5 Tips for Dressing Your Hourglass Figure

March 14, 2013 | By Deborah Boland | 4 Comments

hourglass figure over 40If you are an hourglass you are curvy. Va va Voom! Think Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Vergara or Salma Hayeck.

Your bust and hips measure about the same and you have a much smaller defined waistline (usually about 10”” between your waist and bust/hips). Your calves are shapely.

When you gain weight, you gain it evenly throughout your shape. The dressing goal if you are an hourglass to play up your  vuluptuous figure, but still be proportioned.

Dresses

Fitted dresses will accentuate your curves, show off your waist and play up your very feminine figure. A wrap dress is perfect because it is stretchy and follows the curvy lines of your body.

Dresses need to be fitted, not loose and flowing. Wearing a belt shows off your tiny waist is a great way to dress over 40 when you have an hourglass shape. [Read more...]

How to Accessorize a Wrap Dress for Work

July 4, 2012 | By Deborah Boland | 2 Comments

Hi Glam Gals,
I love your website and I need your help.  Dresses for women over 40 are hard to find but I just purchased this dress the other day and plan to wear it to the office.  The neckline is quite low so I will wear a camisole but I am struggling to work out how to accessorize and what color to accessorize with.  Do I go with a long necklace or a chunkier shorter one?


Thanks so much
Taya from Australia

Hi Taya,

Good job on this purchase!  This is one of the best dresses for women over 40 and is perfect dress for the office because it is simple, looks professional and can be worn all year long.  So now the key to accessorizing a wrap dress is balancing the overall look.

 

Taya from Australia

How to Dress Comfortable and Still Look Stylish!

April 3, 2012 | By Deborah Boland | 3 Comments
dresses over 40

We’re excited to introduce you to Karina dresses.

It is almost unanimous; most women, when they are over forty, want to look stylish yet still be comfortable!

If you are like us, you are tired of being bombarded with ads for clothes that look great layered on 14 year old stick thin models!  Then, when you go out to shop, many feel this sense of dread and confusion on what to buy.

The answer to that mystery is the simple wrap dress.  Yes, we Glam Gals have sung the praises of this versatile item for years!  The wrap dress has so much going for it.   [Read more...]

Look Sexy, not Sleazy, after 40 in a Wrap Dress!

November 25, 2011 | By Deborah Boland | 8 Comments

Even Barbie loves a wrap dress!

I’m recently divorced, back on the dating scene and have no idea how to dress. What can I wear that looks sexy, but  isn’t so skimpy it reveals everything?    Thanks,Liz P.Hi Liz,

We get this question all the time. Who wants to go out looking like a 21-year-old dressed for night of clubbing? Where’s the fine line between that looking sexy, and looking sleazy, especially after 40?

Our friend, Anne Berit Oslvik looks sexy in her wrap dress

Our answer is always the same. If you want to look feminine, alluring and classy, we suggest  you try a wrap dress. Diane Von Furstenberg’s classic wrap dress from the 70′s is back and more popular than ever.  Its figure flattering, waist clinching, bust enhancing ability, makes it the perfect pick for almost any woman. Even if you have a few extra pounds, the way this dress drapes will make you look sculpted and 10 pounds lighter.

We’ve both just bought one think it’s the perfect dress for almost anything and can be dressed up or down with accessories. Plus, it travels like a dream. It’s lightweight you can throw it in your bag and it’s always so comfy because it’s made of its soft jersey silk fabric.

Here are some tips for wearing a wrap dress:

  • If you are not planning to wear hose and want to keep things looking smooth, wear some shapewear like Spanx to eliminate any panty lines, bumps and bulges.
  • Some wrap dresses have a tendency to come open at the top. Make sure that you buy the correct size or wear a camisole underneath. We find that the non-lace ones look better with this tailored look.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • If you are not that busty, this is a great time to have some fun with a pretty padded push up bra!
  • O.k. What about the shoes? The formality of the print and the size of print will dictate the heel. The wilder the print, the chunkier  you can go with the heel . That means you can do anything from a more delicate heel to a wedge.

As Diane would say, “Feel like a woman, wear a dress!”

Necklaces to Make You Look Like a Knockout!

July 8, 2011 | By Deborah Boland | 20 Comments

Looking for a simple way to go from Frumpy to Fabulous after 40? Simply add a great necklace. Whether it’s a subtle accent or a giant statement piece, a beautiful necklace frames your face and completes your look. But getting just the right necklace takes some thought. Here are 5 Do’s and Donts to help you look like a knockout in a necklace.

1. Don’t Wear a Necklace that is Too Tiny

1orangejacket Too plain This bold jacket and matching top is a lovely, fresh color, but overall it looks a little too plain and bare without jewelry.
2orangewithtinychain Too tiny Add a traditional, delicate, tiny gold necklace, and it still doesn’t look right. The necklace is dated and looks lost on the neck.
3orangewithbiggerchain Just Right Instead try adding a fuller necklace to fill in the open space. A fuller necklace is more modern and it is more suited to the crispness and weight of this jacket. Also, because this necklace is a mix of gold, cream and silver beads, it nicely picks up on the large cream and silver button on the jacket.

2. Don’t Wear a Necklace that Competes with your Top

4yellowplusgoldbig Too overpowering Big round gold link necklaces may be in fashion, but that doesn’t mean they go with everything. This necklace is much too contemporary, geometric and bold for this soft, flowing Grecian top with its smooth, draped fabric.
5yellowwithgoldchain2 Too distracting It might be tempting to wear this gorgeous top with a more refined classic flat gold necklace in order to match the snake pin, however if you’re honest, you’ll see that the necklace competes with the pin and takes away from the stunning sweeping neckline.
6yellowplusplain Simple and Elegant This unique top is a showpiece itself. Leave well enough alone and in this case, forget about a necklace. The best way to accessorize this top would be by wearing a striking pair of gold hoop earrings or long dangles, and a stunning wide gold cuff.

3. Do wear necklaces that match your skin tone

7warmwithnothing-rev Warm Skin The general rule of thumb is to match your jewelry to your skin tone. Deborah (shown here) has warm skin. See how beautiful the warm reds, oranges and browns in her top complement her yellow undertones.
8warmwithcoolchain Wrong color for skin The silver necklace is very cold and icy on her and is a stark contrast to a very warm look.
9warmwithwarmnecklace Right color for skin A better choice is a warm gold necklace. The little charms have gold and orange in them and blend in with her look. It all flows together very naturally.

4. Do Theme your Necklace to your Outfit

10tropicalplain Too uninspired This gorgeous tropical print is busy and so many may think to leave jewelry out of the mix, but the opposite is true. This fun dress is calling out for a fun necklace.
11tropicalwithgoldchain2 Too conservative See how this plain gold box chain adds nothing to the dress. It’s far too prim and proper to do this exotic theme justice.
12tropicalwithtropicalchain2 Perfect for the theme Instead you need to enhance the tropical feel and a large chunkier necklace made of irregularly shaped beads and stones is more natural and earthy looking, so in keeping with this tropical theme.

5. Don’t Settle for Just One Necklace

13wrapplain2 Too bare Many women are confused about what kind of necklace to wear with a wrap dress and so often go bare.
14wrapwithonechain Too ordinary A long single chain can look nice.
15wrapwith2chains Modern and Fashionable But the layered look is really popular this season. So, instead of wearing a single chain that looks “just OK,” take it to the next level, wrap it around your neck a couple of times. Then add a second chain for a fashion forward look!