Fashion Over 50: Comfort, Colour and the Freedom to Change Our Minds
Updated: 6 days ago
A Little Note from Me
I first wrote this post a few years ago, when I was enthusiastically sharing fashion ideas and rather a lot of photographs! Revisiting it reminded me how much my writing has evolved. These days, I'm more interested in sharing personal experiences, observations, and a little humour than offering fashion advice. The original message still makes me smile, so I've given it a fresh outfit of its own. Thankfully, this one is a little more comfortable!
Because getting older doesn't mean our wardrobes have to grow up too.
I have a confession. I am absolutely no fashion expert. I couldn't tell you what's walking down the runways in Paris this season, and I certainly wouldn't know whether my wardrobe meets the latest fashion standards. What I do know is that I like clothes that make me feel good, and what makes me feel good seems to change from one summer to the next.
When it comes to fashion over 50, I've discovered that comfort has become a much stronger voice in my wardrobe decisions. Take kaftans, for example. I love them. They're floaty, comfortable, colourful, and wonderfully forgiving on a hot Australian summer's day. Some years, I could happily live in them. Other years, I find myself looking at something completely different and wondering whether it's time for another little wardrobe reinvention. Apparently, even my clothes can't decide who I want to be.
And why should they?
One of the pleasures of getting older is discovering that we can change our minds about almost anything, including what we wear. We can enjoy fashion without following it, appreciate beautiful clothes without buying them, and wear something purely because it makes us happy.
Fashion Over 50: Comfort Has Earned Its Place
There was a time when I could tolerate an uncomfortable outfit if I thought it looked good. Shoes that pinched, waistbands that required strategic breathing, and fabrics that seemed determined to make a hot day even hotter.
These days, comfort has a much stronger voice in my wardrobe decisions.
I still enjoy dressing up, and it's lovely putting on an outfit that makes you feel particularly good. But if I'm spending the entire day adjusting, tugging, or wondering how soon I can get changed, that outfit has probably failed its audition.
Elastic waistbands? Wonderful inventions. Soft fabrics? Absolutely. Shoes that allow me to walk without calculating the distance to the nearest chair? Even better.
Of course, comfortable doesn't have to mean shapeless, dull, or permanently dressed for a lazy Sunday. There are beautiful clothes that feel as good as they look. The trick is finding what works for us, rather than what someone else has decided we ought to wear.
And sometimes, a lazy Sunday outfit is exactly what the occasion calls for, even if it's Tuesday.
Colour Is Far Too Much Fun to Abandon
Somewhere along the way, women are occasionally given the impression that growing older means dressing more conservatively. Softer colours, sensible patterns, understated everything.
Well, where's the fun in that?
I love the idea of wearing colours that suit our mood. A bright splash of turquoise, a cheerful floral pattern, or something beautifully bold that catches our eye. Equally, there are days when soft neutrals feel peaceful and elegant.
Our wardrobes don't have to resemble a rainbow to be interesting, although there's absolutely nothing wrong if they do.
I also think colour can be wonderfully personal. One woman might feel fabulous in a bright red dress, while another feels her best in a crisp white shirt and comfortable linen trousers.
Neither has anything to prove.
And if we happen to buy something in a colour we've never worn before, only to discover we look like a walking lampshade, well, at least we've learned something.
Accessories, or How to Make an Old Outfit Feel New
I have always liked the idea that a little accessory can completely change an outfit. A scarf, a pair of earrings, an interesting necklace, or a lovely handbag can make something we've worn countless times feel fresh again.
This is particularly handy when we open the wardrobe, look at all the clothes hanging there, and announce that we have absolutely nothing to wear.
It's a curious phenomenon, isn't it?
Accessories also give us an opportunity to experiment without spending a fortune. We can keep a few favourite pieces, rediscover something tucked away in a drawer, or try an unexpected combination.
And while we're at it, who decided gold and silver shouldn't be worn together? I suspect the fashion police have more important things to worry about.
Our Bodies Change, and So Can Our Clothes
Now, this is something I think deserves a little more kindness.
Our bodies change throughout our lives. Weight shifts, shapes change, and clothes that fit beautifully a few years ago can suddenly seem to have shrunk while hanging in the wardrobe.
Funny how that happens.
But getting older doesn't mean we have to spend our time trying to dress ourselves into looking younger, thinner, taller, or anything else. There's nothing wrong with choosing clothes that flatter us, of course. Most of us enjoy looking in the mirror and feeling pleased with what we see.
The important part is remembering that our bodies aren't problems our wardrobes need to solve.
If a dress feels lovely, wear it. If trousers are more your thing, wonderful. If you've fallen in love with flowing kaftans, enjoy every breezy moment. And if you change your mind next summer, there's no requirement to explain yourself.
Clothes are supposed to fit our lives and our bodies. We shouldn't have to rearrange either one to please a pair of trousers.
Fashion Doesn't Have to Mean Buying More
Something I've come to appreciate is that enjoying clothes and constantly shopping for them are two very different things.
We can rediscover pieces we've forgotten, mix things we already own, or bring an old favourite back into regular rotation. Sometimes an outfit needs nothing more than a different accessory or a little imagination.
It can be quite satisfying to find a beautiful second-hand piece, particularly when it costs a fraction of what we'd expect to pay new.
And those clothes we've kept for years because we love them? They're doing a pretty good job of being sustainable already.
I think we can enjoy fashion while being a little more thoughtful about what we bring home.
After all, a bargain isn't much of a bargain if it spends the next five years hanging in the wardrobe with its price tag still attached.
Do We Really Need a Signature Style?
Here's where I part company with some of the fashion advice I've read over the years.
We're often encouraged to find our signature style, as though somewhere out there is one perfect way of dressing that will finally define who we are.
But what if we enjoy being different versions of ourselves?
What if one summer we're happily floating around in kaftans, the next we're drawn to linen dresses, and the following year we decide that shorts and a comfortable top are all we need?
Our tastes change. Our routines change. Even our tolerance for certain fabrics changes, particularly when an Australian summer decides to remind us who's in charge.
I rather like the freedom of allowing our wardrobes to evolve with us.
We can be elegant one day, casual the next, colourful on Friday, and dressed in our oldest, most comfortable clothes by Sunday. We can enjoy a little glamour when the occasion calls for it and appreciate the glorious relief of changing into something comfortable when we get home.
There's no need to choose one version of ourselves and remain loyal to her forever.
Getting Dressed Should Still Be Fun
Looking back at the original version of this post, I can see that I was enthusiastically encouraging women over fifty to embrace fashion, colour, confidence, and personal style.
The message was a good one, even if I sounded rather like I was about to open my own fashion boutique.
These days, I think I'd put it a little differently.
Getting older has given me a greater appreciation for choosing what suits me, what feels comfortable, and what I actually enjoy wearing. I still like beautiful clothes, I still change my mind, and I still occasionally wonder what possessed me to buy something that seemed like such a brilliant idea in the shop.
But that's part of the fun.
We don't need to dress younger, dress older, follow every trend, or abandon fashion altogether. We can take what we like, leave what we don't, and allow ourselves to change our minds as often as we please.
And if next summer finds me back in a colourful kaftan, floating around as though I've just stepped off a Mediterranean cruise, I'll be perfectly happy with that.
Even if the closest I get to the Mediterranean is sitting in the backyard with a glass of red.
Namaste
Deb xx
Thoughtful writing across life, mind, and meaning.
Enjoyed this little wardrobe wander?
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