Over 50 Style: The Feminine Pants Suit

 



A Flattering50 reader recently emailed me because she was looking for a ruffled pants suit I had posted about a year ago. I know exactly which the one she meant. It was lovely, perfect for the over 50 woman going to a wedding or other special spring event. But fast-forward to the present and I’m just not seeing the same selection of feminine skirt and pant suits. In fact, I only found a few ruffle pants suits, like the Anne Klein Melange Twill Cropped Jacket ($189) above, during a recent online search. (The jacket has matching Anne Klein Melange Twill Wide Leg Pant (was $109). Read on for links to those suits and some alternative feminine suit ideas…

REDEFINING THE FEMININE PANTS SUIT SEARCH

I’m a huge fan of the feminine skirt or pants suit. I’m not the most feminine-looking female and, consequently, the last thing I have ever—even in my 20s—wanted was to wear a boxy, masculine suit. My go-to suits are structured, in non-masculine colors or weaves, and with feminine accents, like ruffles and belts. However, my online search for ruffled pants suits came up with only three choices. In addition to the suit at the top of this post, Amazon.com has a Anne Klein Women's Melange Ruffle Pant Suit on sale for $168. The other pants suit, Tahari Women's Paradise Blue Ruffle Pant Suit, is available at Overstock. That’s it.

If you're also having trouble finding a ruffle pants suit, you might want to consider suits with a traditional tuxedo or sash collar. The open, notch-less collar with a feminine camisole or other feminine top is a flattering choice for the over 50 woman. Take, for instance, this Rebecca Minkoff Becky Jacket ($238), which comes with matching pants.







I would also considered a structured suit like this Jones New York Washable Wool 1 Button Jacket (was $179, now $90), which comes with matching Jones New York Career Flare Pant (was $109, now $79). The sale prices end April 22nd at 11:59 PM EST, so you'll have to hurry to take advantage.

IN COLOR

The great thing about the pants suit is the fact your wearing the same color continued from shoulder to ankle. The same color from head to toe in a style that flatters your body shape is bound to be slimming. However, sometimes I like wearing a colorful blazers that aren't part of a suit. My rule of thumb is to keep the pants or skirt in roughly the same color scheme as the blazer. That is, if the blazer is a dark color, say red, I'll wear it with black slacks. You might try this next Anne Klein Plush Tweed Blazer (was $179, now $89.00) with black pants, but I'd prefer to wear it with white slacks. By the way, Anne Klein is offering up to 50% off on selected items through April 23rd. So you'll have to hurry if you want to take advantage of this jacket's sale price.









Jones New York Lace Blazer (was $199, now $149)


The boucle suit is hardly new. A girlfriend wore a boucle suit to her daughter's bas mitzva six years ago. I loved the style then and I love it now. Reason: it's not masculine-looking. This next Jones New York Boucle Jacket (was $239, now $179) has a matching skirt, which I'm sure would be very flattering. However, I love it with beige slacks, too.