In addition to finding sales associates and shopping venues that go the extra step, you can improve your shopping experience and style smarts by doing a little investigation on your own. This means kissing a lot of toads (i.e., trying on many, many outfits) to find your fashion royalty. Just know that not all fashion advice is suitable for all sizes, shapes, and styles.
The Art of the Curve
As much as I enjoy reading different takes on style, I’ve grown weary of magazines. They tout super-inexpensive garments as “fashion wear” for women of a certain age. Mainstream women’s magazines often identify bargain-price wardrobe pieces that follow the trends of the day. However, they fail to note that the styles are cut to enhance the figures of the young, the super-slim, and consumers who don’t mind having a disposable wardrobe that won’t stand up to time or laundering.
Most one-size-fits-all fashion advice in women’s magazines just doesn’t fit — the style or the figure — of the mid-life woman with curves and jiggly bits. Those glossy style-spreads hyping discount store designs have little to offer fashion-conscious females who would nonetheless like a more modest hemline or covered sleeve or décolletage. A flash of flesh may be fierce… or felonious. When seeking guidance on what looks good on real women, look beyond the newsstand.
The following resources provide plenty of inspiration for mindful shopping and wardrobe planning:
- 40+ Style
- Brenda Kinsel
- Fabulous After 40
- Susan After 60
- Justine Leconte (YouTube)
- Audrey Coyne (YouTube)
Whatever aspect of your figure you wish to maximize or minimize, there’s likely to be a blog that fits just right.
Books
Get a sense of the rules of what does – and doesn’t – work for women with realistic proportions and ample life experience. Avail yourself of some books that let you hone in your style smarts and learn to accentuate the positive.
- 40 Over 40: 40 Things Every Woman Over 40 Needs to Know About Getting Dressed and Brenda’s Wardrobe Companion by Brenda Kinsel
- Dress Your Best: The Complete Guide to Finding the Style That’s Right For Your Body by Clinton Kelly and Stacey London
- Forever Cool: How To Achieve Ageless, Youthful and Modern Personal Style by Sherrie Mathieson
- Nothing to Wear by Jesse Garza and Joe Lupo
- Tim Gunn’s Fashion Bible by Tim Gunn
- What Not To Wear For Every Occasion, What Not To Wear Part 2, and Body Shape Bible by Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine
Geralin’s Gems: My Favorite Fashion Finds
Viewers often ask about name brands for daytime and special occasion clothing. Below are a few labels (names) that are easy to find shopping in department stores and online.
For workout wear, I like Zella, available at Nordstrom. It doesn’t matter whether you are tall and slender, apple- or pear-shaped, blessed with a bosom and a tiny waist, or have hips that just don’t quit. There are guidelines for finding styles that fit and designers who make fashions that flatter. Happy shopping!
If you’d like to build a practical and elegant wardrobe that fits you and your lifestyle, check out my Wardrobe Wisdom Workbook, and download my free Clothing Capsule Planning Worksheets and Checklist to Pack for a Vacation or Business Trip. Also, make sure to listen to these interviews on planning a Capsule Wardrobe. They are part of the Smead ‘Keeping You Organized’ video/podcast series:
Need more help to learn style smarts? Book a one-on-one wardrobe, closet, and clothing coaching call to answer your specific questions and get my one-on-one fashion advice.