Opinion | Fashion over 50: are brands finally discovering the potential of more mature consumers?
Women have been conditioned to dress a certain way once they reach 50, but many are increasingly defying the staid conventions of style
As friends and I head towards 50, I’ve begun hearing preposterous proclamations. One friend with perfect legs announced she could no longer wear her old dresses because the above-the-knee hemline was inappropriate. Another said that women over a certain age should go blond because dark hair brings out wrinkles. So should I be following rules for older women?
Many of us have been conditioned to believe that ageing should be hidden. It is known as “mutton-shaming” and comes from the expression “mutton dressed as lamb”. As we age, we are told to cover our arms, decrease our heel height, modify our hair and make-up and hide our necks. The sad fact is that muscle mass decreases with age and fat can accumulate in new places, particularly around the middle of our bodies.
The late American journalist Nora Ephron wrote hilariously about this in her 2006 book, I Feel Bad About My Neck. Should I, like Ephron, start wearing turtlenecks and scarves? It is as if we should stop wanting to be attractive, sexy and adventurous with our style after a certain age. What is that age, I wonder? 40? 50? 60?
More than a few blogs have been contesting that notion for years, including Advanced Style, That’s Not My Age, Accidental Icon and Senior Style Bible. Summed up, the advice is to dress for yourself and your body as it is right now. They show that we don’t have to cover up, but we would do well to keep up with the changes, modifying the way we eat, exercise and dress to look and feel our best.
