Jan 12
25
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. We are caught in the middle of looking like a teenager and looking like our grandmothers, and our own personal style becomes harder and harder to define the older we get.
In reviewing Charla Krupp’s book How Not to Look Old, I have presented tips on everything from haircuts to nail color. Now it is time to take a look at our wardrobes, and how to look polished without looking “old lady.”
Charla says nothing ages us like “outfits that are too matchy-matchy, dressing head to toe in one designer, looking like you tried too hard, looking like you didn’t try at all, and clothes that are too young.”
The modern way to dress to define your own eclectic style, adding a new piece that is current and trendy to add to what you have hanging in your closet. Charla recommends organizing your clothing by color, not by outfit, so you can mix and match them to create outfits that are chic and spirited, not like you just stepped out of a catalog. Try on different combinations until you find the ones you like, tossing the pieces that aren’t flattering or that make you look older.
We have all grown up with fashion rules, everything from “don’t wear white after Labor Day” to “match your handbag to your shoes.” Here are the New Rules that will open up all sorts of possibilities with the wardrobe pieces you already have.
- Wear white in the winter and black in the summer
- Mix black with navy or brown
- Matchy-matchy accessories will make you look “oldy-oldy”
- Mixed patterns look fresh when matched according to color tone
- Metallics are okay for day
- Shoes should be flesh toned, legs bare
- Faux jewelry can be fabulous
- Jeans are okay for the evening with heels and a fancy top
Charla says the key to looking chic in the workplace is not to wear business suits, but to look “less finished.” Having every hair in place with perfect makeup and a coordinated outfit signals “Grandma has arrived!” Put separates together in a fresh, unexpected way instead of wearing a “uniform,” and you will not only look younger, you will feel more relaxed and natural.
One of the most important aspects of style over 50 is fit—you should only wear things that are flattering to your body. Like my image-consultant friend Julie says, “Dress for your body today, not what you had ten years ago, or what you hope to be ten pounds from now.” Our bodies change as we age, and it is so important to wear things that fit well to make us look our very best. Wearing tops that are big and flowy in an effort to camouflage our expanding midsections only make us look bigger. Dressing in clothing purchased in the junior department makes us look like we are trying too hard to look young. Go for the classics, updated with a piece or two in trendy colors or prints, and you can’t go wrong.
Charla’s #1 shopping rule: Don’t buy it if you don’t love it. And love it only if it flatters you! When trying on a new piece of clothing, think “does it make me look younger, thinner, hipper? Does it make me look chic? Does it make me feel powerful?” If it doesn’t, then move on before you purchase something that ends up seldom worn.
Here are a few more tips to help you modernize your wardrobe:
- Spend a day trying on your clothes, mixing and matching to find new outfits. Ask yourself if you look shabby or chic, and purge your closet of the things that are not flattering or are from the last decade.
- Mix a designer piece with something less expensive—it’s okay to mix Target with Chanel.
- It’s fine to mix prints as long as they have a unifying color palette.
- You can mix prints like florals, stripes, plaids and houndstooth checks. But never wear more than type of animal print—“under no circumstances can you mix leopard, zebra or giraffe!”
- Introduce a casual piece into your outfit to “take it down a notch,” so you won’t look like you are trying too hard to look good, which in turn makes you look old and frumpy.
- Keep current with trends by reading More, Vogue or In Style. Fashion websites include fashionweardaily.com, fashionweekdaily.com, style.com, and glam.com
In future articles, I’ll be bringing you Charla’s tips on everything from shapewear to stilettos. But right now, time for some updating in my own closet!
Charla Krupp is the author of the bestseller How to Never Look Fat Again, out in paperback:
Check out Charla’s other great book How Not to Look Old, reviewed on Flourish Over 50:
