Suzanne has been one of my long-time readers and I always appreciate the thoughtful comments she leaves on my blog. And sometimes she sends me something special like this quote from Miuccia Prada:
“Women always try to tame themselves as they get older but the ones who look the best are often a bit wilder. Thinking about age all the time is the biggest prison women can make for themselves.”
Miuccia Prada
Suzanne writes: “I feel that this is what you teach us with the bright colors and different shapes of your clothes”.
I could not be happier to read that. That is exactly the message I like the give with this blog.
- Have fun as you age.
- Have fun with fashion.
- Wear more colour.
- Explore new choices.
- Celebrate your unique style.
Inspiration from the beautiful women of Advanced Style
I fully intend to get wilder, crazier, more colorful and more daring with my clothes as I get older.
- I want to embrace hats and gloves like the Style Crone.
- I want to wear crazy glasses in all kinds of colours like Iris Apfel and Rita Ellis
- I want to express my creativity in expressive ways like Debra Rapoport
- I want to dye my hair in a crazy colour and have as much fun as Ilona Royce-Smithkin
- I want to wear make-up like Beatrice Ost.
- I want to wear colours like Lynn Dell. “try something new” is what she tells everybody in the video below. Another quote I love from her: “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative”.
Reality check
It’s true that I’m not doing all these things yet, and maybe I never will.
But I sat in a room full of older people yesterday. Most of them looking somber and wearing shapeless clothes.
They must have thought I was a bit crazy, wearing my bright green pants and red top with yellow shoes. I stood out for sure.
But I’m sure I also put a few smiles on people’s faces as they saw me brightening up the room. Bright colors or clothes that are just a little bit different always get comments and smiles and they do put you and others in a better mood.
I’m taking baby steps now, and perhaps I will be as colorful and charismatic as any of the ladies above when I’m 90!
Let’s spread a few manifestos into the world!
I took inspiration from all the quotes of the women mentioned before and created a few manifestos for us older women.
Share them with everyone to spread the word about the positives of aging! Tweet them, share them Facebook, pin them! Thanks!
Also can you think of a few more good ones? I’d like to create some more! And tell me, do you intend to get wilder as you age?
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I love Style Crone and Rita! They are an inspiration to me and my blog followers!
ps I just read the comments and I feel I must respond to the younger chickadees. If you are in your 40s, you are different than chicks in their 60s (+) – and you look different than you will in your 60s (well, I turn 60 next month…so I don’t know what will happen at age 65). And, the following part is specifically for Aileen in Glasgow: I’ve never been to Scotland, but it is probably similar in attitude to Seattle or Canada…maybe you wear more plaid or something. However, you should NEVER strive to “fit in” unless you are at work (in a bank-like bland atmosphere) where you could be fired for wearing something crazy. Why on earth do you want to look like everyone else? That sounds kinda boring. I mean…don’t you want to look better than everyone else?
Cheers,
Tina Boomerina
Very well said Christina! By the way if you want an other commenter to get notified of a reply comment of you, it’s better to click the reply button directly underneath their comment. That way they will get a notification that someone has replied to their comment.
Agree totally, Christina!
So well put! Really enjoyed reading your comment (I am 58). Hope you will comment more often.
Yes, I totally agree. You need to get wilder as you get older. (And, pushing the limits is not difficult if you grew up in the 60s.) I always felt that I needed brighter colors as my face and hair started to fade. I don’t mean brighter makeup…that makes me look like a bag lady or a sales clerk in a department-store basement. I do mean brighter coats (I love fuchsia, red etc. worn over black) and brighter hats and brighter tops and brighter scarves near my face. I almost never leave the house without a hat. That is just my quirky style…and my thin hair is even thinner at (almost) 60, so hats make my life easier. Rock on girls!
Yes, colour is so important. As you may know I’m doing some closet editing at the moment and what strikes me is that I have so little colour in my closet. Years of buying neutrals! So I’m not allowed to buy anything but colour at the moment (safe for some white pants). Slowly but surely I will get more colourful. I assume though that I will never get as wild as the women featured. In the end I’m a bit of a minimalist. But I DO love hats and want to get more of those.
I am so happy to see you move in the ‘stronger-color’-direction, Sylvia. Not only because I love colors, but because I find that that flatters you way more then pale colors do. So keep them colors coming! Hahaha….
Thanks for the reply Sylvia. You are so right and we must all keep making an effort. It’s so easy to fall into the ‘invisible’ mode but making an effort with hair, makeup and clothes is the way to go.
I also think these women are wonderful and their environment suits them. I think I’d be locked up if I wore these outfits in Glasgow, Scotland, and I’m sure lots of you would agree. We do have to fit in with our situation, but can still look wonderful and well styled for our particular environment and lifestyle.
I do feel inspired by them and will hopefully follow their lead into old age when it arrives.
Great post, many thanks for it.
You are right Aileen and you will need to have a personality to match to wear these kind of outfits. I guess what I’m trying to say is than rather than going in the complete opposite direction (just wearing neutrals and ‘invisible’ clothes) let’s try to push ourselves a little bit harder and be a bit more daring. Getting older does not mean that we cannot have fun with fashion and play with colour, silhouette and accessories. These ladies do it to the extreme. If we only do a little bit we will already look so much more interesting!
Great post! I agree wholeheartedly, growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional! Be who you feel and feel who you are! If you aren’t getting happier as you’re getting older, you’re messing up!!! What do you think is the best cure for feeling down about growing older? I think food you love, people you love, and uninhibited personal expression!
Well said Danielle!
Why older women should have more fun and get wilder……
Because they have earned every right to do so. 🙂
By the way, I wear heels now in my 40’s and never really did when I was younger.
Very good Petite. I was the same. Never used to wear heels, but now I enjoy them!
I know Advanced Style and have been visiting it off and on. It is very nice but I always keep in mind that these ladies probably always have been eccentric. Like Lynn Dell tells you in the video.
I will be grateful if, in the next 20, 30 years, I can stay myself and express myself the way that I am doing now. Taking these ladies as an example might give me the courage to just do that and not bother with other peoples opinion. I am not eccentric but I am not mainstream either.
My contribution for your manifestos:
As I get older, I know so much better what suits me and what not. Which makes it easier to make the right choices.
On a scale of 0-10, you easily score a 7 for eccentricity, IMHO. 😉
thanks so much for your contribution Greetje. I realise that most of these ladies may have already been eccentric or very stylish when they are younger. But Lynn also says in an earlier video that when you age you don’t really so much anymore what others think. You dress for yourself and what makes you happy or what brings a smile on others peaoples faces. I think that is very true . As you age you learn more about yourself but also have the confidence to wear anything that you like.
Fantastic, I love your manifesto! I dream of being that eccentric old woman with a lot of fantastic clothes, hats and big costume jewelry:) Not sure if I’ll ever get there, but hey – one can always dream, right? 🙂
Something to aspire to, for sure!
Fashion wize I’m pushing myself s lot harder than I did when I was younger. I’m trying to look better and more joyful than ever!
Excellent! Keep pushing yourself Heather. I look forward to seeing the results!
Wow! This is really awesome – and awe inspiring! I do think it is important that we have fun with fashion regardless of our age. Being open and trying new things and wearing color and trying a different shape is what keeps a woman young at heart and that is where it matters most. Being playful and joyful and spreading that everywhere we go is a gift to the world. 🙂 And yes – I do plan on getting wilder. I bought bright green shoes and cobalt cropped jeans thanks to your blog. I bought and wear tangerine Ray Bans! Who knows how far this will go!? It is FUN!
Thanks Suzanne for the inspiration!