Friday 9 July 2010


What to wear when you hit 40!

OK concerning this issue on how we should dress when we hit forty, this is what I have to say about the subject, Why do we suddenly have to change how we dress as soon as we hit forty, we're told not to wear short skirts, skinny jeans,and wear high necks, long skirts, and get rid of your long hair, get some highlights be prepared for old age, dress in box like dresses, basically be depressed your life is over , not when your thirty nine as thirty nine is your final year of youth no wonder some women go bonkers at this age and try so hard to look young when they don't even look old in the first place. Women come in all different shapes and sizes, women are not all the same, we have different personalities and goals in life, some of us are more fit then others, So why all the box like dresses!
I'm a forty seven year old single mum and I still wear skinny jeans but I'm aware of my body changing so I wear longer tops now because they suit me better, Its about your own personal style which you can have at any age, At our age we should be having fun with clothes as we have more experience with coordination and over the years a more understanding of what suits us, I have two beautiful daughters who often ask what I think about what their wearing as there still young and discovering what suits them and their personality. Personal style is something that can be developed and you can look great at any age without having to resort to dressing in a tent unless you like a tent,then no problem its none of any ones business, I do know lots of women who aren't that bothered and that's fine as long as your not conforming to something that depresses you. Another thing if you have developed your own personal style you will have realised that you don't have to spend that much on your wardrobe. So please don't conform to this idea that your life is over when you hit forty or should I say that your invisible once you hit forty, complete nonsense.
By Vivian

4 comments:

  1. I always thought I would cut my hair off when I was 40 (I'm 37.5 now) but the truth is, I look awful with my hair cut shorter than shoulder length!! Thank goodness it's acceptable to wear 'younger' styles for longer now. I totally agree with you - you can still follow fashion in your 40s, as long as you lean towards sophistication, rather than trying to adopt flashy trends. It's a cruel irony that clothes that are too young for you can actually make you look older than you are!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sophistication is what i'm talking about, we learn as we get older to recreate designs to suit us rather then just following a trend, its embarrassing how many people will just follow a fashion just for the sake of it! Only the other day I saw a women in her eighties she looked beautiful smart and elegant you could spot her a mile away! That was because of her own unique style! It belonged to her and no one else. Vivian

    ReplyDelete
  3. Having worked in the music industry as a fashion stylist and advisor, I look forward to the day when the saying "what to wear when you hit forty" will become as outdated and offensive as "a woman’s place is in the home". Anyone who buys into this utter poppycock deserves to be dictated to in a Stepford Wives manner! This banner is extremely patronising. Why should I, let alone anyone, allow some highly opinionated jumped-up little journo pontificate to me how I should dress and express myself? They would do well to remember that women were liberated in this country in 1928 and that means something. Personally, I am very respectful of the fact that some women gave their lives, so I could enjoy the freedom and choice I have today. Poor old Emmeline Pankhurst would be spinning in her coffin if she knew that nearly a century later, any woman would be letting some misogynist tell them what they are "allowed" to wear and at the experienced age of forty, please!!! Whilst I am certainly not advocating that one excitedly commandeers a belt for a bra top or strides into that business meeting in a latex g-string, I am an advocator of being yourself and never letting anyone control what you want to do, wear or achieve, especially when you have left home and ventured out into the big wide world years ago. And pray tell, why do forty year olds suddenly need advice and guidance on their fashion choices, anyone with a modicum of intelligence can muster up some sense of style surely, after all we don't read the same type of insidious headlines directed at teenagers directing them not to keep trying to squeeze into baby-grows!! We have never had so much choice regarding clothes and trends, we are spoilt for choice, but we are all individuals with our own likes and dislikes, lifestyles and commitments which will impact on the way we choose to dress. Find the style that engages you and you feel good in. Clothes should be fun and a channel for self-expression. One persons' opinion is just that, their opinion. Years ago, someone I respected said this to me "just remember, when that person has imparted their negative opinion to you, if you pay heed to it and take it on, in time you will no doubt find out that they have long moved on and forgotten you and are probably enjoying and doing just what they told you not to do!!" We only live once, go for it, do not be afraid to make your mistakes and learn from them (even the fashion ones) it's all part of the rich tapestry that is YOUR LIFE.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very encouraging to hear your point of view on the subject, I know mums in their early thirties who already feel like their lives are over and just don't bother to dress up anymore! Like you said clothes should be fun and a channel for self- expression. Love it!
    Vivian

    ReplyDelete