Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Style in one's 40's

The last time I was seriously involved in fashion, I was in my mid-20's.  Things have changed since then.  Not only has fashion changed, I've aged 20 years.  And what I could do then, I can't do now.  Not just because my body has changed, but it's no longer appropriate.

There's a balance between being stylish at 44 and trying to look 24.  I was watching Style by Jury today.  The woman was 51.  That's only 7 years older than me now.  But OMG she looked 20 years older than I do.  I've been blessed with great genes and a fabulous hair stylist.  She had just that issue.  She was trying to look youthful; instead she looked cheap and old and someone who was trying to be something she wasn't.  I don't EVER want to look like that.

I've been sick the past couple of days (which is why I ended up watching SBJ), and when I was getting ready to go the doctor's, I was tempted to just stay in my sweats but I couldn't do it.  I even put foundation and lipstick on.   I think I've learned my lessons well ... between Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and What Not to Wear, I don't think I stand a chance!

I've gotten some great feedback from you ladies so I guess I'm doing ok.  Fortunately Barry's taken more of an interest in fashion so we kinda check each other before leaving the house.  And he's good about saying yeah or nay.  And even if he doesn't come right out and say it, I can tell ... it's the "yeah, it's ok" with "that" look.  So I change my outfit.  One thing that seems to help a LOT is getting everything organized the night before (or a couple of hours if it's in the evening).  I put clothes, jewellery, lingerie and figure out what footwear I'm going to wear.  Of course most of my shoes are at work, 'cause that's where I dress up the most.  I've purged my closet A LOT so everything fits, everything works together.  So it makes it a lot easier to get dressed.  Mostly it's black or grey skirts, black, grey or brown pants and lots of colourful printed tops.


last summer's BBQ at the in-laws


my famous leopard pants


I'm not too sure about this one ... but it was kinda fun




I think this was on a fairly recent post but thought I'd include it.


me and my girl Patricia



me, Jen and Dave (they're getting married in May ... YAY!)


on the GO (train that is)



couldn't help myself with this one ... I'm so bad!


So I thought I'd actually start to get my photographer (aka Barry) to start taking photos when I'm actually dressed ... keep me on the straight and narrow I guess.

Have a fabulous (and stylish) Christmas!

10 comments:

  1. Hi Sandy! I can't wait to see your outfit posts. You have good genes, that I can tell. You look young for your age, that is a fact. I don't see any signs of aging, you know those stubborn wrinkles which are normal for 40+ women.

    You know what, I guess the secret lies not in the hair but with your smile.

    I got this comment from a young reader (in her 20's) in one of my post. She said "the reason why I'm following you is because you smile in your lookbook. Not like those young girls who look like their puppies just died." See, smile is the most important ingredient in any outfit post.

    Hurray for women who are looking fabulous in their 40's. Let's show 'em Sandy! Big hugs!

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  2. Honey, it's so great to see you feeling better about yourself. It definitely reflects in your style! Love you.

    B
    xoxo

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  3. Thank you Leah! You gave me an idea for a future post :) And I think they say that 40 is the new 30 ... I certainly don't feel mid-40s. But as my hubby likes to say ... you're only as old as the people you feel ... which kinda backfires since the one I feel is the same age as me ... oh well ... I can live with that :)

    Barry ... I don't think that in the 17 years we've been together that I've felt this good, this confident, and this happy. Thank you.

    Diane ... great to hear from you and you'll definitely have someone to come and visit if you ever get to Toronto. we'll have to do some shoe shopping together :)

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  4. Love all these pictures...especially that last one, you naughty girl!

    It is tricky navigating the trends at 40+. It requires an honest, discerning eye, and friends or family who love you enough to be honest. But, the reality is that personal style is much more about attitude than age. I've seen many style experts say that women our age should not wear short skirts. OK, tell that to Tina Turner. At 70, she still has the legs and attitude to pull it off. Thank God she listens to her own inner style artisan!

    I was curious about the TV show that you mentioned. We don't have TV (personal choice) so I looked it up online. I was amazed at the Before and After shots. Absolutely incredible and inspiring! I can see where one could learn a lot from the show.

    Have fun with taking pictures. Chuck and I have so much fun, and spend a lot of time laughing. It definitely makes the process so much more fun than using a tripod!

    OK...I'm done for now. Hope you are feeling better!

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  5. I love your sense of style. It is fun, youthful, classy, and hip. :) It baffles me when 40 and 50-something year old women try to dress younger by dressing trashy. And honestly, it's kind of offensive. It's like they think dressing trashy means you look like you're in your 20s...ugh.

    I love the photos. You have such a pretty smile. And that photo of Barry is hilarious. Looks like he has good style too, hehe. ;)

    I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, Sandy! You totally deserve it. I love you!!

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  6. Yay, the famous leopard pants! Thanks for showing us those ;)

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  7. I think you have amazing style. You look so chic & now. I think Tim GUnn & Stacy & Clinton would be proud of you. =)

    I wanted to stop by & wish you & Barry a very very Merry Christmas!! Feel better dear!! Big *Hugs*

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  8. Sandy, we had a lot of fun. The whole family was there but you know how it is with mini reunions, you just can't resist all the food. I read Barry's post and I told him that it was nice that you get to spend quiet and quality time alone with each other plus the kitties of course.

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  9. I'm totally digging the leopard pants!!! Very, very cool. I've been wearing lots of dresses and skirts lately in my attempt to shake up my own jeans and tees stuck-in-the-90's grunge look. My friends don't know what to make of it and my father wants to know what happened to his kid LOL. I, on the other hand, am slowly but surely falling in love with skinny heels, printed leggings, and all the fun stuff I'll only be able to wear for a few more years. So I say GO LEOPARD PANTS!!! YEAH!

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  10. Oh, and I totally discovered expensive, glittery eye shadows. I highly recommend you spend an evening playing around with it. :-p

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