How to Dress Well At Age 40
Welcome to the third installment of the How to Dress Well series. The reader that inspired this series originally asked me how to dress well at age forty. Here is my humble opinion… I hope it serves you well.
Firstly lets get through the list of things you need to admit –
* My dear it’s time to put the puppies away- I am not against a little cleavage action but if your breasts are brown and saggy wrinkle burgers I would rather not see them. If you still have the milky, white, firm breasts of Venus then go ahead and show them off. In fact if you have breasts like that at the age of forty just don’t wear a top at all. Otherwise put em away. No one thinks it’s attractive. Especially in the form of the side boob, which I’ve seen a few older ladies sporting quite recently. Damn summer.
* Less colour = classy - I know that this is a very controversial opinion but I do think that ladies in their forties who continue to wear bright orange/green/purple/yellow look a little deranged. Any woman above the age of forty who looks stylish and appropriate is usually dressed in neutrals and muted colours. If you must have your brights be subtle about it. Use accessories, shoes and bags to explore the colours of the rainbow. If you love colour try pastels or jewel tones. Don’t wear a bright floral pink and orange moo-moo.
* Experiment with shape- There are so many beautifully structured items out there that I would love to wear but I feel I am too young to pull it off. Stiff white shirts in interesting shapes, large gathered skirts and clunky little heels. In my mid-twenties dream head I like to think that forties Lady Smaggle will dress like she owns an art gallery. Try designers like Yohji Yamamoto or stores like Von Troska. Both cater to a more mature market yet their clothes are still beautiful and appealing.
* Take an interest in art – Start experimenting with fabulous accessories. Beautiful felted bags, gorgeous organic metal brooches and hand painted silk scarves. This is the era when you can start actually wearing things like that instead of just admiring them.
* It might be time to go designer- Consider the option of buying yourself a designer hand bag. I don’t mean an ‘it’ bag I mean that Hermes Kelly you’ve been wanting since you were fifteen. Or that Chanel 2.55 that you never found in a thrift store. If you have loved it for 20 years it’s likely to be something that will bring you much joy in the future. Go on, shout yourself something spectacular for your fortieth! You deserve it!
* You know what your flaws are – So just accept them. Stop putting off buying clothes because ‘one day you might lose weight’. Dress the person that you are. Not the person you will be. Here are some lovelies from the Sartorialist. I have decided against using my Polyvore collages for the upper ages as most of the clothes are modelled on a size zero mannequin. And I don’t know any size zero forty year olds. And although these ladies may not be in their forties I believe their style and grace can easily be translated to a modern, funky but maybe less than perfectly figured 40 year old.
This shirt dress is perfect for your forties. I would try wearing it with a beautifully cut pair of straight leg black pants. But that’s just because I hate leggings.
These pants are splendid. Comfortable and interesting yet they will hide a multitude of sins. High necked collars are also your friend if your decolletage leaves a little to be desired. But if your breasts are heading south avoid a severely high neckline. It will only emphasise how low your breasts actually are. And you’ll look like the headmistress if a Catholic girls school.
Navy and grey is an excellent choice. You are far enough out of school that these colours won’t make you cringe as they remind you of your uniform and they look delicious together. If you wear these colours in your twenties you risk looking like a librarian. Wear them now and you’ll look effortlessly classy.
Another terribly mature thing to do is to stop wearing fitted clothes. Diana Vreeland once said that it’s terribly chic to fit your clothes easily and that wearing your clothes too tight was an American habit that caught on. Well the lady in this picture is from New York and is presumably American so lets just say they are obviously redeeming themselves! Take a leaf out of her book and wear a deliciously floppy Egyptian cotton shirt or drape yourself in an artistically baggy skirt. Tre chic!
Long skirts. They are slimming, classy and will hide all manner of cellulite and varicose veins. If you are tall you should wear nothing else.
Obviously this skirt is a little on the short side but I adore mature women wearing head-to-toe-cream. Avoid doing this in your late fifties though or you’ll look like you’re going to lawn bowls. Make sure you spice your cream up with colourful accessories.
Structured dressing at it’s finest. What beautiful shapes and textures. And those heels are perfect. This is the sort of look you should be playing with. Different fabrics and silhouettes to take you in to a much more refined and planned era dressing.
The point is to dress like the sophisticated, intelligent and articulate woman that you are. Accept your flaws and try to work around them. You also have full license to stop following trends. Dress beautifully and with dignity.
Love Lady Smaggle xxx
Dedicated to Kerrin Smaggle
