BLOG 141: ENVOGUE

"Clothes are like a gloss that sets off everything...invented more to enhance physical advantages than to veil physical defects."
Honore de Balzac

We'e all living longer. We're all looking better. We're all redefining sterotypes every day. YAY BRITTANNIA! This is a cool time to be a woman "of a certain age" in the UK. How old is a woman of a certain age? They used to say it was point when men stop wanting to have sex with you which used to be around 50... but then Goldie Hawn and Helen Mirren are undisputed bombshells at over 65... so time is very much still on your side! We live in the age where it's no longer an issue to have half a century or more of living your life behind you and we've got to a point where we accept that you have many more years of living your life to come. There's only just one problem we can't seem to escape.

And that problem isn't being comfortable in your over-50 skin: wisdom, maturity and fulfillment boost your sense of well-being, the problem is getting that over-50 skin dressed! It used to be that women over 50 were expected to wear dark blue or black preferably with gold buttons or a pearl necklace for detail. Clothes for older women were conservative - maybe even a bit 'dowdy'. Now the old rule book has been torn up what on earth is a 50 + woman supposed to wear? Sometimes it's a real challenge is simply finding wearable, modern clothes.

If you listen to the fashion gurus apparently fashion is now ageless, but that's no consolation when you have to pick through racks of miniskirts and low-rise jeans. Whilst it is clear what you are supposed to wear to be on trend when you are in the first flush of youth, things become rather more difficult when the only thing you know is you are a tade to old for flashing your midrift.

When you were younger advice used to come in fashion magazines. These would show pictorials and give advice of what to wear in inumeral situations but over time these become useless as many totally ignore women over a certain age. Even when the glossies try to address the issue, they tend to forget that mature women wish to be fashionable daily not just for special occasions. (In Vogue's "The Age Issues" the covers promise to show you what to wear from "17 to 70" yet a typical spread showed mother of the bride outfits for the over 50's). Designers and magazines only show styles on youthful models, (In an 'age issue Vogue' showed a ballgown for the over 60's with 23-year-old Maggie Rizer wearing it) claiming their audiences only wish to see youthful taut forearms and flat tummies - and presumably their older readers only get dressed for their kids weddings or the annual company ball!

Onthe High Street there has never been much interest in providing a large choice for the older woman -the reasoning being that older women know what works for them and stick to it. Where as her younger sisters are still trying out 'who they want to be' so it is much more difficult for them to establish a consistent clothing style therefore they in theory shop more often. This is supposed to be clear retail buisness sense. However, the most powerful and influential consumers are women aged between 50 and 69, who buy more designer fashion and luxury goods than any other group, while the over-55s also control about 80 per cent of the country's wealth – a pot that is estimated to grow to £6.4 billion by 2014. It really does seem as if this group was being sidelined for no sensible economic reason.

But there is good news: while it may seem that shopping centres are packed with teenage clothes, you can still find fresh, current looks that can work for the older woman. Stores like M & S offer lines such as Per Una and Autograph- a trend copied by many of the most successful retailers, such as Wallis with their Yasmin le Bon range and even H&M with their new line Cos. The High Street is moving away from old school frumpy which proves at last there is movement towards real assistance in the mature womans quest for real fashion.

However, we are still a long way away from being able to shop with wild abandon. Mary Portas The Uk's top retail advisor recently went public with her despair at the limited choices available for 'women on certain age'. "At the moment in fashion, youth represents sex appeal, and the fashion industry and the media are responsible for this. We need to shift perceptions. It's about fashion that's age-appropriate that can also be glamorous and sexy.Even if businesses do cater for older women, there's not much I would want to wear" She's right of course, the majority of the High Street aimed at a much younger market and clothes for the older woman tend to be in a frumpy corner of the store. However what ever the state of the British High Street it is good to know that practically any fashion trend can be adapted... if you know some general guidelines.

We’ve all heard the same advice on the “most appropriate” way for women over fifty to dress. “Wear loose clothing”, "Cut your hair short" and “Avoid trendy”. Fortunately those suggestions are becoming less and less appropriate for real women. Turning fifty doesn’t necessarily mean you wake up one morning and find your jeans don’t fit, your cleavage is a little farther down...if you can find your glasses to see any of this decay, of course!) . Turning fifty often is just a case of waking up and being one day older than the day before. Today a 50 something women can also be fashionable and regarded as a style icon. Fashion for women over 50 doesn’t have to mean twinset and pearls.

Four handy points

• Only an inexperienced youth would think dressing sexy means you have to expose every body part. Being older is all about sensuality in which an asset can be highlighted by the cut (neckline, bias, lenght) or by luxe fabrics (silk, leather, cashmere, fur) or rich colors (wine, chocolate, plum, champagne and midnight).
• Handbags scream your age to the world! Be careful to refresh your choices. Have some fun with your handbag choice by trying lively colours, ususual fabrics and different shapes. The key here is to find a bag in a good proportion to your size. Shoulder bags that fit under the armpit (not too tiny or huge) are generally the most flattering.
• Shop for wearable attire, if your clothes flow and your shoes don't cripple, you ''glide about" with the confidence and self-assurance your age and experience has earned you. Leave stiff ungiving fabric for those who do not know better.
• Use accessories to create maximum impact. Wear your accessories in new ways: wearing hairbands as shoulder details, necklaces as a belt, scarves as headresses or a dress clip on a hat etc.

And for those you prefer to have never ending lists to tick, here is a list of Does and Don'ts put together by a panel of stylist who (after they finished contradicting each other) came up with more things not to do than to actually do... but most of it is common sense.

Don'ts

• Don't get too skinny it ages you. (Remember 10lb heavier or 10 yrs older is the usual choice)
• Don't wear baggy, shapeless clothes. Body shapes are much publicised so there is no excuse to not know your shape and wear clothes that set of your assets.
• Don't wear fussy daytime prints like tiny florals. Also avoid fussy, frilly evening wear.
• Don't wear overdone details..(trim, gold buttons) they are terribly aging. Go for simple tailored lines
• Don't forget that if you have to wear a suit, skirt suits are not kind. Trousers are generally much more youthful. Equally jackets are less flattering to the older woman than a suit coat worn over trousers.
• Don't expose too much upper arm and neck as they are both tricky areas for most women over a certain age.
• Don't overdo the grooming. Stiff hair is scarily Thatcher-like! Long hair is aging but short cuts aren't the only answer- a midlength ponytail always looks smart and youthful.
• Don't wear capes or shawls unless you are either little red riding hood or her granny!
• Don't think all black is just for teenage goths and emos! It looks great, especially when textures are mixed: leather, patent, fur, cotton (this lightens it up a bit and gives it life).
• Don't overdo the glitz! Too much colour -- brightly painted nails and lips, strongly coloured eyelids and cheeks are terribly aging.

Do

• Don't turn your clothing into uniforms. Be unpredictable, wear a variety of attire.
• Effect a natural look in beauty, that means ditch the powder and heavy warpaint but still emphasise the eyes, and get those brows shaped!
• Ditch the pastels and invest in rich colours. BUT when in doubt, go for black & white. You can't go wrong with monochrome: eternally elegant, modern chic.
• Ditch the prints and go for bold, classic patterns in black and white: houndstooth checks, stripes, argyles.
• Choose classic shapes: Shirtdresses, trench coats, jean jackets and jeans are eternally youthful in spirit.
• Go for unfussy chic: minimalist, functional designs and details. (Hint: zips are far more youthful than aging gold buttons).
• Only wear shorter skirts if you have good legs (but not too short -- let the hem fall around the knee).
• Invest in several fitted black tops. They are indispensable, flatter everyone and they always look great for day or night.

Anyone who has seen Jenny Eclair's very funny skit on the perils of being 'of a certain age' when you go shopping, will know that getting yourself dressed when you reach the half century isn't a easy task. But it CAN be done, and you don't have to end up looking like Miss Marple meets Mrs Thatcher with a sprinkling of Mrs Cartland; like with all things in life it's a case of knowing what to ditch and knowing what to keep.

Even though every fashionable woman will always enjoy looking at the young, trendy new styles ,it's a case of knowing what you can get away with. Understated is prettier and classier, keep everything soft be it your hair, makeup or clothing. Pretier and classier always turns heads and keeps pulses racing....even if it does feel the only pulse racing is yours as you sift through racks of unsuitables till you find something wearable! But take heart.... designers and retailers may try to make you feel your best years are certainly behind you but this young Hollywood actor (26) said famously at this years Golden Globes about a certain Hollywood actress (57)... "It always takes my breath away when I see an “older” woman who has really done her look beautifully...blows ALL the other fish out of the pond".

Women in their 50's are at their greatest fashion crossroads. Their status is so different from the 50 year olds of their own youths, to find a way to present themselves to the word is confusing, frustrating and sometimes embarrassing. But to be honest when it comes to clothing it's all in the old saying... . Aging is a case of mind over matter: If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!

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