Five Classic Tricks to Choosing a Youthful Wardrobe
(Part 1 of a 3-Part Series)
It is true: Your clothes speak volumes about you before you ever say a word. Personal wardrobe choices can underscore your personality and highlight your sense of style. They can make you look young and vital. Or they can have the opposite effect. They can make you look your actual age–or worse, older than you are.
Today, every woman wants to look 10 years younger, everyone that is but ‘tweens and teens. Forty is the new thirty, fifty is the new forty.
So how do you make certain your wardrobe is making you look 10 years younger? Here are five things NOT to do to if you want to look young, hip, sophisticated and sassy:
Choose clothing that’s NOT extreme in fit. You don’t want pieces that are too tight, too loose, too short or too long. And you shouldn’t opt for clothing that bags and sags or hugs your hips, all of which invite negative attention.
No: Baggy + Baggy Yes: Just Right No: Tight + Tight
If you’re in your 40s and donning a too-tight leather mini-skirt because you think it makes you look younger yet you’re rocking muffin tops and thunder thighs, that’s all anyone will see. Likewise, if you’re in your 30s and wearing a baggy loose dress to look thinner, think again. It will only make you look less thin, not to mention out-of-date and out-of-style.
Another fashion faux-pas is wearing clothes in matching shapes. Pairing a loose top and a loose skirt or pant is a no-no. Nor is it acceptable to wear a tight top and a tight skirt or pant together. A good rule of thumb is to wear a loose top with a tight bottom and a tight top with a loose bottom to bring balance to your outfit–and to your figure.
2. Trying trends
Unless you’re among the 1% and can afford a new wardrobe every season, steer away from fashions that are in-the-moment. Trendy clothing can’t be worn for long before they, and you, begin to look dated. Rather, invest in clothing that’s classic and sophisticated that will stand the test of time.
Yes: Tradition with a Twist Yes: Classic Lines Yes: Classic Shapes
3. Staying sentimental
When shopping clients’ closets, I often find pieces that are either out of date or out of style. When asked about them, clients tell me they’re keeping clothing pieces for sentimental reasons. Maybe it’s a dress that was worn on a special occasion. Perhaps it’s an outfit they wore when they became engaged. And maybe it’s something that belonged to someone they love.
No: Slogans No: Severe Styles No: Out-of-date Trends
Whatever the reason, clients just can’t bear to toss clothing that’s near and dear. If it no longer fits or is either too big or too small, I advise them to simply consider getting it tailored to bring it up to date. If it’s not worth tailoring, I suggest either carefully putting it away in a place where it can be stored as a memory, sending it off to a consignment shop or donating it to a charitable organization as a tax deductible gift.
4. Dressing too old
If you want to look 10 years younger and 10 times better, choose a wardrobe that’s effortlessly classic and chic, traditional pieces that will stand the test of time. Then keep it current by adding a fashionable accessory like a statement necklace or designer scarf.
Yes: Classic Clothes in Trendy Fabrics
What you don’t want in your closet, or on your body, are items that make you look Old Lady, or OL–a term coined by author Charla Krupp in her book How Not to Look Old. The following wardrobe pieces should be banished forever from your closet: holiday sweaters (unless you want to save them for an Ugly Sweater Party!); souvenir T-shirts and sweatshirts and those with sayings on them; acid-washed, baggy or mommy jeans; backpacks; flannel shirts; muumuus; flesh-colored hose; oversize blazers or jackets with shoulder pads; and anything that’s too long, too short, too tight or too baggy.
5. Dressing too young
While you don’t want to dress in a way that makes you look older, you also don’t want to dress in a manner that makes you look too young. Forty-year-olds shouldn’t be wearing clothes and accessories they might see worn by college-campus women. Any attempt to do so will only make them look older.
No: Graphic Tees No: Little Girl Looks No: Jeans + Tiny Sweater
Now that you know some quick industry tricks for looking 10 years younger, go forth in your new wardrobe, feel 10 years better–and shine on!
