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 STYLE and FASHION |
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If your hair,
clothes, and makeup are stuck in a past
decade, it's a dead
giveaway for your real age.
Keep up to date with a youthful,
but appropriate
look with the help of our tips.
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| How to Dress Elegant
and Age Appropriate |
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 Avoid looking too trendy or trying to dress totally inappropriate
for your age. Observe what younger people are wearing
and adapt it to your age and
personal style. You can wear almost anything as long as it fits you
well and suits your body.
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| Why Buy a Fashion Magazine? |
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 Pick up a fashion magazine
occasionally to get the basic idea of what's new and youthful. Be
openminded to new styles and ideas. Start with magazines such as
Marie Claire, Glamour, InStyle or Redbook. To find more novel looks,
consider Vogue or Harper's Bazaar. Skimming through these magazines
will give you new and fresh ways to approach how you dress.
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| Seasonal Wardrobe Makeovers |
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Your wardrobe needs a makeover every season. Remember that you
do not have to buy what you will see in Vogue or Cosmopolitan but
you need to buy clothes with the cut and style that is in fashion
and you can do that by buying at less expensive stores as well.
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| What Celebrities are Wearing |
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Note what celebrities your age are wearing in their real lives.
There are many celebrities that are in their forties and over and
they all look fabulous, on and off the red carpet.
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| Spice Up an All-Black
Outfit |
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 All black will probably always remain popular, but remember to
spice it up a bit with a splash of bold color to prevent looking
too severe. Try a bright color or a print in a scarf, belt, jacket,
or handbag. Striking gold or silver accessories always are a great
choice paired with black. Great alternatives to black are chocolate
brown, burgundy, midnight blue, or charcoal gray.
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| Hair Color |
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Most importantly the goal is to have hair that complements your
skin, your eyes, and reflects who you are. Extreme colors, as
we mature, tend to make us look older. Multidimensional, tone-on-tone
highlights add movement to the hair. Here are some tips on determining
the right shade for you:
Reds: Stay away from fiery reds and pick a more auburn tone.
Browns: Pick a more chocolate brown. Skin
color changes as we mature and we lose pigment in our skin. Stay
away from very dark colors like black or dark brown. Lighten up
your color a few shades—this will take years off!
Blondes: Pick more of a honey blonde—never baby or platinum
blonde. Blondes especially need golden tones to add a rosy and
sun-kissed glow to the face.
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| Use Caution with Pastels |
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Pastels are tricky. They can turn the freshest complexion sallow,
and make your body look larger. Pastels can also make you look washed
out and tired. The right colors can make you look younger, healthier
and sexier. The colors you wear should compliment your natural features
such as your eye
color, skin tone, and body shape.
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| Don't Judge Clothing
on the Hanger |
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Clothes need the shape of a body to be judged. Even if you're only
faintly interested, try the garment on before making a decision.
In fact, make a point to try on something totally out of  your comfort
zone once in a while. Something you think would never look good might
actually look great on you.
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| Using a Personal Stylist
or Image Consultant |
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A professional stylist will advise you on fashion, assess your
existing wardrobe, and create a look for you with clothing and accessories.
Some stylists come to your home
to go through your existing clothes with you. For free advice,
many stores from small boutiques to larger department stores have personal
in-store fashion advisers.
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| Fashion Websites |
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Visiting fashion websites can help you stay up-to-date with your
fashion sense. Some sites include beauty, fitness and
health as well as fashion advice. Often you'll find information on
fashion trends, examples of makeovers, runway photos from the fashion
shows and discussion groups.
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| Hair Styles |
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 Choose a hairstyle to suit your face and to suit your
age. Wrinkles are emphasised by the straight lines of long hair,
but the softer shape of short hair makes them less obvious. Long
hair on older women tends to draw
the facial features downward. A general rule for women 'of a certain
age' is to keep hair shoulder-length or shorter. This also helps
keep hair in good condition. If you're over 40 and your long hair
makes you look fantastic and feel confident, go ahead
and break the rules. Consider a long, layered cut that keeps your
hair modern and updated.
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| Color Draping |
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 Knowing what colors look best on you will improve your image and
self-confidence. Determine your best colors based on your eye color
and pattern, hair color and your skin response to color through a
process known as color draping. Have this done by a professional
consultant, or enlist a friend to help you do this at home. When
wearing the wrong colors your skin color and texture will tend to
appear uneven, and blemishes will "pop out". Dark circles
and shadows show up on your face and, overall, you'll look tired
and washed out.
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| Buy One Hot Item |
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Follow the current trends enough that you always have one hot,
popular item in your wardrobe at all times. Whether this is an item
of clothing, or an accessory, you will appear as if you're keeping
up with the times without spending a fortune.
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| Think Outfits |
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Rather than purchasing just one item, like a suit or trousers,
shop for the right top, shoes and bag to
match. Think outfits, not solitary garments. Ask a salesperson to help
you put outfits together if you need assistance. Buying clothing
and accessories at the same time also makes it easier to coordinate.
Try not to buy too many clothes. Most people
only wear about 20% of their wardrobe.
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| Properly Fitting Bras |
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 85% of women are wearing bras that do not fit properly.
This can cause back and neck strain and inhibit circulation
and lymphatic drainage. Get measured, buy good, properly-fitting bras
and eliminate bulges and sagging. Remember that different outfits
require different bras - push-up ones for tops showing cleavage and
tshirt bras in white or flesh for a smooth line.
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| Try a New Store |
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We tend to shop the same stores over and over again. Make a point
to venture into new stores to broaden your horizons. Shopping at
the same stores makes you look predictable. Think of it as an adventure
to check out a new and foreign store.
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| Wear What You Know Looks
Good on You |
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If you receive compliments every time you wear red, buy more red
items. If you know a certain neckline looks great on you, purchase
more items like that. When you look good, you feel better about yourself
too.
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| The One In, One Out Rule |
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Keep your wardrobe streamlined by always getting rid of one item
each time you purchase something new.
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| Tune in to Makeover Shows |
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 Stay up-to-date by watching
the numerous television programs that feature
real makeover cases. Some great examples are 10 Years Younger (TLC),
Makeover Story (TLC), and What Not to Wear (TLC). These shows'
websites also offer tips and photo galleries that can be helpful.
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| Show Off Your Figure |
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Don't be too covered up. Show some cleavage,
but make sure to wear a well-fitting bra for support. If you're
letting a little show on top, wear a longer skirt or slacks to balance
the look. Trousers that are slightly too big make you look much skinnier
than trousers that are a bit too tight.
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| Retro With a Twist |
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Never wear any retro trend exactly the same way it was worn the
first time it was in fashion. Tweak the details to avoid getting
trapped in a fashion time warp.
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