Middle age. Too young to not care about style and too old to put that much effort into it. Remember when we used to think “if it makes me look skinny or tall it’s worth any cost or pain to wear it”. At middle age, that way of thinking changes to “if it doesn’t scratch, squeeze or ride up into anything it’s a keeper!” This is the middle age style shift. When the days of wearing ill fitted, tight, uncomfortable clothes for the sake of “looking cute” is replaced by selecting clothes that are sensible and comfortable. However, just because we’ve “hit the shift” doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our style and fashion for comfort. At middle age, most of us still want our clothes to be fashion forward and appropriate. Just now we also require comfort. If you’ve hit the shift, here are a few pointers on how to dress comfortable and still be stylish and classy.
FABRICS – Shop classic fabrics that don’t wrinkle. These are soft wool blends, Tencel, alpaca (the new cashmere), knits and spandex. One of my favorite tops is the JCrew 365 Stretch tie neck top in Tencel here. It’s SO comfortable and wears well. I have it in black and subtle pink. Also comes in cream. Fits a tad big but not enough to size up. On sale at JCrew.com right now (online only). Only a few left!
SHOES –After the style shift, shoe shopping is a different ball game. No more buying ill fitted shoes that pinch or squeeze. Instead choose shoes that are comfortable and smart. Look for flats (mules or loafers), slip on tennis shoes for casual looks and wedges and block heels for a dressier look. All these styles are fashionable, tasteful and very comfortable. Here is my favorite wedge shoe, the Kenneth Cole New York Ellis Wedge here. Can be worn dressed up for work or casual with your favorite jeans. I have them in black and navy. They are classy, stylish and very comfortable.
COMFORT – Whether you’re dressing for a professional day job, a casual evening or a laid back weekend you can be stylish after the middle age style shift. Just have a few of these items in your closet. A flowy ankle length skirt. Anything with pockets. Don’t pockets just make everything better? A baggy romper (dress down with a cardigan or dress up with a blazer). Tees and shirt dresses. Knit pullover tops. Ruched anything (ruching is so comfy, is slimming and paired with a sweater, wah-la). Wide leg trousers (very trendy right now – Kate Middleton has been rocking these lately). Stretchy pull-on jeans (no annoying zippers or buttons – yaaasss!) and leggings (so easy to dress faux leather leggings up or down. I have the JCrew pull-on toothpick jeans in indigo and they are AH-MAZING (see my post on them here). Also try the Zoe Skinny Neptune Jean from Nic+Zoe here.