The Big Question: d’Une Certaine Age Edition
By PlumcakeI’m turning 29 next month. Twenty-nine is practically thirty and means I am just that much closer to finally Living The Dream. 
The Dream being, of course, to actually be able to carry off the jeweled turban. I even bought one, a 1958 Dior jobber in aqua silk satin. I try it on every few months and each time I put it back in its box, muttering “not yet.”
It was once said that to wear Dior you had to have a waist, but to wear Balenciaga you had to have a personality. Some clothes and accessories (an Hermès scarf, an Aquascutum bag) just demand the inner swagger of life experience that sweet young things –bless their hearts– simply don’t have.
Francesca and Plumcake want to know:
If you’re a woman of a certain age, what can you wear now that you couldn’t wear before? For our younger gals, is there anything –like my jeweled turban– that you love but just feel you’re too young to wear? Let us know AND if you’ve had the joy of finally aging into something, tell us about that, too!
June 18th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Yes…Makeup. I am well into my 29th year, and I still feel like I look like a street walker with even the tiniest amount of makeup. I look great without it, but I have really gotten into wearing dresses and skirts a lot and sometimes I feel like a bare face doesn’t go well with my outfit…
June 18th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I would love to be able to wear dress hats in general, but feel I like the panache or aplomb to carry them off. I’m from Louisiana, and only women of a certain age wear hats…*sigh*…but one day I shall be able to join in!
June 18th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I always wanted to be able to wear a Mercedes Benz convertible without looking like some man bought it for me. And now I can. But I don’t. ;)
June 18th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I think femmes d’une certaine age carry off things like large diamonds (or other gems) and expensive cars more convincingly than the under-thirties do.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Is 39 a certain age?
If so, there are two things that have changed: First, I’m not 20. And second, I’m a size 14 rather than a 6. Honestly? I don’t much miss being 20, except that it takes a little more to moisturize than it did then.
Now I can wear the following things that I could not wear then without looking like an idiot (some of these are a function of size, some of age):
1. Severe tailoring
2. Black near the face
3. Vintage coats with belts or fur collars
4. Leather gloves
5. Pointy-toed stiletto heels (not that I do, much, but I can)
6. Perfect white shirts untucked and ever-so-slightly unironed
7. My hair in a bun (huzzah!)
8. Enormous one-of-a-kind jewelry–hanks of silver on my fingers, modern sculpture around my neck, antique Navajo copper cuffs.
9. A “do *not* fuck with me” expression
10. Severely sculpted and carefully pencilled eyebrows with ’40’s style makeup.
Even larger than I was at 20, my face is bonier. It’s also more mobile and interesting. I’m looking forward to being 70, at which point I’ll take after my late grandmother and wear nothing but white linen, custom-made Italian pumps and Mexican silver.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I am old enough to see 50 looming ahead next year, and there’s lots of things written about the things one is supposed to give up after 40 (ie miniskirts) but no one talks about what you gain. I’ve grown into big perfumes, the rich and spicy divas that need some experience to carry off. I can wear whatever jewelry I like, and lots of it – it’s become my trademark. The best part is that I’ve grown into an ability to speak my mind, without being attached to what someone might *think*. In fact, I pretty much do what I like without worrying about what people think; I’ve grown up enough to know that nobody cares, anyway. I’m also partial to rather dramatic coats in the winter. :)
June 18th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Well, my item was not so much a certain age, but a certain event. Before the birth of my most perfect (and only) child, I bought a pair of Daniel Green Dormie slippers in gold. My most favourite great aunt wore them and I finally felt that I could to. And now that I am post 25, I feel I can wear ruby red lipstick without looking like a tart!
June 18th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I want to be Jo when I grow up. You sound an awful lot like my mom, who is 60, lives in linen and insanely wonderful custom jewelry from Santa Fe.
I have a store of vintage hats that I’m still too young for. They look like I’m trying on different personae. More subdued, tailored high-end clothes to go with the hats. The sort of strong, classic accessories I have from my grandmothers. Fur (grandmothers strike again).
Oh! And when I am truly of a certain age, I will run around in satin caftans, outrageous jewelry, and get my hair done big on a regular basis. It’s going to be awesome.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
My grandma rocks huge jewellery that I could never pull off. Now, big jewellery isn’t really my style anyway, so I’m not so much jealous as admiring of how superfantastic she is at 72.
June 18th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Since becoming that age, I have quit being a slave to fashion and have made fashion my bitch. I adopt what works for me and ignore the rest. I rock out the big custom silver jewelry, the weird boutique clothing, the super fantastic shoes. After my illness, I let the hair come back naturally and revel in the shiny silver highlights. I ride around on my pink scooter with ‘tude. I am not on a perpetual diet so I can conform to current “norms”. I am comfortable in my own skin and enjoy my own style. Any changes I make is because I want to not because I am expected to. I’m Jennie.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
One word: scarves.
Nobody my age (teenhood) wears scarves. They’re so PRETTY! They are such versatile accesories as headscarves and belts and ’50s style around-the-neck. We teens are (sometimes) permitted to wear them as headbands, but these are rarely real scarves.
My mother and grandmother both have beautiful, interesting scarves that dress up any outfit. I get the courage to borrow them sometimes, but am afraid I look too “old.” Weep, weep. Fashion at the price of age.
June 18th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I’m 32, but as I neared and passed 30, definitely these things I do now:
1. Standing out. No need to put the head down, instead embrace the fabulosity!
2. Being able to buy something when I like it, instead of worrying about cost/bills/etc!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
That sounds like an excellent plan. Satin caftans don’t work as well in the climate in which I live, so I’m looking forward to going gray enough to rock the Emmylou Harris look, with awesome jeans, button-down shirts, kickass handcrafted jewellry, and sexy gray waves.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I’m 59 and when I was a teen kids didn’t ever wear black. I couldn’t wait to buy my first black dress and I still love them.
What I can wear now that I couldn’t at various younger points: bigger jewelry, tweed, big sunglasses, sophisticated print silk blouses and dresses, Jackie O structured suits and dresses, and really, anything I feel like wearing without worrying about impressing anyone but myself.
June 18th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I turned 29 a few months ago. I’m finally able to wear suits and look great in them whereas I always used to look like a little kid playing dress up- or a teen interviewing for her first job. I also feel like I can finally carry expensive bags without everyone assuming they are fake. (I’m probably shallow but it is such a let down to carry the hideously expensive bag of your dreams only to realize that everyone thinks you bought it on a street corner for $20)
I still want to wear scarves and I still don’t feel like I can pull them off.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I just bought a dramatic ivory coat with a huge collar that looks almost like a Shakespearean ruff. I feel I look like a Spanish noblewoman in a Velasquez painting, and I looove the fact that it says “woman” all over – a girl could never carry that off!
June 18th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Huh. I’m 37, and I don’t think there’s anything I wear now that I could not have worn when I was in my twenties, or even my teens. I do, however, feel there are things I wore when I was younger that I can no longer wear without looking ridiculous. For example, I no longer wear mini skirts. I still have great legs (thank you, years of dance training), but I just feel it’s unseemly to wear a mini skirt at my age.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
I am 18 and I want DESPERATELY to wear loads of diamonds. I mean, I want them to drip off of everything I own. But alas, I’m too young and I have no money…
Gabrielle, I have a HUGE collection of new and vintage scarves. Most I tie around my neck, some I use in my hair. It’s all just about what you love!!
Also, grandma’s jewelry case ftw. Vintage rules.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:40 am
I have a gorgeous silver streak in my hair that just appeared here in the last few years, and I’m leaving it.
It is my not humble opinion that 37 is far too young to put your legs away, Cat. Rock hard and ride free if you got ‘em.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:45 am
What a great post!
I just turned 40 a few months ago, so:
1) Hermes scarves, absolutely! And beautiful bags in impractical colors.
2) Big, bold jewelry, as others have mentioned. Much of mine is fake, and now everyone assumes it’s real.
3) Animal print coats
4) Cashmere cardigans in the summer. I’ve always yearned for my favorite cardigans in the summer, but this is the first year I’ve gotten away with it.
What I’m looking forward to wearing (much inspired by grandma, of course):
1) Dramatic shawls. Like scarves and cardigans all in one!
2) Enormous (probably fake) diamonds. I still feel like I can carry off colors better than clear stones.
3) Knit suits
4) Absolutely, without question, turbans.
5) Martinis in the morning
6) Wrinkles. Grandma’s were so beautiful!
June 19th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I’m 32, and recently divorced, which has been an incredible opportunity for personal growth! I now have the confidence to dye my naturally blonde hair a beautiful and very bright red. I can’t tell you how much fun it is, as everyone notices… I get so many compliments on the color.
Also now that I’ve gotten out of my 20’s, I find myself comfortable with far more unique styles of jewelry and the confidence to wear remarkable shoes. I’m most certainly a Big Girl, while not at all tall… and I’m able to wear clothes that really flatter my hourglass shape because I’m not trying to hide from anyone.
Such a liberating place to be… I truly had no idea!
June 19th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Fantasmicalfrankie, listen up! Back in the day (she says, sucking her gums and placing both gnarled hands on her cane), those of us who wanted to drip with shiny things headed on down to the Goodwill and bought vintage rhinestone jewelry.
I recommend you do the same. The bigger, the better. Colored rhinestones are not as common as the clear ones, but can be used to good effect. And don’t forget–with a little cold weld (like JB Weld) and findings from the craft store, you can turn even broken things, like necklace bits, into small pins and earrings.
I still have most of the big, flashy rhinestone pieces I wore back in the 80’s. Now I pin ‘em on coats and jackets. The smaller bits of things I tend to run down the outside hem of my jeans, from knee to ankle.
They’re not diamonds, but they’re *way* more fun. And you won’t die of a heart attack if you lose a stone or two.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I suppose that’s why I love being in my 30’s. I feel like I’m still youthful enough to wear some of the trendier stuff that’s out there, but mature enough to wear more sophisticated things, without looking like I’m playing dress-up.
And my step-nana collected gobs and gobs of costume jewellery. I have boxes full, and let me tell you, even if you’re just wearing jeans and a white shirt, throw on some of that stuff and you are DRESSED.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Diamonds.
Structured, well constructed clothing.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:13 am
This is funny – when I was I think 22 I had some events to which I had to wear a suit. I felt like an impostor, but I think that was mostly in my head – suits are a special challenge at any age, I think. You just have to learn to wear them properly. Of course, I had no idea how they ought to LOOK, so they always fit badly, which certainly didn’t help. But my POINT – that summer I was trying to buy shoes to go with suits, which of course is pumps, and I COULD NOT put those lovely things on in the store. I had to have chunky kid shoes because I couldn’t do REAL heels. A year later I wore my first pair of stilettos all summer for work. The first month, I regularly fell down and I couldn’t carry anything heavy on just one side and still walk. By the end of the summer, I could almost walk normally. Now, I walk past those teen-y “dress” shoes in the store without noticing, and I drool over the expensive heels. All of my work shoes have at least 2″ heels and my loafers and casual shoes languish in the closet. It happened all by itself – yay for heels!
Of course I’m still waiting to grow into a few things. I LOVE hats and I’m already pushing the envelope a little, but I look forward to getting into Serious Hat Territory in a few more years. And I look forward to the age when OF COURSE I wear a pastel linen skirt suit (with pearls) to Sunday Mass in spring and summer – what ELSE would I wear? For now, that’s still a little hard to pull off with full credibility…
June 19th, 2008 at 11:20 am
I’m 38, but I look young, and a client gave me a gucci crocodile clutch/wallet that I feel too inexperienced and small to rock with panache.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:31 am
I agree with Kristin about makeup. When I was a wee Sharn, I’d see Glamorous Grown-up Ladies with makeup and fancy hair and pretty clothes and all that and just sort of assumed that once I got big, I’d be a Glamorous Grown-up Lady too.
I’m 24 now, and I’ve sort of gotten the hang of the fancy clothes and pretty hair part of the Glamorous Grown-up Lady thing, but I’m still totally clueless about makeup. Sometimes I’ll wear some mascara and lip gloss, but anything more than that and I think I look ridiculous. I know that if you have a steady hand, patience, and some idea of what you’re doing, you can create a completely different face. I have none of those things, so whenever I try to do that, I just look like I’m wearing a mask. A mask that was applied by someone who was drunk and/or blind.
June 19th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Big jewelry (just like Grandma!) and the will power to save my money and buy a few classic things rather than a closet full of crap.
I have a short list of things to buy myself when I turn 30, but I think i’m just going to start with 29. Top of the list – a fabulous pair of Pucci pumps.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Two words: Hermès scarves.
Also: bootcut jeans, regardless of what cut is currently “in”, blackblackandmoreblack, Ferragamo pumps, lipstick in colors other than pink, more complex and classic fragrances. The older I get, the more “simpler and bolder” has become my style mantra.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
When I was at my son’s 8th grade graduation last week, I was checking out all the shoes that the girls in his class were wearing. (I think I can admit that here without fear of being made fun of.) They were evenly divided between fun, colorful ballet flats and fun, colorful sandals with reasonable heels. No flip flops! One girl was wearing a pair of black pumps. It looked so strange and out of place, and not just because of the season.
I think it’s really hard to do a very glamorous, elegant look when you’re under 30. I look at the young actresses you see on the red carpet all glammed up and think they look like they’re playing dress up.
And another vote for big perfume, scarves and the “don’t fuck with me” expression.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Says the Tanya:
“I’m 59 and when I was a teen kids didn’t ever wear black. I couldn’t wait to buy my first black dress and I still love them.”
Ah, the memories – spending one’s childhood and adolescence in boring neutrals and pastels and tiny florals (and how the Annalucia still hates the florals) because young girls not only did not wear black, they did not wear bold colors of any sort. Today, of course, she wears the solid black, as well as the solid purple and the hot red and the more aggressive shades of blue.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I cant wait to be able to wear scarves! Also, the grace & confidence to wear your hair extremely short & not look like a mythical fairy, but a sophisticated woman of a classic by-gone era of glamour. Oh yeah the linen suits…sigh!
June 19th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
When I turned 40 I was pondering the right hand ring question, and realized that I had something lovely already in my jewel box, waiting. My grandma’s art deco diamond cocktail ring.
June 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I don’t even know where to start – I’m only 27, and my mother and my grandmothers are still young and spry, so I’m not sure who my role model is yet. Maybe a combination of my great-great grandmother R, who let her hair go white as new snow (I am hoping against all hope I am blessed with the white hair gene) and wore utterly fabulous hats and my great great aunt E (who was a spitfire until she passed at 106), who also had white hair and the most wonderful collection of costume jewelry anyone could imagine. As for attitude, either of my grandmothers will do – they’re both still headstrong and sassy and do what they want. Cruise around Italy? Why not? Put off church for a day to go gambling? No problem!
I am excited to be able to wear some of the really heady, spicy, lusty perfumes. At my age, I just feel like I’m dabbling at grandma’s vanity. Oh, and of *course* the huge jewels!
June 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I’m well on the other side of 40 (not the wrong side, mind you, just a different side), and yes, I can pull off a number of things now that I couldn’t when I was younger:
- Black. When I was younger, it was just attitude. Now it’s style. I still get tired of black, but at least now when I wear it, I rock it.
- Dark lipstick. I don’t like bright reds, but give me a rich, dark plum and I look sophisticated and mysterious. Again, I don’t wear it all the time, but when I do, watch out.
- Slightly overdressing for the occasion. We live in such a casual society and I have all these wonderful clothes that are often just *slightly* too dressy for the occasion. I finally said the hell with it and decided that if I wanted to dress a bit better, I would. (No, I’m not wearing pearls and an evening gown to an afternoon baseball game, that’s not style, that’s silly.) It’s a fine line to walk – wearing the items you want to wear without making others feel underdressed. But that’s a balancing act that also becomes easier with experience (and the correct accessories).
- Bigger earrings. As the late Olivia Goldsmith wrote, the woman with the biggest earrings wins.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
41 and Im close to purchasing this really great pair of eyeglasses that are mossy/muddy green with super-fantastic rhinestones! These can only be pulled off by a woman. They will certainly limit the wearability of all other accessories.
Oh…and I can say “no” now. “No” I cant babysit (dog,cat,plant) while you are in Bimini.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Items that I can wear now that I’m nearly 37:
– Leopard print, without looking like a teen hooker.
– Pink. I was always so self conscious of looking too “girly” when I was younger. But I put it on now and feel pretty, not fussy.
– Less makeup. I always wore a lot when I was younger, thinking it made me look older. Now I wear less because I like how old I look.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
And let me add…my new zebra print trench. Being extra curvy, I would never had attempted this until now. I seriously love that coat!
June 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
What a great question! I’m about the same age as you are, Plumcake. I suddenly feel cooler.
I used to long to be able to carry off kakhis and a plain white button-down. How boring of me! And also plain but classic heels. Now I wish I could wear those two looks every day. But I will be sad to give up the ballet flats, because I am not really a heels-every-day person.
I am still waiting on the scarves. But I have a few ready just in case. And loafers. I wish I didn’t look so silly in loafers. There’s a reason they have that name, and I am already good at loafing.
June 19th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Plumcake, we’re almost exactly the same age. Which means I can now pull off anything that was too blatantly sexy for my self-conscious and awkward 15-25 self. Like a stunning metallic curve-hugging formal gown (which I stupidly did not purchase and have been longing for ever since) and 4-inch patent leather stilettos and big cuff bracelets and just-curvy-enough pencil skirts and shirts cinched at the waist. And I’m right there with TropicalChrome on the subtle overdressing. There are too many pretty clothes in the world to pass up chances to wear them!
June 19th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
….anything I darn-well want to!
June 19th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
It’s funny seeing all the comments about scarves…in the last few years (I’m 41) I’ve developed quite the stash of scarves. My favorite way of wearing them is wrapped aaround my head – it’s my version of a jeweled turban, and the right scarf wrapped (or not) the right way with the right outfit covers a multitude of bad hair day sins. And even with my biggest, most colorful peasant-y scarf trailing down my back, I’ve never ONCE been confused for anyone’s babushka (it’s all in the jewelry, babes). If I’d worn these when I was younger I know I would have looked like I was just playing dressup.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Whitney, I’ll need you to give me lessons. I’ve long wished to figure out how to wear the scarf-as-headwrap, but they always just seem to slide off of my head. Can we have a Manolo for the Big Girl scarf-wearing seminar?
June 20th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I’ve just turned 22, and I rock scarves all the time. I live in Japan, where women of every age from about high school up wear some form of scarf as an accessory.
I’ve never seen a young’un in a Hermes scarf though. Personally, my favourite one is my soft grass-green Chloe scarf (a bit thicker than most, so good for Spring and Autumn).
June 20th, 2008 at 1:51 am
I wish wish wish I could pull off dress gloves, pearls, and tiny little hats. Maybe one day. Maybe.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:20 am
I just turned 50 a few months ago (yay – I had SO been looking forward to it!), and what people say here is pretty much it. Anything that has a look of power and class to it: black, perfectly big jewelry, expensive tailored suits, perfectly coiffed and shiny gray hair (I rock in my gray hair).
What I do NOT wear is purple, with a red hat. Why is it that a group of women who get together to celebrate some poem whose message is the importance of being an iconoclast and true to yourself is a group that has a dress code?
June 20th, 2008 at 10:11 am
TropicalChrome:”It’s a fine line to walk – wearing the items you want to wear without making others feel underdressed.”
A very long time ago I read a “how to dress” book and one comment was that you should be able to walk into an event wearing a little black dress with every other woman in an evening gown and make them ALL feel overdressed. I agree with that to a great extent and it works the other way round, too. Your attitude and knowledge that your outfit is perfect are what it takes.
Let’s face it, many many people need to be made to feel inappropriately dressed these days–especially here in hot Houston. Yeah, the weather sucks, but a cotton skirt and tee or sundress are no hotter than ratty cutoffs.
June 20th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Jennie said:
“I have quit being a slave to fashion and have made fashion my bitch.”
———–
That should be a bumper sticker.
As to the originl question…
Now a woman in my forties, I find it completely acceptable to wear actual outfits and well fitting clothes when running errands. My children are no longer toddlers, and it is time to break out of the t-shirt and jeans/yoga pants cocoon. And it feels great.
I’m thinking that it’s time for some chunky rings and bracelets, as well. My ear lobes can’t handle heavy pierced earrings, but I can now wear my Grandmother’s funky clip ons, if I wish.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Upon turning 40, I decided that I should now wear perfume. I didn’t have the confidence to do it before. Didn’t want to attract attention, didn’t want people commenting on it. In just a few short months, I have purchased several bottles and alternate them according to mood, weather or style of outfit. It hasn’t yet attracted attention and no one comments on it, so I have the best of both worlds.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
I’m in my early thirties and I feel like now I can finally pull off more put together outfits than I ever have before. Last week was my residency graduation. I wore a floor length (maternity) dress in a shiny sixties-mod print, a vintage white-gold diamond ring, vintage white gold and amethyst bracelet and a 18K gold vintage watch, while carrying a designer leather bag and wearing peep toe pumps with faux snakeskin accents.
I could never have pulled that look off before now without looking like I was playing dress-up in mom’s closet. But now, I just looked put together.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:35 pm
What Susan said!
June 21st, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Getting close to fifty…. Gorgeous bright red curls!!! Who said blondes have more fun???
June 21st, 2008 at 10:31 pm
I dont understand the thing about heady beautifully strong perfumes… I never would shy away from my choice of fragrance and i’m 25. I mean i have tried other perfumes thru out the years but i always return to my favorite one. It has become my signature scent and i receive lots of compliments on how great i smell. Dont be afraid of a perfume you are drawn to just because you aren’t sure you are old enough to carry it! (just don’t put too much on. Lol)
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 am
Jo, I lurve me some rhinestones. It’s become an addiction, and I pant like a dog in heat everytime my comp 1 teacher comes in wearing her gorgeous 40’s and 50’s brooches. It’s just one of the reasons I stay in that class. ;)
The Goodwills around here don’t usually have great jewelry, so I have to go to the vintage stores if I want to find something good. Usually they’re kind of expensive, so therefore my collection isn’t that big.
I will have to try the cold weld stuff, that sounds like a fabulous idea. It never even crossed my mind I could do the same with my jewelry I do with my clothes…
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
cat- I’m 38 and a size 18, and I wear mini skirts. I only wear them bare legged for very casual occasions, but I can really rock a minidress or miniskirt with opaque tights and high boots. You should try it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I’m only 23, but there’s very little that I have wanted to wear but didn’t, or didn’t think I could pull off because of my youth. I bought my first suit at 14, and I dressed for school the way my mother did for work. I rocked my suit, my perfectly-creased gray trousers, my cardigans, my lack of tennis shoes.
I’m more conformist now; I have caved in and adopted the informality of my professors and the other graduate students, who assume I’m going to a job interview if they see me in a suit. Perhaps when I have a job, when I move away from Los Angeles, I will again assume the formality that better suits my personality.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Nope. Sorry. Just a friggin’ litany of loss, really. I ALWAYS looked “old enough” to wear anything I wanted to wear (what 17-year-old doesn’t want to be told she looks 37? No, me neither.); it’s a matter of having the good sense and good taste to NOT look like mutton dressed as lamb – short skirts, bare midriffs, bare legs – long gone.
June 24th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Well a lot…
Firstly SERIOUS evening wear…
My opera gown is this silk velvet, silk chocolate brown Sunny Choi thing of beauty with a train and everything.
I could not have pulled that Sophia Loren-worthy number at 18.
Donna Karan and Norma Kamali come to mind too….
My Kimono ’20’s/Deco devore velvet duster….
Wow..and gasp… fur. 1970’s Studio 54 nonchalantly slung mink with a Halston-esque dress is just right after 30 :-)
Love,
MillaX
June 24th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I adore this discussion, and have already forwarded it to my friends…
Tachina, I love your comment that you’ve always worn big jewelry, but now everyone assumes it’s real :) I’m 23 and maintain a slightly eccentric appearance, what with the colored eye makeup and obsession with big jewelry and scarves and vintage clothing. I hope that, at some point in the future, I will transition from being able to get away with these things because I’m young and quirky to being able to get away with them because I’m worldly and fabulous.
Also, I’ve always thought long, loose grey/white hair looks gorgeous, and plan to tool around town in a lipstick red vintage Vespa and driving gloves and say the words “fabulous” and “darling” a lot.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
stiletto pumps. i always used to look like i’d raided maman’s closet. now i look like they’re MINE.