Women's Fashion: Dressing Classy in Your 30s, 40s, and 50s

Take three fashion innovators, plus Oprah. Stacy London--a fashion guru from the television show, "What Not to Wear," Lloyd Boston---author of "Before You Put That On," and Charla Krupp--author of "How Not To Look Old". Put them together and you have a fantastic Oprah show offering down-to-earth guidance about how women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s can update their clothing to look timeless and classy. Also presented, of course, were the various frumpy, dumpy, grumpy-looking women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

In a discussion of the "#1" wardrobe mistake many women make, each fashionista had his/her own idea. Mr. Boston mentioned he believed the "#1" mistake
women make is during shopping for clothes. He says many women "shop by the number (i.e. size) rather than the fit." Doing so results in incredibly bad selections regarding the fit of the clothing articles. He encourages women to "forget about the number."

Ms. London, on the other hand, feels the "#1" fashion error made by women is their over concern with "being trendy." Ms. London firmly expressed that each woman must "consider" her own body type, age, and lifestyle in her selection of clothing. "That's how to decide what's gonna work for you."

Ms. Krupp's idea of the " #1" mistake--and I quote, is, "Women in America are so hung up on comfort that they walk around in clothes like they're going to the gym." Hmm, I don't like where this discussion is going. And can you believe, Ms. Krupp actually went on to state that "sneakers should not be worn on the street?" More rambling followed about how, as women, we don't get respect from others when we dress in such a relaxed way.

Okay, now they have truly hit all of our "sore spots" in terms of the fashion habits of women, at least those of us in our 30s, 40s, and 50s. Where can they go from here?

Well, actually, Ms. London did a fine job of "making over" women from each of the age groups of focus: 30s, 40s, and 50s. Beginning first with a 30-something woman, Ms. London wowed the audience, selecting a tight leather jacket, a sweet knit top, snug jeans, and some bitchin' black boots by Cole Haan.

Using patent leather, Ms. London brought a 40-year-old mother up to the 21st century in black patent boots, a cashmere sweater dress, and what else? A Dolce and Gabbana bag.

Keeping with the patent leather trend, a 50-something woman strutted out with dark pants, a long, high-waisted print blouse, patent shoes, and a patent leather bag. Now this woman looked as great as any 30-year-old. Ms. London really showed her fashion sense on this one.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Boston outfitted a 30ish woman in a metallic mini-dress, small clutch bag, and boots. And I mean, high, dare I say, "slut" boots? A fascinating alternative he mentioned was to wear a nice, snug pair of jeans beneath the metallic dress for a night out.

Next was a 40-ish mom who wore a lengthy, metallic sweater set, topping cream pants, and a smart cream bag. Shoes were brown, with pointy toes. Yes, she looked mah-velous.

Again playing off the metallic theme, Mr. Boston dressed a woman in her 50s or 60s in a metallic leather jacket, over a flared skirt, with a small bag, and heels, the color of which was coordinated with the flippy skirt. Really gorgeous.

Ms. Krupp focused on a 30ish woman who needed to hide her back fat. So, high-rise, wide leg trousers were selected--comfortable and roomy in the thighs. Not to mention the unmentionables--Lipo in a Box. At a price of $40, this unmentionable is definitely worth mentioning. A light, high-waisted girdle of sorts, it sports a high rise and spans down to the thighs. Topped with one of the trendy, short, full jackets, this woman was transformed.

For the 40ish woman, again, Ms. Krupp kept the wide trousers and short, full jacket. And for the 50-something woman, the wide leg trousers also appeared, with a bright white blouse having a stand-up collar to camouflage the neck, and a longer, Gwen Stefani Lab coat. This woman looked very snappy. Even though she had on pumps, Ms. Krupp suggested they be switched out for boots to liven the look.

Overall, some very helpful style suggestions were made, such as avoiding baggy, saggy, longish dresses. Right now, jewel tones are "in", which is great because they go well with people of all skin tones. Another suggestion worth filing is that jersey clothing articles are "forgiving" yet clingy where helpful. One real gem came from Lloyd Boston--he says not to match your bags with your shoes, "It will put you 10 years behind." And that's a place none of us want to be.

All older women were cautioned from "showing too much skin." Some lovely styles and fashions were shown. Referred to as, "timeless and classic," they were quite sexy . Throw on a pair of tall boots or kicky, strappy sandals with a pencil or flared skirt or wide legged trousers and there, you have it. Or wear a wide leather belt over a longer sweater with tight jeans and boots--that's hot!

So, no matter what your age or size, if you are a woman alive today and want to look fashionable and timeless, select one of the ensembles outlined above, and go shopping. You, too, can look your best with this fantastic fashion advice from an incredible trio of experts.

Reference

Oprah Show. 2008. How to Look Great at Any Age. Harpo Productions.