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How to Dress Well at Age 60

How to Dress Well at Age 60
Carly Jacobs

It’s a little cheeky of me and my 60+ readers will probably hate me but I’m not going to offer any advice on how to dress well in your sixties. If you want to dress well in your sixies read my How to Dress Well At Age 50 post. The advice is basically the same. When I turn sixty I’m going to dress any damn way I please. I’m going to wear ball gowns in the afternoon and carry a parasol. And I’ll have an old lady purse full of foreign coins and mints. I’ll wear knee high stripy socks with silk and I’ll grow my hair long and it will be wispy and grey. And I’ll wear bows in it. Pink ones.

The inspiration behind this decision came from a poem by Jenny Joseph. From Poems and Poetry.

 When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people’s gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,
Or only bread and pickles for a week,
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
And pay our rent and not swear in the street,
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple!

How fabulous to be all wrinkled covered with a thousand stories to tell and wearing a life time collection of fabulous clothes? I want to wear all my jewellery at once with a lace dress and sit in coffee shops reading novels. Oh and I’ll wear fur hats and hundreds of pearl necklaces.

Like this fabulous lady from Hel-Looks

What a fierce looking granny! And even if I don’t need it I’m going to have a walking stick. And maybe one of those big bags on wheels and I’ll cover it in stickers and have flowers in it all the time…

For Nanny and Nanna Smaggle

Love Lady Smaggle

Disclaimer – Parachute tracksuits are never okay. I don’t care how old you are.

xxx

8 Comments

  1. Lady Smaggle 16 years ago

    Kerrin – I hope everyone is a fabulous dame in their 60’s!

  2. Kerrin 16 years ago

    What a beautiful poem – I’m sure you will be a fabulous dame in your 60s!

  3. you know who 16 years ago

    Here’s the link! Hope you like it..

    And I’m definitely going to go all out crazy lady when I’m in my 60s – why the hell not?

  4. Paula 15 years ago

    Sorry …. maybe I will agree with you in my 80’s … but, now I need some serious advice for my 60’s. In case no one has pointed it out to you … 60 is not old these days …. at least it does not have to be. I am in terrific shape .. thanks to some superb cosmetic surgery, a small, decent, shape, good skin (thanks to my genes) and good trieps and abs do to a lot of work. Soooooooooooooooo again my question is what is appropriate without looking 80 when you are in good shape at 60?

  5. Amber 15 years ago

    Are you kidding! I just turned 60, am active and fit and ‘fashion forward’. Of course I want to look as great as I feel!!! I want to always look good in jeans and a t shirt, but want to have some more choices than what comes in a size 4. I’d love to see more women love their bodies whaever their size and just try to be healthier…not thinner. And dress to look their best whatever their size, shape and budget. How about a show that is “what to wear at any age, shape, budget”? Not all of us will have the $5k gift from Stacy and Clinton, or deep pockets, but still want to look our best!

  6. tierny 14 years ago

    I’m 60 and I’m in very good shape because I work at it every day. weights, walking and running and anything that keeps me moving, plus 2 fabulous grandkids who think I can keep up with them! My arm are strong and my chest is smooth ( I’ve alwasy taken care of my skin). I like the legging trend,and I wear jeans alot but the offering in the top department are’nt always great. I’m not trying to be 20 or 30 again. I agree with the 2 comments above, I don’t have lots of money to waste on designer wear, but I like to look my best. besides t-shirts whats if good to wear

  7. Linda 12 years ago

    I also had Life Style’s Face lift and would do it again in a heart beat. I am 64 and have been told I look in my 40’s. Body size 6 but I am stuck not knowing what to wear these days. Live in the country and have fallen into the country easy goin look of clothes I guess? Any ideas what to wear this Easter for Church? Linda

  8. twiggy 11 years ago

    I loved this I was feeling down today..(soon approaching 60’s) and thought who and what to do for a change, I do look fab for 60 I am told but I loved reading this, it gave me a warm feeling of belonging! x

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