Worrying about what to put on as you get on? Relax, we’ve got you covered
n the rulebooks of how to age gracefully the don’ts make a lot more noise than the dos. No leather trousers! No cleavage! No man buns! No skateboards! The list of items allegedly verboten for the over-50s is endless. Your life has been boobytrapped, one false move and the world will fall about laughing. It’s enough to make your hair go grey – oh, wait.
Here’s a better idea. Let’s talk about how to dress right for your age, rather than how to avoid getting it wrong. The list of style icons over 50 gets longer every year, and between them they are tearing up the rulebook . Iris Apfel, White House interior designer turned fashion influencer, filled her recent capsule collection for H&M with fringed violet jacquard miniskirts and frog-shaped rhinestone earrings, and it sold out in hours. Apfel turns 101 this year.
When you are 22, jeans and a black T-shirt looks effortless and slightly mysterious, but 30 years later, the same outfit can make you invisible. This is why, topsy turvy as it sounds, getting older calls for clothes that shout a bit louder. Go 10% more dressy for every 10 years over 40. There are different ways you can dial up your wardrobe.