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Age Is An Attitude

This year I turned the ripe old age of 35 – I’m firmly in my mid-thiries and I’m not bothered about it one little bit.

Now, I know that 35 is not old. I don’t feel old, I don’t look old (I hope!), but it does feel like a bit of a milestone. However, my biggest fear is not ageing – I know I’ll get wrinkles and grey hairs (already have quite a few) and my body will change (more on that in another blog post), and that’s fine. Its inevitable so there really is no point in worrying about it or going to extreme lengths to try and prevent it.

My biggest fear is acting ‘old’ and dressing ‘old’.

I often hear the phrase ‘Am I too old for this?’ from some of my clients, particularly those over 40, who think that being a particular age means they have to dress a certain way (or not, as the case may be). My answer is; if you feel great in it, then NO, you’re not too ‘old’ for it!

For me, age is an attitude; are you a ‘young’ 40/50/60 year old, or an ‘old’ 40/50/60 year old?

Dress for your attitude, dress for your personality, dress for YOU!

Don’t let age dictate anything with regards to your style; it should be fun and the minute we start to put constraints on what we can and can’t wear (whatever the reason) it isn’t fun. In my view, as long as we’re choosing fabrics, colours and styles that fit and flatter us, and (most importantly) make us feel fabulous, nothing else really matters.

As I get older I find myself dressing more for me and less for the approval of others. I’m becoming more daring, a little bolder and more experimental – it’s so liberating and fun and I can only see my ‘don’t give a damn’ attitude becoming more dominant as I get older. I want to have fun with my clothes, I want to feel good and I certainly don’t intend to slide into a wardrobe of bland colours, sensible shoes and modest hemlines as the years tick by.

As long as I feel great, and like the way I dress, I really don’t mind what others may think.

For many years I have looked to two people regularly for sartorial inspiration; Olivia Palermo and Iris Apfel. In the course of writing this post I started to think more about what I find so inspiriting and appealing about the way these two women dress. You may think the two of them couldn’t be more different, for starters they are separated in age by 65 years. However, when I took a step back, I realised their approach to dressing is actually very similar and in-keeping with my own sense of style.

They both…

  • Accessorise (have you ever seen either of them without a statement ring, earring, necklace or bag?)
  • Wear colour (and lots of it usually)
  • Mix patterns
  • Lead the pack, rather than follow it

Their dress sense may not be to everyone’s taste, but there is no denying they always exude an air of confidence and as a result, they always look amazing.

When I hear Olivia Palermo say things like “I always like to play a lot with colour. Colour is great.” I know we’re kindred spirits and as for Iris Apfel, well I’ll leave you with these wise words…

"There’s no road map to style. It’s about self expression and, above all, attitude."

· Iris Apfel

So ladies, go out and rock whatever outfit you choose to wear, whatever your age, whatever your dress size and whatever the occasion! I certainly will be on every birthday celebration to follow!

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