Here’s the problem….It’s Valentine’s Day. You are going out on a romantic dinner date. You want to look sexy, but you don’t want to go overboard and wind up end up looking like a desperate middle-aged gal flashing too much skin.
How do you look sexy, not sleazy this Valentine’s Day on on any other date night? It’s easier than you think. Here are our top tips:
Show Some Skin.There’s no arguing that showing some skin in youthful and alluring. You’re not going to wear a turtleneck on a date to look sexy. That Diane Keaton kind of coverage signals stay away. On the other hand………
… But, Not Too Much Skin!Letting it all hang out in a skimpy outfit is Vulgar. You have to accept that dressing in clothes your your teenager might wear clubbing will make you look hard, tacky and frankly, worn out. Everything is heading south after all. So where’s the middle ground?
Let Them SNEAK A PEEK.To look sexy, not sleazy or silly, use this rule of thumb. Instead of revealing several parts of your body in order to look sexy, just reveal one. A sneak peek is better than a striptease! For example. If you have a great bust, try a low cut v neck top, but that’s it. Don’t wear a mini skirt with that top. Wear a regular skirt like a knee length pencil skirt and put all the focus up top. However if you have great legs, you may want to go a little shorter on the skirt ( a couple of inches above the knee) or go with a skirt with a slit in in at the side to reveal some leg, but then don’t go with a tiny bare camisol top, or a strapless or backless top, for instance. It’s all about balance.
A Second Rule of Thumb – FIGHT THE TIGHT.Resist the urge to go supertight to look sexy. You want your clothes to be fitted, but please forget about size tags. You don’t need to wear a size 6 if you are really a size 10. You’ll look fat if you do, as well as desperate. Clothes that skim your silhouette are sexy. Clothes that stretch are wonderful, but when you look like a stuffed sausage, that is not flattering at any age.
Try Other Ways to Boost Your Sexy That Aren’t About Letting it All Hang Out.Sexy is not simply about baring skin or a tight fit! You can look alluring in other ways. For example, Fabric. Think of the fabrics you are choosing to wear on a date. Crisp cottons and linens communicate action, fun and an on the go feel, not quiet romance by candlelight. A Cashmere sweater or wrap is a great way to communicate sexy because it is so soft, feminine and makes the person you are with feel like reaching out to touch you, just as if you were a fluffy kitten.
Leather is Also Very Sexy.Leather (especially black leather) with its raw edge signals power, passion and excitment. Wear it in moderation, not head to toe, or you will look like a geriatric domanatrix! Colored leather, particularly in vibrant shades is sexy and current. A Leather jacket worn over a feminine, flirty dress is sexy.
Dresses, Especially with Some Stretch and Drape, are Very Sexy.The wrap is one of our all time favorite sexy dresses. It’s a soft jersey and the gentle wrap hugs the body.
Animal Prints Always Bring Out the Tiger.Put a little tiger in his tank with a touch of the wild. For example an animal print scarf or pair or pumps is enough to get him roaring.
Shiny is Sexy.Here’s a trick to look hot from the material girl herself. At 53, Madonna has stopped wearing cone bras, but still wants to look sexy, so in the last few years she has taken a shine to satin. Satin and other shiny materials allow her to be a little more modestly dressed, but still transmit a very seductive message.
The Right Accessories Make an Outfit Sexy.Purses that swing, jewelry that hangs down and dangles such a s long earrings or a long necklace that land near your bust is tantalizing.
Sheer is Super Sexy and a Great Way to Cover-up Those Lumps and Bumps!This is a great trick used by many stars like Jane Fonda. Sophia Loren is also a fan of this way of being subtly sexy.
And Finally………Go Sexy with Hair and Make-up!Don’t be afraid to bring out the smokey eye look- but do it with a nude or pale lip to create balance. Your hair may be straight and tame during the day but at night you can go a little looser, wilder or even better put it up to show your sexy neck.
Another Oscars show, and we were watching for some over 40+ Fashion Inspiration. Too bad we didn’t find much. Here’s rundown of what we saw on the red carpet.
Annette BeningYour gorgeous energy makes you shine, not your sparkly sailor dress.
Sandra Bullock
A stunning dress, but we thought the stiffness of it + the waxy white make-up and tight hair made her look rather strained, and as stressed as she probably has been feeling this year with all the craziness that has been going on in her life. Still, she’s a beauty.
Halle BerryShe’s always said she would never marry again, but this bride like dress makes us think she may now want to tie the knot. Very pretty dress but was it too frou frou for sexy Halle? Your thoughts?
A woman of steel… steel gray that is. We loved this fabulous feminine gown in this strong modern metallic..Bold, and beautiful from Vivienne Westwood. What a figure!!
Helena Bonham Carter Are you surprised?
Marissa Tomei The critics loved this. Maybe it looked better in person?…This 1950′s navy, satin and tulle ballgown should have stayed in Grandma’s attic….yes, or no?
Nicole Kidman Sorry, this dress looked like a fancy folded dinner napkin! Too stiff and pale for Nic. You can’t get it right all the time!
To hear What the Glam Gals have to say about Oscar dresses, listen here:
Sometimes we meet women and tell them we write a blog called Fabulous after 40,they say, ” I’m well over 50, or I’m over 60, can I visit your blog?”
The answer is, “of course!” We’re here to encourage 40, 50, 60 and beyond to dump the frump and have some fun with fashion.
40 is just the starting point where your body starts to change, your lifestyle changes, it get harder to find places to shop and the role models get fewer and farther between.
So, just in case you gals over 60 may have been feeling left out.. take a look Golden Globe winner Helen Mirren here, and other inspiring celebrities from a great post we just ran across about the SAG awards, and looking
Just about fell off our chairs when we saw this sensational picture of Helen Mirren and her 63 year old bikini bod! Hubba, Hubba!
It’s exciting to see that it’s not over till it’s over! Helen looks fabulous and is a great role model for all of us who still want to look as vibrant and sexy as we feel.
Print this pic out and paste it to your fridge for inspiration.
Now, forget all the excuses. Just eat good food, small portions and watch the white bread and sweets! Why look frumpy when you can look like this?
Last night’s Oscars, were a thumbs up for women over 40. Overall, we think the ladies looked Fabulous! Red was the color of the evening, with most mature stars, choosing very simple, styles and luxurious fabrics.
Here are our picks for Best Dressed Celebrities, who have passed the over 40 mark:
Once again, Helen Mirren, really sparkled with class and flash in her gorgeous red satin gown with 3/4 glittering crystal, openwork sleeves, by Georges Chakra.
Helen Mirren
She mentioned that since she her most recent film is another period piece, she liked that her dress was powerful and attention grabbing! Her hair style was classic and simple and complemented the dress perfectly. No old lady up do for her!
Wearing her namesake color, Ruby Dee certainly looked Red Hot. Like Helen she wore red satin and looked very sleek and elegant. Here’s one example of where grey hair looks great because of the chic cut.
Ruby Dee
Kelly Preston, wore this wonderful saffron gown that stood out nicely from the crowd. We like that she kept this hard to wear stapless look free of a necklace and instead wore just a touch of sparkle …those beautiful earrings.
Kelly Preston, wife of John Travolta
With this Grecian-inspired gown, we think Calista Flockhart looked very pretty. (Has she gained a little weight? A little meat has made her look much more attractive!) Calista’s soft updo, was just the right thing to complement this soft,flowy, godess look! Love the interesting color combination.
Calista Flockhart
We had to put this one in of Rebecca Miller. Here is someone trying to be different and show her creative side, but just not pulling it off.
Rebecca Miller
If she had just worn the dress with the red bows and NOTHING else, it might have worked.
However, your eye does not know what to look at first. We are just so confused….should we look at the bows, the giant pins or the dangling earrings? And what was she thinking trying to pull it all together with those wicked witch of the west, black and white closed toes shoes????
This is a good lesson to show what can happen when you over do it.
When dressing up, if you think it might be too much, it probably is! To hear us talk more about the Oscar fashions tune into our conversation with Radio Talk Show host, Shannon Conner from WTBQ.91.1 FM.
They’ve just published the results of a British survey by New Woman Magazine that asked 5,000 female readers to name the celebrity with the body that all women want. And the winner is.. ( drumroll) ..not 20 year old Lindsay Lohan or 25 year old Sienna Miller or even 25 year old Jessica Biel, but 41 year old Liz Hurley.
Women say the sexy Estee Lauder covergirl is the perfect combination of slim but curvy and that she is their body idol.
You’ve probably noticed that other celebs like Hallie Berry ( 40) Sarah Jessica Parker ( 42) have also eased into midlife looking pretty fantastic too. Boy, do these gals seem disciplined and ready to tackle the sagging and flabbiness that comes with aging.
Still, there’s no doubt it’s going to be very hard work, especially when Liz Hurley has already confessed that she only eats one full meal a day and snacks on six raisons!
Best of luck ladies. We’ll be watching, looking for some inspiration. (Still, can’t help but think how these gals will be in for a shock once menopause hits and the pounds get harder and harder to diet and exercise away, no matter what you do….don’t we know it!)
Other winners of the British Body Idol contest who were over 40 inluded Oscar Winner Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley and Twiggy.
The reason? They took the high road. They didn’t try to compete with young starlets by wearing too trendy styles or gowns that exposed everything, and are best suited to 20-somethings.
Instead, they took a more elegant approach, donning classic styles, in rich fabrics and colors, that revealed only their current best features.
Helen looked like one sexy siren in her stunning teal blue gown that highlighted her still beautiful bustline.
Annette played up her well toned arms and shapely legs in a chic column gown slit up the side.
Meryl, (pictured here with her daughter ) looked like a Grecian goddess in a softly draped gown that showed off lovely neck and decolletage(although the nude shade did wash her out a little- a hint of color would have made Meryl look even more fabulous).
The style lesson here: You CAN be just as gorgeous (if not more) in the “second chapter” of your life.
Keep things CLASSY by playing up your best features now, not the ones that used to be great 10 years ago.
Just about fell off our chairs when we saw this sensational picture of Helen Mirren and her 63 year old bikini bod! Hubba, Hubba!
