simple casual clothes for little old ladies

sallyjo

What does a woman of seventy-five, five feet three and 105 pounds, wear to look put together in her casual life (church on Sunday, Board meetings monthly, otherwise at home writing a monthly column or walking the dog.) Help, friends?

17 years ago

Dressing

8 replies

Latest reply was from Kari

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Welcome Sally Jo. Do you like to wear pants, skirts and dresses? Do you have a good pair of jeans?

17 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Hello and welcome! I'm fairly new around the forum, but thought I'd mention a couple of Angie's blog entries on casual wear that helped me identify what would work for me (or even some of what I was trying out already.) These articles could be a good place to get started if you haven't already seen them.

http://youlookfab.com/2007/02/.....of-outfit/
http://youlookfab.com/2008/03/.....de-casual/

(I think most of us end up adapting our own "flop proof" outfits for our own body types and style preferences, but this is the basic idea.)

17 years ago

sallyjo

Member

angie -- if i could find dresses in a size two that were simple and not cut to the waist in front and didn't cost the earth, for spring and summer i would be sooo happy! otherwise i wear shorts and chinos, once they have been altered. (I AM TYPING WITH my right hand and arm in a CAST.

17 years ago

sallyjo

Member

KARI -- thanks so much. for years i did not wear shorts, but walking in the summer heat made me change my mind. i only wear well tailored and ironed shorts and as log as i can with my short legs. i hope this isn't making me look silly.

your sites are very helpful.

17 years ago

Anonymous

Sallyjo, I'm 62 and have found that jeans and jean cut pants fit my older body better than chinos and other pants. Buy them very snug as they stretch and adjust to your body. A dark denim jean paired with a fitted shirt over a cami or tank top and Converse shoes are perfect for dog walking and running errands. A short fitted jacket, short trench or a cardigan can be added for warmth. I think older women like me usually look better in jackets than cardigans because we tend to get a bit of a humped back and /or rounded shoulders that a jacket skims over and hides.

If dresses are hard to come by (check thrift and consignment shops), try skirts as a cool alternative to shorts. Also give clamdiggers a try. I love them! For summer a dark denim skirt and a white denim skirt that don't require a slip are perfect. Keep the skirt length somewhere near your knee for the most flattering proportions. There is so much great information on this site that you can use.

17 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Welcome, Sally! I'm 43 but I share your misery about finding dresses in size two that aren't too revealing. Being only 5'0, even petite dresses can often be too low in the cleavage on me.

One great trick I learned from YLF is to put a cami underneath low-cut tops and dresses. This not only covers up the cleavage, but opens up the range of possibilities. When I go shopping now, I always wear a cami so I can see if it will work.

However I still tend to skip past all the strappy dresses since I don't like to bare too much of my shoulders either. Although, a short-sleeve cropped cardigan layered over a strappy dress can also solve that problem!

17 years ago

Anonymous

Hi sallyjo, welcome to the forum.
I see you are interested in some clothing without breaking the bank. That is an issue for many of us especially these days. If you ask friends for advice, you may hear of a great consignment store in your town. Consignment stores are not created equal, some are great and some not so much. If you do find a nice clean well organized used clothing store, one that specializes in women's clothing and accessories, with a helpful clerk, you might find just what you are looking for. It is good to build a relationship with a place like this as more people are taking their good clothing to be sold at consignment. Also check ebay if you dare try that. I have not yet, but I hear of people getting great deals through ebay.
Making friends with a tailor would be a good next step after you find just the right dress but need a few adjustments to make it perfect for you. I am 54 and one thing I have learned is that with age we need to have a more classy fit in our clothing.

17 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Sally Jo, another thing to add RE: places to find these clothes: I also came across this list on The Budget Babe about shopping recommendations for finding budget-minded clothes that are stylish and appropriate for women over 50: http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/a.....-Shop.html

My mom has found some great pieces (skirts, blouses, wrap tops) at J Jill and Coldwater Creek. Their retail prices aren't what I would call cheap, but they aren't ridiculously overpriced, and you can often find good coupons or sale items. (I'd stay away from J Jill's outlet store, though - last time we stepped into one, it had totally different selection & quality from the merchandise I'd seen in their stores, and we were unimpressed.)

I saw from your post on the "favorite low priced stores" thread that you're already an experienced consignment shopper. If you have a Nordstrom Rack nearby, you might want to try your thrifting strategy to scour the selection there - if you are impatient (one of my own flaws) it can be overwhelming to sort through overcrowded racks of merchandise, but sometimes you can find the perfect high-quality item for the fraction of the price it was in the store.

17 years ago

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