No one talks about mutton dressed as a lamb anymore. There are no longer any hard and fast rules for dressing your age – that’s just one big essential rule we all need to adhere to: when you turn 50, be aware that what you wore last year or the year before came out, now can be added up to a decade.
Like it or not, your 50s are the time when you need to keep an open mind, keep looking in the mirror, and start making adjustments. Starting with…
1. DON’T GO BOHO
I’m sorry to say this, but… what used to look adorably sloppy (at least some of the time) now looks like a dyed-in-the-wool lady who got dressed in the dark.
By the time we’re fifty, we’ll say no to ripped jeans (frayed pants are fine, as long as everything else is neat); no to broken shoes and dirty sneakers (especially because smart sneakers are a useful injection of modern touches); no to wrinkled and baggy (unless it’s sharp baggy pants) and no to just-out-of-bed hair (even though that was a thing in our Blondie worship days).
Your new fashion rule: make your casual clothes smart and sleek.
2. DO NOT WEAR PASTELS OR BEAUTIFUL
If there’s one message about dressing for the over-50s, it’s ‘go bolder and brighter’, for two reasons. First, pale colors look washed out and sloppy on older skin tones – a young person’s tea rose is a fifty-something’s red sock left in a white wash.
Secondly, we all need more definition in our fifties: floppy boho tiers don’t suit anyone and a well-tailored jacket makes you look and feel put together. Don’t fade into the background, sharpen to stay relevant.
Your new fashion rule: If you wear a print, make sure it’s graphic.
3. DO NOT STAY IN YOUR LANE
Step out of your comfort zone! We spend years figuring out what fits us, but after age 50 we have to keep checking back and adding something new, whether it’s a pant shape, a new sleeve, a new color or a new shoe style.
Relevant is a word that is talked about a lot in fashion and it is one that counts. You may look nice in your velvet pantsuit, but if you don’t look ‘relevant’ for now, you’ll look left behind… and that’s as old as American brown tights.
Your new fashion rule: One new thing – like a nice pair of wide-leg jeans – will keep your look relevant.
4. BAN BLACK
Black is the biggest enemy of women over fifty, unless it is worn sparingly, or in Awards Night style, with cropped hair and light-reflecting jewelry. Forget black office clothes, t-shirts, trousers and even black cashmere.
That said, tights should always be black, boots are generally best black, and there’s always room for a little layered top with black lace trim, peeking out from under a jacket.
Your new fashion rule: if it’s black, make it sexy.
5. DON’T WEAR HIGH HEELS WITH ANYTHING
The Duchess of Sussex always looks much older than her dress years in my opinion because she wears everything with a high heel pump. The kind of plain high pumps we wore in the eighties are an instant rage. This also applies to a low block heel.
If you’re over fifty, your shoes should be affordable, surprising, cool and easy to walk in. Shoes set the tone and the tone should be a little ‘Oh, she looks interesting.’
Your new fashion rule: have fun while running. Buy a pair of bright trainers, a leopard print ballet pump and a crackled silver slingback with a cat heel.
6. DON’T GO PLAIN AND CLASSIC
Your twentysomething daughter can wear a gray sweater, navy trousers, loafers and a ponytail and look stunning, but simple classic clothes for the over fifty can look sensible rather than stylish and need a little something extra.
It could be a brooch with diamonds and pearls; could be a zinger silk scarf tied at the throat or a pair of chunky chains, a leopard belt or tortoiseshell specs.
Your new fashion rule: accessories have to work harder; Trade in the generic ‘so what’ sunglasses for a fantastic pair of cool ones that make you feel like you’re stepping off a boat in Venice, with George Clooney.
7. DO NOT WEAR OLD UNDERWEAR
Check your bra. Too small? Too dark under a pale top? Not supportive enough? Each of the above adds six years. Make ten for too tight. In the right bra your shoulders sit back, neatly dressed and comfortable.
The wrong panties make you look like you have a soggy pancake butt when you don’t. What do you do with five-year-old bikini bottoms that are too small? You need Kmart’s 3-pack Outta-Sight bikini bottoms ($12) seamless, covers-your-assets-like-cling-wrap panties. You will also feel more confident.
Your new fashion rule: go for a bra fit. Guaranteed you won’t be the size you think you are.
8. DO NOT COVER
A baggy sweater, jeans and motorcycle boots may have worked once, but once you’re 50, it pays to be 25 percent sexier, otherwise no one might notice.
Show your arms if they feel like it. Wear a velvet suit with buttons and nothing underneath. Wear an artsy ruffled dress that shows off your silhouette without revealing too much.
Your new fashion rule: swap long sleeves for a bracelet and long tops for cropped at the hip.