Turtlenecks… or more like turkey neck

Hello ladies,

I have a question about turtlenecks:

They used to be my go to item – especially in black.  I would wear one practically every day in the winter.  Well, now that I am 42, they don’t look so hot on me at all.   I feel like they highlight that little bit of loose skin right under my chin and cheeks that you can barely see otherwise.  When I see other women I think this about them too…yet everyone still wears them.  Is it one of those things that you just suck up and still wear as you get older even though it doesn’t look so hot  (kind of like a bathing suit)?  I am wondering if I should just bite the bullet and start wearing them again.  Or maybe you know of a way to make them look better?

Thanks so much.

AJ

Dear A.J.

We wouldn’t suggest wearing anything if it doesn’t look good on you. There’s too many choices out there!

We know what you mean about turtlenecks. As we’ve gotten older they seem to have fallen off our favorites list because they sometimes do give you that turkey neck if you have a lot of loose skin.The contrast between the black up by our faces and our lighter skin and hair can look plain harsh, and actually emphasize every little wrinkle.

That being said there, are still some women who love their turtlenecks, like Diane Keaton. Nobody quite knows what is going on with her, but she wears them so much they’ve become her trademark. Sometimes she looks dull and stiff in them, but other times she can look great. You really have to judge for yourself how it looks on you.

Diane Keaton in her trademark turtleneck

Diane looks darling here!

With all the new chunky sweaters out there, it’s hard to get completely away from turtlenecks. For example, I (Deborah) just bought this great Diane Von Furstenberg wrap sweater that cries out for a turtleneck to wear underneath. My neck is not bad at all,  so I can still wear a turtleneck, but a black turtleneck would totally wash me out, so I’m going to buy an espresso brown micro thin turtleneck to wear with it.

If you really don’t like the tightness of a turtleneck pushing up all that extra skin, a great alternative a a cowl neck sweater. They’re very in style right now and because they are much softer looking they are very forgiving on mature gals.

Here are a few we like:

Neck draping: See how beautifully this drapes and shows off your  decolletage. It looks perfect the way it is. Don’t ruin it by wearing a necklace. Only one caution : Make sure your arms are toned before you choose to wear this sweater.(Nordstrom)	soft and feminine- a cowl is a nice alternative to a turtleneck
Try a cowl neck cape: Capes adds glamour and we love a touch of glam.They also hide your tummy on those “I feel bloated days”, which is a nice bonus .(Nordstrom)	A chic look over black pants
Go for Gray: If you like neutrals, gray is a wonderful alternative to black. It’s just that bit softer and is very in fashion at the  moment. (Nordstrom)	gray is softer than black
Try experimenting with Color: Not everyone looks good or even feels good in gray. Green can add life, same with purple and red. There’s lots of choices out there. Love the button detail and raglan sleeve on this BCBG Max Azaria Cable detail sweater. It’s different and that’s what you want. (Nordstrom)	green looks fabulous on redheads
Choose slinky and stretchy: Don’t hide behind oversized sweaters that hide your body and make you look like a polar bear. Slinky stretchy turtlenecks and cowl necks like this follow the curves of your body making you look much more sexy and modern. Worried about your tummy or bottom? Buy some shapewear. You’ll be amazed how it transofrms your figure.	If you have a great waist show it off in a form fitting cowl neck
Good way to wear black: If you want to wear a black turtleneck, but worry about too much black up by your face, try this. It’s a Michael Kors twist front turtleneck. That touch of openess at the neckline brings in more skin and doesn’t make you look like your head is cut off from your body. Very sexy! ( Nordstrom)	a new take on a black turtleneck

Does this outfit look good on me? (part 1)

Hi Deborah and JoJami,

I would love your opinion for this outfit I have chosen to wear to an informal class reunion at a bar/ restaurant next week.

Do bear in mind that it is the middle of winter here. I was wondering if maybe I was a little to chunky to pull it off, what do you think.

Warm Regards,

Kathryn

Hi Kathryn,

Great to hear from you~

It is really smart to start planning your outfit, now and not wait to the last min!!

Here is our take on your outfit…

First off, we can see that you are very fashion forward with your sense of style. Layering and belting on the outside with black hose and boots are VERY much in style right now… however your outfit is  good example, of what can happen when you put this type of look on a body that is not 6 feet tall and 99 pounds!

It is VERY hard to pull off this look on women over 40….since it is we tend to look bulky in all these layers, instead of chic.

So, our answer to you is that your gut feeling is RIGHT ON!!!  We agree with you, that this outfit does not really flatter your cute figure (BTW, you are not “chunky”, you have a great figure, we just need to get it into clothes that make it look great!!!)

So what now????

It is always good to take a photo of yourself in an outfit, so you can see where your eye goes too first.

We think that the boots grab your attention and take it off the outfit.   Because they have a lot of “scrunching” going on, they tend to make your legs look bigger than they are…and give your legs a bulky look. Those boots would look better on you, if you wear a longer skirt. You need the skirt to hit below your calf for it to be flattering.

Now, if your set on wearing that outfit, we think it would flatter your figure if you did not try to belt the outfit at all and let the dress hang.

The necklace does not work either, it  is too dainty with the outfit. How about adding a colorful scarf?

This is a great attempt to look hip and chic, but with your body type it is  hard to pull this look off.

Lets keep this conversation going…can you send us your new updated photo of you after you try our suggestions?

(Kathryn has agreed to let us share her story with our readers. After we gave her some suggestions she put together a few new outfits and sent those to us. We will show those in Part 2.)

Does this outfit look good on me? (part 2)

Our reader Kathryn recently wrote us to ask what to wear to an informal class reunion to be held at the local pub, in the dead of winter (it is winter for our readers in Australia) .

The grey and black layered and belted look, shows that she is up on her fashion trends, however we felt that we could dress her cute figure to flatter it a bit more. So we sent her some homework and asked her to send us what she came up with.

Here are the other options she sent us, for round 2:

	Even though it is an informal event, we think this outfit is way too casual if Kathryn wants to dress to impress! The layers hide all her curves, and the checker shirt and clunky shoes make her look very masculine. The long, light colored top is the wrong proportion on the body, and makes her legs look very short in comparison. This is definitely not a look we’d recommend.
	This look is much nicer! It looks classy and crisp, and the shapes flatter her figure.  The only point we’d make is that it’s just too conservative!  From the first outfit to this one, we’ve lost all Kathryn’s style sensibility.  Where’s the funky trendiness we saw in the first outfit?
	Finally, we think this outfit is a slam dunk!  The black belt pulls in the narrowest part of Kathryn’s body, and the fact that it’s all one color makes her look longer and leaner.  We have the boots again, however she had another pair in her closet that fit nicer and hug her leg, which adds a little sexiness to the outfit.  She added back in some of her personal style with the necklace and bracelets.  We believe this is the best outfit yet! Our only suggestion would be to add a little color into the ensemble.  Perhaps wear a bright colored blouse instead of the white to give your face some color.  Maybe try wearing a colorful scarf or holding a colored bag.  Adding a pop of color will give her outfit some visual interest, and help her stand out!
	Kathryn also sent us a picture of her coat.  Isn’t it adorable?  We love the winter white wool trench with the cinched waist and decorative vintage pin.  The A-line is a perfect cut for her too.  That just goes to show that even in sub zero weather, you can still look hot!

It’s Still Winter – And This Warm, Chic Look Could Be In Your Closet!

We were reading the blog, Of a Certain Age the other day and came across a great post about looking chic AND warm!

Karen had seen a photo of a woman the site, The Satorialist, looking like we all would like to look…warm, comfortable and chic!

She then went into her own closet to “re-recreate” the look! What a great idea and it was very well done!

Click here to see how it turned out!