Hose with sandals-a No No!

I’d love to know what you think about the whole tights/pantyhose/knee high dilemma. When is a woman too old to wear tights, as in black, opaque tights or colored opaque tights?  If she is too old for tights, do you recommend pantyhose? To me these just look dated and frumpy.  What’s the solution?  And what are your thoughts about knee highs with pants?  If a woman feels that she needs them is it best to go with more of a “trouser sock” in black or a color, or to wear nude knee highs (which, again, I think look quite dated)

Thanks.
Michele Little

Hi Michele,

That is certainly one of those “grey” areas that does not really get much press!  Since we are coming into summer, this is even more relevant,so here’s our response:

1. What is your take on pantyhose? Are pantyhose aging? Yes, we sure do think that!  However,  if you have to wear pantyhose, try to wear nude that matches the color of your skin as best as possible. Donna Karan makes a few good sheer nude shades. If you are in between shades, choose the darker, but really nude should look “nude”.  A great alternative is a nude colored fishnet. These look terrific. Wolford makes a great one. One final point, never wear pantyhose with a peep toe shoe or mule!
2. When is a women too old to wear tights? Never. We love tights and wear black or brown tights all fall and winter but come Spring/Summer we switch to no hose or nude hose. However, we think leggings are fine and can be worn at any age.
3. What are your thoughts about knee highs with pants? No, yuck. Don’t do it. That’ s our first reaction. I (JoJami) do not even own a pair of knee highs. However, we hate to say the word “never”…so here’s what we suggest… really it all depends on the shoes and pants and how dressy you are going.

If you are wearing:

• jeans and flats. No socks or hose
• jeans and heels or sandals. No sock or hose
• jeans and a loafer.  Thin dress socks are good but in a dark color. (no white ones)  Barefoot O.K. Do not wear knee highs.
• Khakis. (same rules as for jeans…however do not wear heels or dress shoes with khakis) Never hose with khakis.
• Dress Pants. If wearing closed toed pumps or flats you can wear knee highs or hose or go barefoot. If wearing “peep toed” heels or flats NO HOSE. If wearing any type of sandal or mule, NO HOSE.

Hope this clears things up!

This week it’s our turn to host. We’re thrilled to introduce you to each of our Blogging buddies, so you can see who they are and what they write about!

Piracy is in the news.  Did you know there were women pirates? And Sir Francis
Drake was actually a pirate? For more pirate stories visit Vaboomer.com
On  Mother’s Day, Dina at This Marriage Thing asks boomer women, ‘what did you say to your mom?’

Barbara Weibel, that intrepid traveler at Hole In The Donut, is in Key West, where she’s ferreted out an interesting story about the USS Vandenberg, a WWII decommissioned navy ship that has been rescued from the Ghost Fleet to serve one final mission.

Many hospital emergency rooms are becoming overloaded by people concerned about the spread of the swine flu. SoBabyBoomer.com tells us why this influenza isn’t so scary.

Over at Don’t Gel Too Soon, how about a preview of some wonderful street music turned into a message of hope! Norman Lear is behind it, which should tell you all you need to know.

Want to know what the Midlife Crisis Queen learned from spending a day hanging with the unemployed?  She learned the importance of asking for exactly what you want!

Do you have a personal social media usage policy? Andrea Stenberg at TheBabyBoomerEntrepreneur.com gives some examples of why you should have one in her post: Do Religion and Politics Mix with Social Media Marketing?

Trying to beat the economic heat in LA? Janet Wendy at GenPlus ponders the power of optimism.

LifeTwo welcomes Bradley Foster as it’s newest contributor. Bradley works with men going through mid- life transitions, and writes that the stereotypical male midlife crisis with sports car and extra martial affairs is in reality, far from the norm.

Have you ever spent the first week of a two-week holiday or vacation sleeping?  Ann over at Contemporary Retirement takes a look at how a similar thing can happen to people on retirement.

Many women remember reading a life-changing book called “The Women’s Room” by Marilyn French. Read more at The Boomer Chronicles.

And last but not least, we Glam Gals asked the question this week, Do you plan to have any cosmetic surgery in the future,  and if you already have, did it change your life in any way? We would love your feedback and thoughts  on this!

Are you back in the dating game again?

The Glam Gals have some tips for you, so you don’t make these top 4 fashion mistakes on your first date!

1. Avoid over or under dressing! Dress appropriately for the activity. Most first dates you will be going out to eat. Do your homework and go online to find out the type of restaurant you’ll be going to.  You don’t want to feel over or under dressed!

2. Make sure your wardrobe is up to date. Now is the time for a reassessment of your “look”. If it’s been awhile since you have been on the dating scene, make sure your hair, makeup and clothing are up to date. Don’t go crazy. Just be yourself, but the best and classiest, you can be.

3. Avoid dressing too sexy. This might sound obvious, but it actually can be tempting! Remember, you want him to like you… not just your cleavage!

4. Don’t wear a drab color! What color looks best on you? Try wearing a top or dress or sexy shoes in a lovely fun color! You will feel pretty and that way you can stop worrying about how you look and concentrate on being your charming self!

For more tips on dating after 40 and to read lots of other great articles on current Boomer topics, visit the Blogging Boomers Carnival #113. This week’s host is The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur!

What can you do to stand out in a crowd?

Everything you do is important, from being one of the first to submit your resume to wearing the right thing so you look the part!

Here’s what you need to do:

• Do Your Homework. A blue suit is not a one size fits all solution. Do what you can to find out what most people are wearing for the job you want. Go on the company’s website, call and ask about their dress code. Showing up in a suit,when the dress code is more casual, will send the message that you are clueless and won’t fit in.

• Be well groomed. This means getting out the iron. Also make sure your shoes are in good condition and polished if they are leather!

• Update your look. If your glasses are old, your hair boring, then you look out of date. Make sure you’re sending the message, I’m not stuck in old ways.

• Don’t dress too young. This can be just as bad. No short skirts, no cleavage, not too much makeup. Look in the mirror, if you think something you are thinking of wearing might be too young looking, it probably is!

For more on this topic and a variety of others visit  the Blogging Boomers Carnival #112 being hosted this week at Hole in the Doughnut.