16 Tips for Avoiding Fashion Failure

Well Past 50 Board Member, Mary Kellenberger and I spent an afternoon with Image Consultant, Kristi Kelley at The Image Studios in Chicago, preparing for our shoot for a Well Past 50 TV segment. This slender, attractive and perfectly attired young woman (they all look 12 to me) really knows her stuff when it comes to putting together an outfit that is color coordinated, flatters your body and is comfortable.

There’s good news and bad news. The good news is we can learn so much from Kristi. Albeit we can’t use Lindsay Lohan as our fashion example anymore (not that I ever did), she showed us simple ways to make the most of our wardrobes that have us coming off polished, trendy and fresh. And at our age, there are things that we NEED to do to look our best. Because when we look our best, we feel our best!

The bad news is, Mary and I both left feeling that we are complete and total fashion, hair and makeup FAILURES!

You really have to go in for a personal consultation to find exactly what styles, lengths, colors, cuts and combinations are right for you, but I want to share some of Kristi’s absolute rules that we can all follow:

• To look professional, wear dark colors in solids, not prints.
• It’s slimming if you wear all one color top and bottom, then add color with a jacket, scarf or accessories.
• Get fitted for a bra every 6 months. Especially at our age…sizes are changing constantly.
• You want your breasts standing upright so choose a bra that keeps those “girls” up with a smooth molded cup in nude or black only – never white. It can show.
• Be careful of minimizers. They can flatten you out and make you look even more matronly.
• Under no circumstances should you wear an outfit that shows a bra strap – not even a hint of one! Even if it’s the fad-of-the-moment, an exposed bra strap makes you appear unkempt.
• Spend most of your wardrobe budget on jackets, pants and skirts; spend the least on tops and accessories.
• If you want to show skin, use sheer sleeves or necklines. At our age, sometimes it’s best to leave them guessing.
• Don’t wear long, dangly earrings. They will pull your face down.
• Sleek fabrics with vertical lines are best for visually slimming.
• Wear skirts to the knee – no shorter.
• Buy one new outfit every season for something trendy, but stick mostly to classics.
• If you have a large bust, an open neckline with a sweater or jackets buttoned below the bustline is flattering. A camisole under a jacket is good.
• Capri pants shorten and widen anyone who is petite.
• With accessories, think proportion to your overall size.  If accessories are too dainty you will look larger; vise versa for large, chunky pieces. It will weigh you down if you have a slender frame.
• Three-quarter length sleeves slim your hips, but not if they’re the same length as your jacket. Then they do the opposite.
• If you’re well endowed, avoid breast pockets, gathering or ruffles at the bust line.
• Wear mid-rise pants that come just under the belly button for a slimming effect.
• Keep shoes the same color as your pants to elongate the body.
• Never wear navy shoes with a black outfit.
• Never, (and I’ve told you this before) never, wear elastic waistbands! They enlarge the waistline. Besides, they give you the erroneous impression that you really couldn’t have gained five pounds over the holidays. It’s a poor illusion and face it, everyone knows the truth.

Anyone who can afford a consultation with an image consultant should definitely go for it. There are so many minuscule things we just don’t know, or just don’t think of as our bodies change and our color fades. It doesn’t happen overnight, and the changes are subtle, but before you know it, you look frumpy. The worst part is, no one tells you. You have to figure it out for yourself.

If you can’t afford an image consultant, watch for our video makeovers on WellPast50.com where Kristi will share lots of helpful hints for women of different sizes, shapes, ages and colors.

Comments

[Renee]

Is there anyway for someone to wear elastic pants without them appearing to BE elastic pants? They are such a lifesaver sometimes :) but OH well - I guess I'll throw them in the Goodwill pile!

[Pammella]

Wow - what a lot to absorb and apply...I've definitely picked up some great pointers! Thanks.

What are your thoughts on leggings?

[Nancy Nehlsen]

I think leggings are a wonderful accessory that allow older women to wear the latest short skirts with optimal style, but one must have thin legs to wear them.