dressing in midlife

As the Confidence Creator for Midlife Women, I offer a different perspective on how to get visible with your confidence and style. I’ve helped hundreds of women step into their power by defining and developing their style techniques and connecting with their true selves.

Midlife and beyond is exciting when you allow yourself to:

  • An open mind
  • Love your today body
  • Continue to learn

An open mind attracts new ideas, unravels limiting beliefs and sets you up for receiving overall positivity. Your style doesn’t end in Midlife, and this is the time to really embrace what you love, where you are with your life and wrap it up in your style.

Loving your today body is what I call a green light behavior. It’s allowing yourself to do something that perhaps you’ve not done in decades. How long have you been waiting for the perfect body? I used to spend time chasing two bodies, my younger body, and my future body. And guess what, they never made an appearance. We have one body, and it’s time to give her the love and respect she deserves. And that includes dressing your shape as it is RIGHT NOW!

The willingness to continue to learn comes from an open mind. You have a positive perspective. It puts you in a completely different vantage point when it comes to possibilities that go beyond style!

Recently, I had the privilege of working with a Midlife entrepreneur who needed some help with how she was showing up for her business. She gave herself permission to have an open mind, love her today body and learn; the transformation she experienced was magic! She is now wearing colors she hadn’t dared to try, showing up in her business with confident energy and curating looks that align with what lights her up!

This can be you!

Let’s Get to the Five Significant and Surprising Tips for Dressing in Midlife!

Stop Blending In!

You aren’t invisible. One of the biggest complaints I hear from my clients is that they are tired of blending in. So, let’s stop this immediately.

Blending in is ideal for makeup, but not for the ambitious and confident Midlife woman you are!

There are so many options to be visible when it comes to your style, which by the way, is from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. You can start with making changes to:

  • Your hairstyle
  • Your hair color
  • Your signature colors
  • Accessories

You can go as bold as you want or as subtle as feels comfortable. Simply commit to making some small changes that work for you and ones that will make you visible and confident.

Celebrate who you are and make the connection between style and self-expression!

Add Style Details!

Style details make such a difference at any age. When I work with my clients to get visible, we ALWAYS discuss and add some fun elements to their wardrobe basics.

For instance, a white blouse is just a white blouse, right? Nope! And when you pay attention to these differences, you’ll like the result. Look for contrasting stitching, such as another color thread. I have a white blouse with navy blue stitching, and this small, unconventional style element dresses this traditional must-have up and looks just as fabulous with jeans as it does with a pair of palazzo pants!

Other style details include buttons (and yes, I’ve been known to replace buttons on jackets, blazers, and blouses), and I’m here to tell you, it totally changes the look.

The raw hem on jeans is another example of a subtle style element. I especially love a raw hem on bootcut jeans.

Remove Age Appropriate from Your Vocabulary!

Another question that pops up more frequently than not is, “Is this outfit age appropriate?”

What does that really mean? It’s an arbitrary statement that has nothing to do with our age. When we dress for our today body, we should focus on two things:

Fit!

The proper fit of your clothes is the first step.

You’re probably thinking, of course my clothes must fit. Let’s dive a little deeper on the meaning of fit. The fit of our clothes is how they work, not how they look on your body.

Some words used for fit include the obvious, loose, and tight. Gaps in your bust and waistband are related to fit. Just as if something is too short or too long, that also is part of the fit.

Flattering

Close your eyes and think about how you feel when you wear a certain blouse, pants, or outfit and feel really good? Do you know why you feel this way? It’s because these clothes are flattering on you!

In my opinion, we don’t use this word enough. When what you wear is flattering, it makes you happy. And what makes you happy makes you confident!

You know something is flattering when:

  • You’re wearing your absolute best color(s)
  • You are featuring one of your best features (aka dressing for your beautiful silhouette, your today body)
  • Your style represents your personality

So, instead of worrying about what you should wear based on a number, focus on how it fits and how it makes you feel!

Define What You Value!

When I work with my clients, we go into great detail about what is important to them. What aligns with who they are? During this very eye-opening exercise, I let them know this is where they get to get real with what they love and weave it into their wardrobe.

I ask them to pick three to five words that best describe how they want to feel in their clothes. These words are used to build their signature style!

How does this work? Let me share with you how I want to feel in my clothes by sharing my three style words:

  • Fun
  • Edgy
  • Put-together

When I am putting outfits together from head to toe, everything I wear must include some element of my words: fun, edgy and put-together. If it doesn’t, it isn’t in my wardrobe. It’s that simple!

This is how I help women fill their closets with clothes they love and love them back! When your outfits match what is important to you and how you want to look, this is self-expression!

Your style words are significant. They reveal what you value and can be easily conveyed in your style! Rather exciting if you think about it, right?

Change Your Narrative

Many of my clients start their sentences with, “I can’t wear that.” I ask them if they’ve ever worn something like this, and often, the answer is a resounding “No.”

When you start with what you can’t do, not a lot happens. And I’ll share with you what I share with my wonderful clients. We are simply looking for other options to connect you with your self-expression. If it doesn’t work, all you must do is take it off. It’s that simple!

I encourage you to try one or all these tips and see what happens not only to your style, but your mindset! Have fun!

How does your mindset affect your style? Do you think you have a lot to work on or have you found exactly what works for you in your 7th decade and beyond?