Susan After 60 – She’s Fabulous!
How is it possible to go from Frumpy ……………….
………………………………. to FABULOUS!
Yes, go right ahead and take a second look because, believe it or not, this is the same woman in both these photos!
Meet Susan Street a 60+-year-old fashionista from Tennessee and the blogger behind the popular website,
Three years ago, Susan lost more than forty pounds after switching to a vegetarian diet. After trying to buy a new wardrobe and leaving the store frustrated, she started studying current styles to help her create a timeless wardrobe that would fit well with her busy lifestyle.
At Susan, After 60, Susan shares the lessons she has learned about dressing after 40 and making the switch to a more plant-based diet. I knew you’d love to know more about Susan, and her incredible journey so here is an interview with this Fabulous After 40 Styleblazer.
Deb: Susan, how did losing weight change the way you felt about yourself and your fashion choices?
Susan: Losing weight allowed me to be much more healthy, active, and comfortable in my body. I had convinced myself that tailored slacks or khakis were more appropriate for my age and size while I was heavier. However, those items do not reflect my personality at all.
Deb: How would you describe your style now vs. then?
Susan: When I was heavier, I dressed to conceal my body as much as possible. I dreaded every event because getting dressed to go out was so very depressing. I remember having to do my makeup over a couple of times because I started crying from frustration. Now I look forward to getting dressed every day. I have built a wardrobe, including pieces I actually enjoy wearing, and that truly reflect my personality.
Deb: What are your new favorite things to wear that you didn’t wear before?
Susan: My confidence to dress in my lifelong favorites of jeans and a jacket returned when the weight came off. I didn’t even own one pair of jeans the year before I started losing weight. I also now wear the heels I have always enjoyed but had to give up while I was heavier because of the pain. It is amazing what a difference, even five pounds makes in the way my body feels.
Deb: What key pieces have helped de-frump your look?
Susan: Being able to wear straight-leg jeans and cool heels has definitely upped my style game!
Deb: You wear many different colors from neutrals to pastels, to darks, to prints. What color is your favorite and suits you best?
Susan: Black is and always has been my favorite color. I feel confident and powerful in black. I also enjoy wearing cobalt blue, bright red, or white depending upon the weather and my mood.
Deb: Can you share some things you’ve discovered about dressing since you started the blog.
Susan: When I wear my favorite head-to-toe black look, I vary the textures. The colors of individual pieces rarely match exactly, nor do you want them to look like a suit, but if you wear different textures of the same color, it gives your look a certain richness. Imagine an elegantly tailored gabardine blazer with a silk blouse and a pair of jeans all in the same color.
Deb: You have beautiful gray hair. Did you always know that you would go gray naturally, or did you struggle with that decision?
Susan: My hair started turning gray while I was still a teenager, so I colored it for many years. When I turned fifty, I decided to let my hair be the color it is. It is much healthier now, and I don’t have to waste all that time and money in the salon every three weeks. The natural color is so much more flattering to my skin tone than any used color I ever had.
Deb: It’s apparent that you’ve taken very good care of your skin over the years. What advice would you give to women about the importance of having a daily skincare routine?
Susan: I am not often in the sun, and I wear sunscreen daily. Removing my makeup, every evening is something I look forward to. I don’t smoke, nor do I drink more than a couple of glasses of wine occasionally. I try to sleep for six or seven hours each night. My skin is dramatically better now that I am eating mostly fruits and vegetables and drinking a lot of water every day. Eliminating fat, sugar, and salt as much as possible from my diet has given me clear skin for the first time in my life.
Deb: You are jewelry, expert. How do you like to wear your jewelry? Any favorites?
Susan: Too many accessories make me feel cluttered and uncomfortable. I do enjoy a bold long silver necklace to give me that all-important V which helps my round face and larger bust seem less so. I say, let one or two areas make the impact. For example, if I wear several interesting bracelets on one arm, I may wear a larger pair of earrings and no necklace. If I wear a dramatic necklace, the earrings will be small if I wear them at all. Tiny delicate jewelry does nothing for my style, my stature, or my age. I leave those small bits for the teenagers and look for bold, dramatic statement pieces.
Deb: You seem to be in a very happy place. What do you love the most about being in your 60s?
Susan: I love the confidence that comes from being comfortable in my skin and happy with the person I have become. I have a wonderfully supportive and encouraging partner in life who makes every weekend an adventure to look forward to. Mr. Mickey is my photographer and the inspiration I needed to start enjoying the fruits of my lifelong labors. I am certain if I had not started dating him nine years ago, I would still be working alone in my studio for endless hours.
Deb: Thanks, Susan, for sharing your inspiring story and excellent style advice with us.
To see more of Susan’s fab style visit her blog Susan after 60 blog
The dressing is an art form! I am an over-50 “student” of street style, and I think your fashion advice is right on the mark. You have a sense of what looks stylish and flattering at any age. And just a little edgy, too. I don’t spend much money on clothes—it is more fun to haunt the consignment shops and even Goodwill here in SF, where people give away perfect garments. I often shop by touch—if a fabric drapes well and feels expensive, it probably is. I avoid prints except in tiny doses and do buy expensive accessories from time to time. I agree that stilettos are a big problem! They DO look fabulous, but they are not for real women who may need to run from place to place literally. If I find a pair of platforms or heels I can walk ten blocks in; I will pay anything for them. Shoes are probably my biggest fashion challenge!
From this blog post, it appears only pointed-toe stilettos will do. Not all of us can wear those or even like them. Are there no more comfortable styles that don’t look frumpy? For many of us, shoes like those in your blog only mean pain, and no woman should be willing to do that, though I’m sure many are.
I agree. Heels are not my friend since I’m tall and have foot issues. I wish there were more photos of attractive flats!
What a great article. You look fabulous, and I can hardly believe the before and after pictures. What an epiphany you had with your transformation. You go, Girl! Amazing looks now that the real you is ‘out of the bag.’.
I want to be her!
not frumpy more like sexy
I look at your pictures and want to look stylish and beautiful like you, but I am 74, and no matter how bad I want to lose weight, I cannot stay motivated. I am also tired all the time, and I think the extra weight is a contributing factor, but I can’t seem to keep it going would like some tips on how to get started.
I would love to see someone on your site with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Pastels do nothing for my skin tone. This lady looks fantastic, and so do you.
I’m a silver-haired “premie” (started at age 12), and I congratulate you on letting it go! I did so myself in 1997 (at 36 years of age), and it’s been great. Fun looks here!! I also have fun in my over 50 years of “gigging,” doing it backward as most launch their music careers at a younger age but having a blast dressing in edgy but classic ways, staying relevant to my age ways. Thanks for sharing with us!! You must be an inspiration to everyone around you!
Susan looks FABULOUS and genuinely unbelievable. I had to return to her first picture three times to ensure it was the same person. It is incredible. She looks much younger, more confident, and genuinely sophisticated now—what a transformation. You rock!
Susan looks sensational! What an incredible transformation! She is a total inspiration!
Like you, I lost 43 lbs three years ago by eating a plant-based diet, and that’s how I keep it off too. When I fit into size 10, I started a collection of skinny jeans, cute shoes, and denim-style jackets. I like your style, and it’s great that you’re inspiring women to look fashionable and feel good about how they look. A thought about your black, for a more youthful look, switch to navy. The photo where you’re sitting on the wood steps …that blue (of the jeans) is a fabulous color for you to wear as a shell top, jacket, or anything. Light brights are your colors with navy as your new black.
Wow! You look great! Can you give me more info on how you went from colored hair to natural gray? Did you have to cut it short, let it grow out, color it gray, etc.?
Hi Debbie,
I used a temporary color for a few months, and my hair was slightly shorter. Work with your stylist to come up with the best solution for you. I also wore hats quite often.
Thank you,
Susan
This has gotten me jazzed to do something as you have. I am almost 58. I need to lose 40 pounds. I feel just so frumpy. I joined a health club in January but haven’t seen any changes. I need a push, and reading this article has helped me. Thank you, and keep up the good work
I joined a gym ten years ago. For the first while, no weight was coming off, so I changed to a low-carb diet and lost 52 lbs. in 6 months. Still gyming 4-5 times per week. Change diet, and you’ll see results as workouts alone will NOT do it.