Act Your Age

When I turned forty, one of the best fashion and style advice I heard was by Teri Agins who writes at the Wall Street Journal on style and fashion. She said that as we get older and want to update our look, the goal should be a "better version of you".  This hit home for me. You don't need to change your style and all of a sudden start dressing up very seriously, lady like or whatever it is you think older ladies should look like. You really don't have to, should not, become anything you're not. Just make sure that your clothes fit well and don't look like they are 100% polyester from Forever21 (even if they are). I have found that as I've gotten older, following trends gets a little trickier, so it's best to focus on style rather than trends. I am not saying that older women should not be trendy, but I am saying that older women should not look like they are trying hard to be trendy. Trendiness should be something that sort of just happens and fits with your own personal style. An 18-year old can mix ten trends in one outfit, an older lady should go with mostly a couple of trendy items at once.

Another thing that is more important the older we get is good grooming. Chipped nail polish is not so dangerous when you're 20, but it looks gross when you're 40. Accessories should also grow up when the lady grows up. Not in size perhaps, but in stature. It's ok to wear fake diamonds, but after a certain age, a woman should wear the kind of fake diamonds that only she knows are fake. Costume jewelry is ok as long as it still looks "expensive". An inexpensive fun cocktail ring looks great on the finger of the under 30 set, but not so much if you're over forty. And the really weird thing is, that the cheap huge cocktail ring will make you look older! Better to stick with one good quality ring. 

One rule that I've heard, and I don't agree with, is that a mother should never wear the same things as her daughter does. In this day and age, I don't think that rule holds true anymore. It all depends how you wear it. The mother can wear the mini skirt or the shorts, as long as the rest of the outfit acts your age...

Luckily style is something that evolves. We change, fashions change, our style evolves, but love of dressing up stays.