Season
Tags: dressing your age, DressingYourAge, fashion over 40, FashionOver40
Tags: dressing your age, DressingYourAge, fashion over 40, FashionOver40
Marlon Robbins 10-30-2006 @ 4:46PM
there should be no need to differenciate according to age....style is style.
Marlon Robbins
www.glamwire.com
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Wilma 11-03-2006 @ 1:05PM
I totally disagree with this article, being over 40 and looking 30ish, I wear what I want, just do it was class and taste.
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Lori 10-31-2006 @ 2:13PM
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KAren 10-31-2006 @ 2:37PM
I totally disagree with the not showing cleavage part if you are over 40. There is absolutely nothing wrong or unfashionable with that if you are going to a formal type party or wedding, etc. and you want to wear a nice classy, sexy dress that shows some cleavage. Also, a good push up bra works wonders for any size breasts. Com'on, look at all the over 40 celebrities who wear sexy outfits like that everyday. Just because you are over 40 doesn't mean you can't be a tad sexy now and then.
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E V 10-31-2006 @ 2:45PM
Try being over 60 and have a leg brace since you were 42. See if you can find anything you can wear especially as you have one useless arm and hand. Try to find anything that you can even get on much less be fashionable. Just for "fun" try being in a wheelchair and manage aisles and dressing rooms. I just wish some TV personality would put on a fashion show for disabled people to give me some ideas. There are a growing number of "baby-boomers" who with all the medical advances will live longer lives.
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D Barnes 10-31-2006 @ 2:49PM
Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Ann Margaret, Raquel Welch to name a few had great cleavege at 40 years of age and over. Thumbs down to the article's fashion statement that 40 years old should wrap it up.
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sly 10-31-2006 @ 2:55PM
Great style advice but why limit it to apply to those over 40?
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Trish 11-01-2006 @ 8:55AM
Try being a size 00 and find clothes that aren't designed for a teenager!
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helen 10-31-2006 @ 3:03PM
I absolutely agreee! If you got great cleavage--accentuate--- Honey, if you (still) got it---flausnt it! In fact, MY criteria for buying shirts is: If it fits and shows some tits...I'm buying it! So I agree. (Not with the article...) This (stupid) article buys in to stereyotypes like, gray hair on a man, makes him look distinguished but on a woman, it makes her look old! You should wear what feels good, makes you feel younger, more than whats trendy! If it feels good, wear it! Not evreyone, regardless of age---looks like a supermodel
Oh and one more thing, not evereyone can afford to shop at stores like the ones you mentioned!
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Lana Kabana 10-31-2006 @ 3:03PM
Oh please! Women over 40? hardly! Plenty of women in there 40s have many guys in there 20s drooling! Women on TV in there 40s and just regular gals in there 40s have it going on more so now than ever! If youve got it flaunt it I say!From one "Hot mom on the block"
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Chic 10-31-2006 @ 3:10PM
I don't think that anyone with class has to show cleavage....why not let people guess a little bit???? A high neck can be sexier than all the cleavage, if it is done correctly. A slit showing some leg as a "for intance."
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Babs 10-31-2006 @ 3:16PM
I agree with everyone here...this article is based on premises that are shallow and narrow-minded and agist.
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ann 10-31-2006 @ 3:37PM
you've got to be kidding. i'm 45 have a hard body and wear thongs and go topless at the beach. rerun this article in about 20 years. maybe by then it will appropriate
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Carmen M 10-31-2006 @ 3:34PM
I would like to meet the Einstein who wrote this article, are you kidding me??? I'm fifty two and one sexy mamacita :) that tv show " what not to wear" says you shouldn't wear miniskirts after 35 hahahahaha, I have legs like Tina Turner and I will give up my minis when my knees become wrinkly and knobby, for now, i'm going to flaunt them until the cows come !!!! if you look good are in good shape, and it makes you happy wear what you want,
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Cara 10-31-2006 @ 3:20PM
It doesn't matter how old you are, or how revealing the clothes are, the fact is this.........HOW DOES THE BODY LOOK NAKED???????? Alot of women can look great in clothes and just because they're SMALL doesn't mean they look good naked......they can be flabby and cellulity as all heck underneath those size 4 or 6 clothes!!!!!!!!
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Kate 10-31-2006 @ 3:25PM
I've preferred classic styles for as long as I can remember, and being over 40 hasn't changed that. I saw the author as saying, "Go ahead and wear a sexy top, just don't pair it with sexy everything. Keep the rest of your outfit clean and classic - for a smart, eye-catching balance."
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Style is taste - and vice versa 10-31-2006 @ 3:34PM
The key that everyone seems to be missing is being appropriate to your age, body size, shape, personal style, and the occasion are the most important things. Just as you wouldn't wear a winter-weight business suit to the beach, you wouldn't wear a bikini to a funeral. And don't try to dress like your teenage children.
There is a woman I see frequently out shopping with her daughter. She is in her late 40's at the very least, but she is apparently trying to emulate her teenage daughter's style, via hairstyle, clothing choices (too tight, too short, too cutesy, and too "young") and the general way she carries herself.
Her daughter seems uncomfortable being seen with her, and the real shame of it is that she's a beautiful, mature woman, and her attempts to look 15 again are drawing attention away from that fact, and making her an object of ridicule instead of admiration.
If she chose hairstyle and clothing more appropriate to her age and position as an attractive, mature woman - not an overaged "teenager" - she wouldn't look so ridiculous.
The article did not specify that everyone over 40 should cover themselves completely - in fact it said just the opposite. All they advocate is a bit of moderation - as in, don't go 'round letting ALL your business hang out. That's not a good look for anyone of any age. Those who do so risk being seen as lacking taste and style, and in some cases, a full length mirror - among other things. I don't care what anyone else says, "If you're going to wear the uniform, don't be offended if you're mistaken as a member of "The Team."
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Karen 10-31-2006 @ 3:28PM
Just because a woman is over 40 does not put her in the grave. If this had been said of women over 70 I might agree. But some of us look like 30 year olds at 49. My breasts are not sagging to my navel yet.
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Miss Anne 10-31-2006 @ 3:30PM
I think women should wear whatever flatters them, but they should not try to dress like a 20-year when their face and body clearly say 40-something...Age is just a number, but old is a reality.
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AsianAmer 10-31-2006 @ 3:34PM
This article was soooooooo boring and outdated.......Come on, the baby boomers do have a sense for fashion, no we're not stuck with the "same old colors or style"; we're trendy to the end! Oh yes, the color, camel is ssooooooooooo boring too!
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