Jan 12
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Charla Krupp: Beloved Style Maven & Trusted Advisor
I was heartbroken to hear of Charla Krupp’s death due to breast cancer earlier this week. Charla was a warm-hearted, self-described “beauty addict” and best-selling author who believed that women of any shape and size could look chic and feel good about themselves with just a few minor tweaks here and there. Her books How Not to Look Old and How Never to Look Fat Again,she shared how simple things like wearing pink lipstick and shorter skirts, cutting bangs and wearing Spanx® can make us look and feel “hip” instead of O.L. (Old Lady), and how we can “look thinner by dinner” with a change in neckline shape, accessories or hemline.
I had the honor of interviewing Charla on my Blog Talk Radio show last year. What was planned as a 30-minute chat lasted an hour, and we talked like two girlfriends who had known each other for years. We squealed together when I told her I had taken off my “fake nails” because of her advice, and she shared some of her favorite tips and personal stories.
Thanks to Charla Krupp, I now am more conscious of wearing lighter lipstick shades, I have gotten rid of all my longer skirts, and I cut bangs a couple of years ago. When I dress for an event, i think of her “three bling rule,” and I’ve accepted Spanx® as a necessary part of my wardrobe (though not the “shapewear for your arms” that she recommended!) Below is a list of the articles that I wrote reviewing each chapter of her book How Not to Look Old, along with the guest post that she wrote about shopping for her mother.
Thank you, Charla, for improving my over-50 fashion, and showing millions of women around the world that we should celebrate who we are at any age with style and grace.
Below is a list of the articles reviewing the book How Not to Look Old, and my April, 2011 interview with Charla on Blog Talk Radio.
How not to look old: Unmatch your wardrobe
Style over 50—it is one of the greatest challenges we have as we age. It is like finding buried treasure when we actually find a pair of jeans that fit right, or an outfit that doesn’t make us look frumpy.
How Not to Look Old: Find the Right Pair of Jeans
“Nothing ages you like elastic waistbands, mommy jeans, high-rise jeans, faded jeans, baggy jeans, embellished jeans, flashing your thong and butt cleavage, exposing your love handles, jeans that are too tight, or your daughter’s jeans.”
How not to look old- Step into sexy heels!
When it comes to what we put on our middle aged feet, many of us are ready to declare mercy! and settle into sneakers for the rest of our lives.
How not to look old–show some leg!
The lower half of your body may receive less attention than the top half, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to forget about your legs. What you wear on your legs is a key factor in how old you look.
Look Thinner by Dinner, my interview with Charla Krupp
Listen to my interview with Style Expert Charla Krupp on Blog Talk Radio. Charla shares tips from her recently updated book How to Never Look Fat Again, from shapewear to accessories. Her new book is loaded with over 1,000 tips for “looking thinner by dinner,” plus 100 products under $25.
Shopping for My Mom: How Fashion Fails Real Women
A guest post by award-winning style author Charla Krupp In the 80s and 90s, there was a shop at Lexington Avenue and 66th Street called The Forgotten Woman…..
How not to look old–learn to love shapewear!
There are no panty lines on the red carpet. There are also no saggy boobs, flabby rears, jiggly tummies, or back fat. You may ask yourself how all these people can possibly defy the laws of nature? Well they don’t.
How not to look old–the “three bling” rule
Let’s face it: women over 50 all get a little anxious when it’s time to gussy up. But looking glamorous doesn’t need to be intimidating. If the first thing you feel when you see the words black tie affair is fear, then this chapter is for you.
How not to look old: Shorten your skirts!
Continuing our trip through How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp, we now focus on our hemlines as we strive for that perfect style over 50. The trick to looking classy instead of frumpy is to shorten our skirts!
How not to look old: Wear your own nails
When most women over 50 look at their hands, they see their grandmothers staring back at them—Yikes! Whose hands are those?? As we get older, our skin becomes thinner and the veins pop out, and our nails get brittle and soft, and no matter how good our faces look, our hands often give away our true age.
How not to look old: Go for a brilliant smile
Charla Krupp provides tips on looking 10 years younger by getting a big, bright, sexy smile. When it comes to teeth, Charla says nothing ages you like “yellow teeth, gray teeth, stained or splotchy teeth, small teeth, receding gums, or teeth that are too straight across.
How not to look old: Wear pink lipstick
I am continuing my review of Charla Krupp’s book How Not to Look Old, an excellent guide to quick and easy steps to take years off our lives without the help of major surgery. One tip that everyone can embrace is to “put on pink lipstick.”
How not to look old: Manage your wrinkles
This is the chapter I’ve been so anxious to get to, hoping that I will find a miracle for combating wrinkles without expensive treatments. But much to my dismay, there are no easy fixes, no magic serum for erasing lines around my eyes.
How not to look old: Unmask your foundation
When I think back on all the makeup I’ve tried over the years, it makes me thankful to be living in an age of feather-light foundations that are easy to match and quick to apply. Remember using liquid foundation like paint when we were younger?
How not to look old: Lose the heavy eyeliner
Remember white eyeliner, navy mascara, blue sparkle eyeshadow and false eyelashes that looked like big spiders? We thought we were hip, but we really just looked like Cleopatra or Nefertiti in puberty. Thank goodness those days have passed.
How not to look old: Tame those brows!
When I was younger, I had thick dark eyebrows. There was even a time when I almost had a “uni-brow” and had to constantly pluck them to keep from looking like the young Brooke Shields. What the heck happened?
How not to look old: Lighten your hair
Ugh, the roots. I shudder to think what my hair would look like without my good friend Feria #58. Without L’Oreal, I would be dull and gray, and would look years older than I really am.
How not to look old: Change your over 50 hairstyle
When I look back over my life in pictures, it could be called “a journey through hair.” I’ve had everything from a wedge (remember Dorothy Hamill?) to long and straight to shoulder length and crimped. I’ve been through perms and color to keep myself updated (Viva la L’Oreal)…
How not to look old when you’re fabulous over 50
Ahh, the effects of being a woman over 50. We have wrinkles around our eyes, fuzz on our faces, sagging boobs, expanding waistlines, and gray hair. It’s harder to find a decent pair of jeans that fits, we prefer house shoes to high heels, and clothing seems to be designed for either our mothers or our daughters.
