Saturday, September 29, 2012

Weekend Casual: A Skirt Over Leggings



Greetings from Wellfleet on Cape Cod. I'm  here with my dad; we're having a father-daughter vacation. Growing up, I came to the Cape ever summer. So dad and I are having fun, visiting all our old haunts--like "Mac's" at Wellfleet Harbor.  While waiting on line for some of Mac's famous New England clam chowder, I snapped the photo above. I love the woman's long cotton pullover sweater over a crinkled gauze skirt and  jeggings. The neutral tones--the sweater and skirt are both shades of grey--are a great choice for daytime and look fabulous with her silver hair. What a fun, comfortable, stylish outfit for a woman over 50 enjoying a fall weekend on the Cape! Click "read more" below to continue.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Feminine Suit: The Wedding Guest Solution

Tahari Silver Social Skirt Suit


I've been invited to a evening wedding next month. Since I don't have an extensive wardrobe (hardly!) and an evening wedding calls for something a little fancy, I need to think about my outfit well in advance. I have a couple of dresses I could wear, but I'm thinking I might invest in a nice suit. The Queen and Camilla looked fabulous in suits at William's and Kate's wedding. And as I always say, "If it's good enough for the Queen and Camilla, it's good enough for me!" I found some nice suits online and on sale at Loehmann's and  I thought I'd share, just in case you've been thinking along the same lines. Take, for instance, the Tahari Silver Social Skirt Suit (was $320, now $99.99). Gray can be so corporate drab, but a metallic gray is ultra stylish and dressy. Click "read more" below to see a few other skirt and pants suits I think might work well a weddings. Since these suits are on sale, they might not be around long. To view what's available, visit Shop Loehmanns.com

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Fashion Over 50: What’s the point?



Recently, I was asked to complete a survey by a college student. In an email, she explained she was a sociology major writing a paper on the “street fashion of women over 50.” She wrote: “Many people around me think that it is really boring topic, but I want to prove them wrong!” All I could think was: What fun! Click "Read More" below to continue...

Friday, September 14, 2012

Giveaway Winners: What’s Your Must-Have Fall Fashion?

The latest Flattering50 Giveaway ended on Sunday and three randomly-picked winners have received $25 Amazon.com e-gift certificates for their responses to the Giveaway question: What’s Your Must-Have Fall Fashion? I’ve listed to the winners and their comments below.

All three winners said they had a pair of boots in mind for fall. I thought that was interesting for two reasons. First, the fashion pundits report that the accessory markets—shoes, handbags, and costume jewelry—are doing better than the garment market in our still-depressed economy. Apparently, women are adding accessories to last year’s fashions, rather than buy lots of new clothing. I also love that the must-have boots were all so different—from UGGs, to leather wedges to moto boots. As I always like to say about women over 50… Vive la différence!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Carolsue 
I have been wanting the UGG Australia Mini Bailey Button boots for some time now -- so it's at the top of my list!!! Age: Over 40

Cynthia 
My must...boots...black, soft leather, wedge heel...

Deborah 
What I want for fall is a pair of Vince Camuto Moto boots with gold trim. They will make anything look fantastic. Debbi from SheAccessorizesWell

Congratulations winners!! The last Flattering50 Giveaway for 2012 will launch on Friday, October 12th. 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Jones Cardigans: Now 30-70% Off

Jones New York Long Sleeve Raglan Cardigan (Plus) (Orange, Size 1X)


Editor's Note: The Jones sales reported in this post ended 9/17. Check left-hand margin of Flattering50 for current sales.

Do you have a fashion fetish? Are you crazy about shoes or ga-ga for handbags? My #1 fetish (I've got several!) is sweaters. Cardigans, pullovers, short sweaters, sweater coats--I love them all! So when I see a clothier advertising 30-70% off on cardigans, I have to check it out--especially at this time of year, when I'm gearing up for sweater weather. For the next few days, Jones New York is giving Up to 70% selected cardigans through September 17th.  Most of the styles have some sort of embellishment--like lace, sequins or yarn with a little sparkle--perfect for the over 50 woman dressing for a special fall evenings out. There are also sweaters in trendy colors and unique patterns like the  Jones New York Long Sleeve Raglan Cardigan (Plus) (Orange, Size 1X) ($109, plus 30% off at checkout) above. Several cardigans are available in a variety of sizes, including Petites and Plus sizes. Oh, and by the by, Jones is also having a 30% off sale on items from its fall collection right now. To see what's on sale, click on promo box in the left margin.  To view another sale cardigan style with even greater savings, click "read more" below.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Off the Runway: Fall Fashions on "Real Women"

While we mortals peruse the latest fall fashions in women's magazines and local newspapers, those in the industry have gathered in New York City for Fashion Week, the week in early September when designers unveil their spring collections. If you aren't busy enough, you can watch pretzel stick girls teeter in 8" heels on the runways via live streaming at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week site. Or...for something a little more down to earth and realistic, I'm posting a short video clip (below) from Wall London. The video features fall outfits on women who look like, well, women.

Wall London is a “grown up” label in Great Britain, according to Jodie Nel, a spokesperson for the clothier. The YouTube video features two women--Judith Balcazar, Wall's Director of Design, and Veronique Henderson, Director of Colour Me Beautiful. "Despite having very different body shapes, both women look elegant and sophisticated and show how real women can wear Wall," noted Nel in a recent email. Take a peek. I wish there wasn't quite so much black, but I think the styles are great--nice lines and very comfortable-looking fabrics. I’m loving the dresses over narrow slacks with oxfords or leather booties.




To see more lovely Wall fashions, visit the clothier's website. Or if you're lucky enough to be traveling to London, the Wall has a boutique in Notting Hill.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Scarf Season is Coming: Are You Ready to Wrap?

Jones New York Animal Paisley Scarf - Size , Red

I've missed my scarves this summer. When I was in Paris in May (I still love saying that!), women wore small silk scarves in white and muted colors. Very stylish! In a few more weeks, cooler days will begin to mix in with the hot ones. And once again, I'll step out in one of my favorite scarves, or, perhaps, a new one. Are you a scarf lady? Click "read more" below for 8 reasons to love scarves, for a videoclip showing 24 ways to tie a scarf, and for a few reasonable priced scarves like the Jones New York Animal Paisley Scarf - Size , Red ($49) above. .

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Fall Outwear: The Little Red Coat



Apparently, I’m not the only one who bought a book by Nora Ephron after she passed away in June. Amazon.com reports that three of her books have risen dramatically on the bookseller’s list of top books based on number of sales. Specifically, Ephron’s Heartburn jumped to a ranking of #208 (from #103,090), I Remember Nothing jumped to #79 (from #33,547), and I Feel Bad About My Neck has jumped to #90 (from #12,083). I’d read Heartburn when it came out, so I picked I Feel Bad About My Neck. Suffice it to say (since this is a fashion blog, not a book blog), I enjoyed the book thoroughly.  It is very diverting and provided lots and lots of food for middle-aged thought.

The reason I mention I Feel Bad is that in it, Nora writes that her mother advised her to “never buy a red coat.” Obviously, I didn’t receive the same motherly advice because I recently bought a red trench (above), my fourth red coat in 10 years! Why red? That’s easy. Red is in my color season. And, now that I’m firmly in my 50s, I’m all about wearing colors that brighten my middle-age complexion. If the color red flatters your complexion, you’ll be happy to know that there are lots of red coats on the web this fall. Click ‘read more’ below to view a sample of what’s available. And, if you’re in the mood, share your favorite Nora Ephron tidbit—what Nora wisdom has inspired you--in the comment box at the end of the post.