There are a bunch of us here, aren't there! I'm 57.

I'm 55 and still find myself thinking "when I grow up..."!

Pipping the lot of you so far. I am 62, 63 in June.:D

Well ladies, I can sincerely say that those on this thread who post their outfits ROCK MY STYLE WORD. You show us how it's done.

*bows*

*applause*

And a sip from your magic potions please.

Angie (and any other younger women reading this) do you know what is encouraging to me? I actually find that the fifties are much better (for me at least) than the forties. It's hard to say why; maybe this is purely individual, to do with factors such as which stresses one happens to be dealing with, but I have more energy, I look better, and I certainly enjoy life much more than I did in my late forties, which happened to be very difficult years for me emotionally and physically.

Part of the magic elixir is YLF; my husband says that it has done me the world of good! So just keep reading this site (or in Angie's case, writing it) and all will be well.

I'm not there yet but close. I will be 49 in one month and I'm ok with it.

Wow, count me as another who is surprised at the ages, since I guess I assumed many of you were closer to my age -- proof that it really *is* just a number.

I turn 47 this year and have a hard time believing it. I don't feel 47! I am trying to get used to the thought that 50 is very near. I feel better about myself at 46 than I did at 16, 26, or 36, so I like Suz's perspective that it keeps getting better!

I am not a member of the club yet (just turned 44 last month) but I want echo Helen, Ornella, Amy and Janet - you go girls! You do all look incredible and young and make me feel better looking into my future.
Suz, you perspective is especially encouraging: I felt better in my 30s than in my 20s and better again in my 40s that in my 30s. You give me hope that this trend will continue!

Reporting in at 65 and counting. I think this last birthday was the hardest one yet. YLF and Angie have done volumes to pick up the spirits and show us that getting older doesn't mean we can't still have fun with getting dressed each day.

High five, Joy!

Suz, your thoughts are shared by many others I know who are in their 50's. KILLER thoughts! I wonder though if for you personally, these euphoric feelings are tied up with your recent weight loss and style renewal (or discovery as you prefer to call t :))

Holeeeee cow. If there's a way to bottle up YLF and sell it, you should, because I think reading this blog makes people look 15 years younger than their real age. I am stunned.

Just turned 48 in December, but I'm sure I'll be here when I'm 50 and way beyond. I'm completely okay with my age...much more assured and happy about it than when I was in my late twenties.

I'm 57. But I can't really remember how that happened, or how my kids got to be so old either!

I just turned 50 last September. So happy to see so many other YLFer's are in the club. And thanks for the special love, Angie.

Angie, it's true that my feelings are tied up with weight loss and fashion discovery...but it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing, because it's hard to say which came first! A few major difficulties in my life and the lives of my loved ones resolved when I was between 49-52, and as a result, for the first time in many years I had a bit more time and energy to devote to myself.

Janet and Sveta, I would say that each decade has been better for me, on balance, except for a few extra-difficult years in the mid to late forties that really were unique to me and my situation, and had nothing in particular to do with the age I was and more to do with my particular life circumstances at that time. Although I DO think the forties can be a stressful time for many women with competing demands...those, like me, who have children and have them later, may be balancing childcare, elder care, work (or financial worry) and issues with their spouse. So it is a heavy load for many.

Hmmm...didn't think to post my age...I am 67 and will turn 68 in August. So far I think I am the YLF Dowager Queen!!! (since we already have our Queen Mum)

I'm smack dab in the middle at 55. And I credit YLF for bringing me "back to life" style-wise.

My goodness ladies, you are all total inspirations. I am in my 40"s and you just prove that age is merely a number. You know when I look at everyone's outfit posts age never comes into my thinking just how fab you all a look.

Can I ask do you find that as your 'mature' in years, do you feel more comfortable with yourself in terms of what you wear? And do you care less about peer pressure (in terms of fashion) and what others think?

52 and happy to be in my 50s. My husband (69) says I'm finally playing with a full deck (you may all groan now).

Yes, I'll testify that YLF helps keep you 'young'.

The fall I was 51, my 20-y.o. daughter headed off to a semester in Belgium (full of Euro chic). I had already been feeling my age - uninspired and invisible, and now I was left at home surrounded by all males -- human and animal.

I discovered and took refuge in YLF

When my daughter returned home 5 months later, she said I looked 10 years younger!! That was totally thanks to YLF-inspired style changes! and after only a few months!!

THANKS Angie & YLF -- you help make *such* an improvement in our style, and that makes such a difference to our psyches

Deborah, to answer your question, yes, the older I get, the more comfortable I get with the body I have. We begin to be aware of the alternatives. I'm thankful that my body allows me to walk without pain most days when friends have had major problems with knees and hips, etc. It does become more of a challenge to find the right clothing and one must consider fussy feet or painful shoulders when getting dressed (can't zip up zippers in the back). And we do become invisible to store clerks who walk away rather than check us out. About peer pressure, it depends. I don't mind being more dressed up than most of my peers but do want to be appropriate. YLF gives me the confidence to go ahead and wear something like a sequined top with plaid or mixed patterns and that is fun. I notice that sometimes my peers look at something I'm wearing but make no comment...like the furry vest or my Tsubo booties. I suspect they don't approve but it's ok.

Add me to the group! I just celebrated my 56th birthday, and I have to say that this has been a great time in my life. I also credit You Look Fab for bringing me back to life-fashionably speaking, even though I don't post outfit pics. Maybe I will start. It is fun to be a part of such a large group of women "my" age!

I am 49 today... the last few months for some reason I have been visioning myself as suddenly "older" (people often think I am in late 30s). I think feeling older came about as this year all my children will be in their 20s... Then I went out with some women who were just looking so hot - and they were all in their late 60s. Anyhow, I am mentally re-inventing myself as a platinum blonde who is not 'just out of 30s' but totally powerful and dynamic as, like others have said, the number is just some fantasy that couldn't possibly relate to me as I still want it all! Guess you are only old when you STOP finding it all new and invigorating...

Um, yeah, you guys need to sell me some of whatever it is you're taking, because you all look waaaaay better than me and I'm 37!!!

Clearly, I need to quit messing around and do my homework on the wardrobe front.

Happy birthday, jenanded!

I was going to say I hope you're staying warm and cozy, till I noticed from your profile that you're in Australia

"Can I ask do you find that as your 'mature' in years, do you feel more comfortable with yourself in terms of what you wear? And do you care less about peer pressure (in terms of fashion) and what others think?"

Deborah, to answer these questions (which I can only do from my own point of view, of course)—

I definitely feel more comfortable in my clothing, both in terms of what I choose (I like this, and it's okay; or this fits my body type and works but that doesn't and that's okay...) and also in terms of taking risks, although I think I can credit YLF entirely with the risk-taking, because on my own I was pretty timid.

As far as caring what others think, I'm probably not the best person to answer that because I'm one of those people who has always scored very low on that in the first place; i.e. I am quite independent minded and don't even FEEL a whole lot of peer pressure, much less bow into it. I am not claiming that as a virtue; apparently some of this is almost hardwired into us, with some personality structures being less concerned about peers or authorities' opinions than others. Add to that the fact that I do not and never have worked in a conservative environment and you can see that peer pressure really isn't an issue in my life. And my fashion timidity did not and does not arise from fears of what others might think; it arose from ignorance (i.e. just not keeping up so not really getting any creative ideas), or concerns that a particular trend might not flatter me.

On the other hand, I've also been brought up to be considerate and I don't like to make others uncomfortable, so I try not to do that with my clothing choices. Fortunately, my natural inclinations are towards Team Modest.

And I also bat for Team Practical, so some clothing (e.g. very high heels) is ruled out simply by the kind of life I lead.

Not sure that answers the questions, but that's my best attempt for now!

Deborah, in answer to your questions I do feel more comfortable in my own skin now that I've crossed the 50 threshold. Granted, most of my friends don't wear booties or fur vests, but they seem to appreciate and accept that I do. One nice thing about being this age is that you know yourself and what works on your body so you're not as susceptible to unflattering trends. The result is you make fewer fashion mistakes. And fewer mistakes breeds more confidence.

I have noticed that I am becoming a little more "invisible" to salesclerks at times. But I also think that has a lot to do with your own attitude. If you act invisible, others tend to overlook you. If you move with confidence, others treat you with more respect. So, it helps to look fab when you go out and move with confidence!

So, I actually do feel more confident and less worried about what others think (although I've never been one to dress for others) since I've turned 50. But my turning 50 coincided with my discovery of YLF...so there's some correlation!

With each one of Suz's posts, I keep agreeing and saying, "yes," "yes" and "yes." The decade in my 40s were difficult for similar reasons, physically and emotionally, and with less energy than in my 50s. Stress diminished and I keep getting in touch with myself more and more, so there's comfort in being who we are.

YLF IS a "magic elixir" as Suz says and I love it here and will keep reading and sharing, because Angie's influence, with Greg's participation, has truly been life-changing for me. I posted this elsewhere, but wanted to add it here since age is what this thread is all about.

I recall a client and friend of my brother's who was 89 when I met him at a fundraiser and he impressed me with a comment about age. He lived in Beverly Hills and was a high-end antique dealer. I remember him being impeccably dressed with a wonderful blue shirt and navy sport coat and in a very dignified way he said that he may be 89 (he didn't look it!), but he felt like he was 32 on the inside. He carried himself in such a way that made no excuses and made me appreciate that age is only a number and none of us can judge another simply because of someone's age. He has since passed away, but he taught me something that evening that I continue to carry with me.

I love it that there is a broad spectrum of ages here and, again as Suz points out, I've always been independent-minded, worked in laid-back, creative settings rather than conservative ones and I don't have children, so much of how I see myself is part of all these experiences. I think, also having worked with young people of college age, I always felt young myself, and I still do.

I think my curious nature and my love of constantly learning and wanting to enjoy life, have drawn me to this fabulous community, that I want to connect with and nurture as I would with a long-time friend. YLF is becoming my long-time friend with each word and photo we share with one another. It's a friendship I hold very dear.

Oh, count me in! I want to be in the group. 55 here.

Thanks Mochi! Yep we are warm here in BrisVegas and my husband is still painting my new wardrobe for my birthday (yeah!)... If Biscuit is 70, my Ed (the hottest lab/retriever cross!) is 98 in human years but people keep thinking he's a sprightly 7 or 8... Sure its being nice to everyone and saying yes to every activity going that keeps him at it! Wags all round...

Joy, Suz and nancylee thanks so much for responding to my questions. And Angie forgive me for kind of hi-jacking your thread.

Joy I really appreciate what you say about being thankful for what we have.

Suz, I think it is definitely important to consider the appropriateness of our dressing in any given situation and I do think the way we chose to dress in varying situations demonstrates our respect or lack there off of the people and situation we are in. I do love the freedom of not feeling like I have to conform to a particular look or style.

nancylee, and Joy, your comments about sales assistants are very interesting. I would have thought SA's would potentially view a well dressed, stylish 50 something woman as a customer to be looked after as often (i realize not always) women of this age can be at a stage in their life due to work, kids becoming independent, mortgage paid off (or close to) etc where they may have more of an expendable income available to them. Irrespective of this, SA's really need to be better trained as you the most unexpected person can turn out to be the biggest spender!