Tight tailoring, baggy cardigans, very high heels and wearing all black – the fashion trends to AVOID when you’re over 50

The most important news for spring/summer 2024 is that ‘real’ clothing dominates the agenda. This might make you wonder what we’ve been wearing all these years if it’s not real clothes, but ‘real’ is fashion-speak for everyday wear – the kind of uncomplicated clothes that make your life easier.

Yes, the catwalk featured trousers and micro shorts, and fringed skirts, and long, flowy white dresses, but above all the message was This Works For Real Life. This blazer, these trousers, this shirt: they’ve worked before, so we did more in the same way and made them even more attractive.

Does this mean we automatically look good in all the major trends for spring? Not quite.

As always, we have to choose carefully whether we want to get the most out of our clothes, and being over 50 not only means that you look good in your clothes, but also that you look good for your age. Attracting attention would be nice, but we’ll settle for shaving six to eight years off our biological number.

We’re not talking about plastic surgery. This is about choosing a wardrobe that makes you look contemporary without trying too hard: fresher, brighter and more familiar.

A wardrobe that is years away from your age is the holy grail of the woman over 50 – and it starts with capitalizing on the trends that score high on the ‘good for your age’ rating…

VEST

The classic, neat and tidy crew neck cardigan, worn slightly unbuttoned with nothing underneath or a glimpse of something lace trimmed in the neckline, is a going out option for any age.

It’s more flattering than a plain crew-neck sweater (which your daughter might wear with a nice skirt). Make the cardigan black, add a midi skirt or smart trousers, some gold and pearls or statement earrings.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: A wide cardigan with a shirt underneath.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A bare collarbone draped with a single chain.

Or opt for a long cardigan with four pockets, unbuttoned from the waistband.

GATE PULL

The everyday floral dress has taken a back seat for the time being, and a midi pencil skirt or A-line skirt with a neat top are the new alternatives.

For evening, the new option is a simple top (perhaps a cashmere T-shirt with three-quarter sleeves) and a nice A-line skirt.

WHAT IS BECOMING OBSOLETE… A skirt with a high slit.

TAKE YEARS WITH: A skirt with boots or kitten heels. Stick to dark colors for now.

GLOSSY AND SPARKLING

Striped cotton shirt with embroidery, £190, Essentiel Antwerp

At Prada there were fireworks bursts of rhinestones embroidered on black dresses and silver eyelets on fringed skirts. Sequins, metallic, lamé and rhinestone embroidery were in abundance on the spring/summer catwalks, and while you should always say no to a Bacofoil trouser suit, an element of shine in an outfit looks modern and has striking benefits for the over-50s.

A narrow sequin stripe on a skirt, or a few rhinestones on a top, make those minimal ‘real’ clothes look more decorative and festive.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Shiny sequins from head to toe.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A sparkling detail on a skirt, or gold or silver shoes.

GOOD JEANS

L-R: High-waisted wide leg jeans, £168, thereformation.com; Seam detail, wide leg jeans, £99, mintvelvet.com

By ‘good’ jeans we don’t just mean weekend jeans or favorite jeans, but also jeans that will look good at the office or after work at a friend’s birthday dinner. For jeans to be good (not just good enough), they need to be a dark wash, fitted and on-trend, which means mid to high rise and relaxed at the leg, but still sharp and not sloppy. The new style in town is cargo jeans, but why complicate things when you can make a straight leg or a flared A-line your two best options?

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Your old bootcut or skinny jeans.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… Straight and long jeans worn with boots. Or wear wide-leg jeans, like a long skirt, with a nice white tuxedo jacket.

COLOR FROM HEAD TO TOE

Paneled midi dress, £250, meandem.com

Wearing one color, or tonal color (shades of one shade), is easy and smart, but doubling down on shades of camel, white or gray while Spring 2024 won’t do much for older skin tones.

Khaki works well in tonal shades, as do all blues and pinks, and designers loved red this season.

Red from head to toe can look beautiful, but an accent (a cardigan around the neck of your shirt) works just as well.

White coats and dresses designed to be worn together are already in stores, but if you’re heading that way, look for off-white shades and cream as well.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Black from head to toe.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A statement red dress (the flowers are a thing of the past), but it doesn’t match your shoe.

A LITTLE PURE

Sheer panel skirt, £98, anthropologie.com

Pure is not the word women over 50 want to hear when it comes to clothing. But when pure is as important as it is this spring, it’s worth taking a closer look, because a little bit in the mix makes the difference between watching and not watching.

The sheer (nude) skirt is the big news — so for us that means covered on top, lighter from the waist down (what they call “business on top, party underneath”).

We won’t be wearing a sheer skirt anytime soon, but we might wear a silky skirt, a skirt with a mesh hemline or a discreet sheer insert on a blouse.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Underwear on display.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A transparent hem under a jacket, or a transparent hem under a cardigan.

THE BOOT

Kitten heel leather boots, £200, dunelondon.com

Boots are made for every age, and with their cover-up potential and the look of ’70s chic, they’re the perfect solution to wear with skirts to look like an uptown woman rather than a mom.

Black always works, at least until the weather gets warm. Brown is also a good option. Make sure heels are walkable and won’t ruin your wooden floor.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Very high heels.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A block or kitten heel – and try a longer boot with cropped trousers.

THE POLO SHIRT

Merino-blend jumper, £75, boden.co.uk

As long as it’s not clingy, not baggy and not striped like a rugby shirt, the posh boy’s signature shirt will be as useful this spring as a polo collar is in winter. Whether you wear it buttoned up under a blazer and tucked into wide-leg trousers, or open with a midi skirt under a trench, this is a simple and sleek way to inject the crucial zipper of sportiness that defines the tailoring of this season a modern touch — and it’s a lot simpler than the other sporty top out there: a plain cardigan. The best ones have sleeves that end just below your elbow.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Polo shirts with the collars up.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… Solid colored polo shirts made of fine woolen knit. Avoid navy blue and white (too school gym).

TROUSERS HEIGHT

Shirt, £199, and wide leg trousers, £199, lkbennett.com

If you missed the memo, here it is again: Pants are no longer skinny or tight. They can be straight and looser in the leg, or wide and roomy. Anyway, the waistband rises slightly.

For the avid fashion lover, this means ribbed cuffs, and for us it means loose, flowy, fitted pants that cover your belly button. Try it before you flinch. They can be amazingly slimming and leg lengthening if you add a little heel, and there’s no escaping the new silhouette.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Wearing narrow, tight tailoring.

TAKE YEARS WITH: High-waisted trousers with half a shirt tail in them. A classic pinstripe in an extra wide cut feels right on trend, so start here.

BUSINESS CHIC

Trench, £149, blazer, £125, and wide leg trousers, £85, johnlewis.com

We no longer feel like having a special work wardrobe. But then again, simple classic tailoring is a grown woman’s best friend.

The core of the company is there to bridge the gap: it’s office wear as you’ve always known it – blazers, shirts, trousers and pencil skirts – but comfortable, feminine and good enough to wear.

The key to the core of the business is clothes that you probably already have and that just need a little adjustment to be ready for spring.

Keep your slightly oversized blazer (for oversize read generous rather than really big – that’s for the young adults) and wear it with high-waisted trousers or smart jeans and a belt.

The boyfriend shirt is still popular, but buy it in dazzling sky blue or a pink stripe instead of fashionable cool white, and tuck it in halfway; don’t leave it loose and flowing as it was styled on the catwalks – sloppy doesn’t do those of us who remember the grunge of the eighties any favors at all.

A cargo-style pencil skirt with an edge-to-edge jacket with a round collar or a button-up cardigan is the new smart-casual skirt suit.

If you love a trench coat, now is the time to dive in and make it last.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: A tight-fitting black pantsuit

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… A blazer, shirt and trousers/skirt in tonal colours. Smart belts are an instant lift in the city.

THE SHOE

Slingbacks, £35.99, zara.com

The good news for adults is that the classic leg-extension pumps are back in all sizes, and you can wear them to work or use them to spice up an outfit in bright red or shocking pink satin. Low heel mules are also a big trend, but are tricky. If you want a dress up shoe, you’re better off buying a reliable slingback. Say no to boat shoes, even if they were on the Miu Miu catwalk, and to Mary Janes – there are many, but they make you look anything but young.

WHAT IS OUTDATING: Nude high heels.

TAKE YEARS OFF WITH… Walkable slingbacks or a pair of suede, colored sneakers.