I can remember that when I was at university I viewed my mother as old but now I am older than she was then and I still feel pretty much the same as I ever did. OK being realistic I am not as fit as I was and there are a few creaks and cracks in the old joints but my hobbies and interests have changed little and my life has largely carried on unchanged. The trouble is that no matter what I may feel like on the inside my appearance is a bit of a giveaway. I am not that teenager anymore and it shows!

Good News and Bad News

The thing that gets tricky when you reach a certain age is fashion. I am not suggesting that middle aged women should retreat to the horrors of the twin set and pearls but I do believe that some caution is required. There is nothing wrong with keeping your style contemporary but you can take things too far and frankly end up looking rather crass. So some styles are off limits which might seem like bad news but there is good news here too.

New Found Freedom

With age there comes a certain freedom. The passing years release you from teenage insecurities and the need to be seen in the right styles and labels whether they suit you or not. There is more room for self-expression and personalised style and there is probably more confidence thrown into the mix. You can wear the things you like and reject the things you don’t without fear of expulsion from the in crowd and you can denounce as ridiculous the excesses of any current trends.

Confidence in Colour

So sagging jeans, enormous platforms and transparent tops are probably off the menu but a good pair of jeans certainly shouldn’t be. You can choose the cuts that suit you best and step out in style because denim never goes out of fashion. Even if you favour boot cuts when skinny is all the rage it matters little because if you good then nobody will question our choice and frankly you won’t care if they do.

You can partner your jeans with red because it suits you and ignore the fact that pastels are in. You have been around for so long that a treasure trove of vintage styles will be lurking in your wardrobe ready to return triumphant when they are suddenly the latest craze once more.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Take mom jeans as a case in point. High waists were all the rage in my university days but then low rise took over. After years of waistbands migrating south the benefits of the 80’s specials are being discovered once more. I have found myself wondering why I didn’t preserve my favourites for their inevitable renaissance but of course this would have done me no good. The old styles may be back with a vengeance but sadly my old figure is not.

Sally Stacey is a keen writer of a certain age who is still wrestling with her fashion choices.