As a fashion stylist, I have noticed that a lot of women tend to lose their fashion sense when they pass a certain age.

They opt for more comfortable options and seem to take less time to put in some effort. Mostly due to busy schedules, changing bodies, and drawing little attention to themselves. Also, because of the confusing media message showing primarily young women in fashion, they don’t know what to wear anymore. Not knowing what still looks good on them, they stick to what they know. 

“Fashion you can buy, but style you possess. The key to style is learning who you are, which takes years. There’s no how-to road map to style. It’s about self-expression and, above all, attitude.” —Iris Apfel

Let me say this first, fashion should be fun, unlimited, and a great way to express ourselves. Without being scared of anything or any style. But there are some mistakes that women tend to make that can make us look older. For example, I am 45 years old, and I don’t want to look like a 20-year-old girl, for sure. But I also don’t want to look older than my age. I want to look fabulous for my age without looking silly or out of place… does that make sense?

Because I see a lot of women struggle with fashion, so I decided to write this article. To help you dress like a better version of you and look amazing for your age.

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1.

Mismatching tops and bottoms

Let’s start with a small but essential tip! Because it’s something we often forget, but we shouldn’t! We should balance our clothes… but what does that mean? It’s easy. When you are wearing a top that has a lot of volume, pair it with a slimmer fitting bottom!

And also, the other way around. For example, if you like to wear wide-legged pants, pair them with a slimmer fitted top. This way, you’ll show more of your body, and that will make you look taller and thinner. An oversized men shirt will look better if you pair it with a skinny jeans.

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2.

Complimentary Black

We all know that black is a complementary color, it is slimming, flattering, and easy to style. Fabulous reasons to love and wear black! But when we age, wearing black can make us look pale and draw attention to the face in a less flattering way. To create an overall black look works best when you use mix textures. Like a leather jacket with a silk skirt and a wool cardigan. You can also add the right accessories or showing more skin. This will make it look more put together, less stern and more expensive.

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3.

Structure over Shapeless

As we tend to age, we become more aware of our bodies. Many of us tend to hide certain body parts to hide our problem areas by wearing oversized and shapeless clothes. The thing with amorphous and oversized shapes is that when you’re not tall or slim, it will make you look heavier, shapeless, untended, and ultimately, older.

But when we wear more structured clothes it elongates our silhouetted, gives us more shape, and makes us look more feminine and youthful. One simple thing you can start with is by buying clothes in your own size and not 1 or 2 sizes bigger. A good example that is a current trend, the belted blazer or jacket, is a great way to make your over-sized blazer, jacket, or blouse more structured and fitted.

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4.

Accessories alert

People that know my style also know that I love, love, love accessories! Glasses, jewelry, bags, and shoes, I love it all, and with me, a lot of women do too. But many of us forget to keep our accessories up to date. Why is that important? Because when your accessories are old or outdated, it will pull your look down, and it can make you look frumpy and older.

It’s essential to pay attention to your shoes, bags, jewelry, etc. For example, if you wear glasses, don’t forget to buy a new pair of ones in a while. Not every month, but maybe twice a year? Fashion change all the time, and even if we love our vintage, if not styled right, it looks dusty. Of course, there are those timeless pieces that we can wear over and over again (please wear them…), but you still have to keep them in style by adding other modern accessories. This is just a great way to amp up your style, show more of your personality, and give your look that extra oomph.

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5.

Maxi length is not your friend

We see this fashion trend a lot right now, and I can only say, be careful with the maxi length dress or skirt! Comfortable to wear and a fabulous way to hide our legs or other parts of our bodies. But unless you are tall, the maxi length look is not for everyone. The length can really drag you down and make you look shorter (and broader), frumpier, and, ultimately, older.

What I would suggest is to wear a dress or skirt length right above or right below your knee or just up your ankle. But be careful with that length because again, it can really make you look a lot heavier than you actually are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to have fun with fashion!

XOXO Dayenne