Disgracefully

Change is happening, a push back in attitudes towards dressing “appropriately” for your age, in part I think it’s due to the the mean age of the mega famous women our generation going up, think Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, Elle McPherson, Halle Berry, all of whom are on the other side of 50, but non of whom look ready to pull on a tabard and admit sartorial defeat.

 The term “grow old disgracefully” is a quip we all understand the meaning of, but one that also reinforces the narrative that women over a certain age wearing clothes that are low-cut / sheer are disgraceful. “scantily clad” literally means wearing barely sufficient or adequate clothing, but who created the barometer for exactly how many centimetres of skin women over 50 should have covered up

This isn’t about dressing “sexy” because looks that are entirely covered up can be just as alluring as one that’s barely there, I love an oversized dress with just a hint of shoulder or ankle exposed, this is about how frequently women avoid wearing clothes they might have previously worn, for fear of it being seen as inappropriate for their age or dare I use the despicable and degrading phrase saved exclusively for women “mutton dressed as lamb” 

As we hurtle towards party season, that time of the year when its practically the law to dress up this is your signal to ignore that voice in your head that tells you you’re too old to wear something, wether you are picking from your existing wardrobe or shopping for something new let your options be wide open.

There are some amazing lace pieces around, lace is the perfect way to add drama to an evening outfit and you can go as sheer as you’re comfortable with, this seasons big look is a  full length black lace skirt, there is a sliding scale, lined or unlined, big knickers or black tights, paired with a tuxedo or a white shirt and black bra, check Zara, River Island and New Look for long skirt and dress options, for lace trousers head to Mango. 

Let’s talk about legs, 70-100 denier black tights have been a winter go-to for as long as I have been wearing tights, blocking out all sign of visible leg and creating an opaque comfort blanket for when we wear a short skirt or dress, well how about mixing it up? Take down the denier count to 10 or 15, my only styling tip would be to avoid brights and black tights, sheer tights look rock n roll with dark moody outfits, solid brights or colourful prints and black tights are a bit more weather-girl, stick with bare leg. 

This season consider adding back in leather, strapless, short, backless, lace, gold, siren red, full length, strappy or sheer, when we are truly old I have a feeling it’s not something we will look back and regret.