We hope to inspire not stifle your fashion creativity here at Fabulous After 40!
We recently did a post on our feelings about ankle bracelets. While many of you agreed with us, some of of you definitely did not, and you posted some very angry comments like:
“I do think your attitudes are a bit prudish and outdated”
“Good Lord, this is the most uptight, condescending fashion advice I’ve ever heard of.”
“You need to lighten up in America because you are all talking like a bunch of women from the Victorian Era. You want to be so proper all of the time that you pass as uptight people who don’t know how to enjoy little things like wearing stuff just because they make you happy. Should learn from other countries.”
We actually enjoy hearing everyone’s opinion and appreciate you taking the time to write to us, even if you strongly disagree with our views!
However, we just want to set the record straight and say that Fabulous after 40 is not about handing out rules on how to dress. This blog is a place that you can visit to find fashion inspiration and new ways to update your wardrobe!
Our mission is to be a resource for women over 40, since most fashion magazines out there are not geared to helping mature fashionistas with their style dilemmas!
Our opinions on dressing are just our opinions, and we are not the fashion police. The most important thing to us is that Fashion is fun, and that is it a true expression of who you really are. We provide style guidance for those who want it and we’re here to be your cheerleaders!!!
So please, join in our conversation, dress to make yourself feel fabulous, and if you don’t like our advice, that’s fine. We’re not offended.
Life is too short to be Frumpy… or to be too serious about the way you dress.
Please put your comments below… we want to hear from you!
How low is too low? What is age appropriate when trying to dress and be a little sexy when you are over 40?
We ran this photo of a lovely woman in her late 40′s recently, wearing this overall conservative outfit, except the blouse was low cut.
Is this outfit age-appropriate?
In the comment section one of our readers wrote in, “…can you please address the question, how low can you go when it comes to dressing after 40?”
O.K. you are right, we have not addressed the issue of how much cleavage is too much cleavage. This is a tricky one, since there are a lot of things to factor into that equation.
First off, let’s look at Stacey (seen here). She is dressed fashionably, yet conservatively (long skirt and long sleeves, nothing too tight, fabric is not clingy or form-fitting). She is not extremely busty, and so even though she is wearing a low cut blouse, your eyes are not going to her bust because she has filled the chest area with a bold necklace that draws the eye up. She was also on vacation and traveling, not at work, so we think this look on her is totally appropriate. Moreover, she just happens to be single as well!!! So, we feel she is dressed just fine and age appropriately.
Now, take that same outfit and put it in a corporate work environment and we would say that she should consider changing the blouse to one that is not as sexy.
Here are some things one should consider before going too low:
- Are you busty? (If “the girls” are bigger, make sure you’ve got them into a good fitting bra and you will have to be a little more careful on how much to show.)
- Where are you going? (Are you on play time or work time?)
- What is the fabric you are wearing? (Is it thin, clinging fabric, or one that is stiff?)
- How do you look overall in the outfit, what part is drawing the most attention? (Are you showing bulges in your stomach or waist and how much of your bust is hanging out?)
- Where do you live? (Are you surrounded by flashy, sexy women or would you stand out if you showed a lot of skin?)
- Are you going out in a social setting? What message are you trying to send?
There is no easy answer to this, but if your gut is telling you you’re showing off too much, then you probably are.
However, we do see many women who have great figures that are hiding behind safe clothes and feeling frumpy.
There is a balance to all of this, and there is not an easy one-size-fits-all answer.
So, if you have a question about how you look, feel free to write in with a photo.
Lets keep this discussion going…please comment below!
