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What's Age Got to Do With It?
Back when fashion magazines used to matter, one feature all of them relied on was devoted to how to look great at any age. Say the category was “Summer Garden Party.” Four pages would be filled with clothes and accessories chosen to have you stand out against all that blooming shrubbery, with each page devoted to a different decade, from women in their 20s to their 50s (Evidently, women over 60 either never left the house or bought anything after turning 59). So not only would your look be stylish, but you could be age-appropriate, too.
And there was a time when comments like “at your age!” or “isn’t that a little young for you?” had validity. But does that advice work today? Zendaya is 26 and looks spectacular in the same gown that would look smashing on Salma Hayek, who is 56. Jane Fonda is 85, and I’d rather see her in long sleeve, body-grazing Versace gown than what my grandmother wore at that same mile marker. Taraji P. Henson and Queen Latifah were born months apart. If you were a stylist, would you dress them the same way?
Designer Nicole Miller, our newest Designer Spotlight, certainly wouldn’t.
Instead, she dismisses those who snipe at someone for being “too old to wear that” or because she is not “growing old gracefully.” “What does that mean, anyway?” asks Miller. “Frankly, it’s just jealousy that someone had more courage than the person making the accusation."
Your wardrobe should be able to give you a lift, enhance your confidence, and reflect your spirit, not the birthdate on your driver’s license. Miller urges women to dress in “what they enjoy wearing, in clothes that fit their body type and their personality, not their age.” That requires you not to rely on others to tell you what to do. It would be best if you took the time to do some homework. Miller advises that you “understand your body type.
Focus on your best assets.
Everyone has at least one, whether it’s legs, shoulders, cleavage, and call attention to it.”
One of the easiest ways to attract the eye to key areas of interest is with jewelry: a diamond drop earring that will reflect against the strength of your jawline, a series of studs, and ear clips that align with the arc of one’s cheekbones. Long chain necklaces can appear to lengthen the torso. A locket landing right in the clavicle can highlight one of the most subtly sensual areas of the bodice. One landing at the top of your cleavage brings the eye to guess where, so if you want to show them off, it’s a foolproof choice. As long they don’t overwhelm your profile, there is no jewelry sexier on any woman, be her tall, short, thin, curvaceous, in grad school or on Medicare, than a big gleaming hoop.
Cuff bracelets add strength to thin wrists, and a cascade of bangles lengthens the arm. Does age matter at all? Perhaps oversized chandelier earrings may be a little much on a very young woman, but what if she’s statuesque and lean with wide shoulders? A single pendant may be perfect for peeking out from under a white shirt and blazer during the day, in class, or at the office. That same pendant layered with three or four more different, but harmonious chains can add just the right amount of drama to how you are framed when in a strapless dress across the table at a candlelit dinner.
Doesn’t matter whether you are 20, 40, or 60. The advice is now the same. Don’t waste time and effort trying to look older, younger, cooler, or more sophisticated. You’ll have greater success and a lot more fun wearing what makes you smile in the mirror, fits your mood, and makes you sparkle as brightly as those diamond hoops. That’s how you can look great at any age.
