Stylish and in colour: Older women increasingly want to be visible again. Photos: Advanced Style
When my father died, my mother wore black stockings for a year. It was an unusual sight as I had never seen her like this before. On the contrary, she was anything but a gray mouse, as she loved bold colors. Sky blue, bottle green and burgundy were her favorite tones. And even at 80, one of her favorite outfits was a golden yellow cashmere twinset. These black stockings made me feel uneasy. I was kind of scared that they meant my mother was done with part of her life.
When I look at the outfits of older women today, I often ask myself: Why is it that the terrible beige swallows all the bright colors? And why is the favorite outfit of so many over 60 a sand-colored raincoat? (This also applies to men, by the way.) Is there actually a style police force that demands that you disappear into obscurity after a certain age? Or does all this "disappearance bus" have to do with the fact that older women feel they have to make themselves invisible because they no longer play a role anyway?
Of course, from a social point of view, for a long time there was an unwritten law as to what a woman was allowed to wear in which stages of life. Short back over 40? Pooh! Even if the wearer still had perfect legs, that just wasn't appropriate. With a suit, possibly combined with a silk blouse and pearl necklace, the woman was never wrong. The main thing was not to attract attention, was the motto. And if you wear jeans and sneakers, then please only at home, because "professional young people" seemed somehow suspicious.
Moth the skinny jeans?
But fortunately there are mature women who put their personal style and taste above societal norms. One of them is certainly the American Iris Apfel, who at the age of 95 dresses in such a way that she puts 30-year-olds in the shade. But it's not about wearing the most eccentric look possible, it's about staying true to yourself. When 70-year-old Charlotte Rampling wears a yellow suede coat, she looks pretty casual. And actress Helen Mirren is still presenting her erotic décolleté at 71. But it doesn't have to be a celebrity, a look in your own closet is enough. Why should you mothball your beloved skinny jeans at 60? And a parka not only looks good on young women, but also on a sporty 70-year-old.
When the New York Times recently published an article entitled "Don't Dress Your Age" in which author Julia Baird urged women not to behave like sheep in a flock, but to act about it fout what to wear at a certain age, hundreds of 40+ women showed their solidarity on social networks. They posted pictures of themselves in sweatshirts and t-shirts that read, "Old Is the New Black." They wanted to emphasize that we don't dress according to our age, but according to our own taste and style.
Visible from 40
Old is the new black.
Author Julia Baird was not surprised by these reactions. “Many women tire of dressing conforming or 'normal' by the time they hit 40. They refuse to be told what to wear and how to behave. They take selfies with tiaras, sequins, leopard print, high heels, and they look incredibly happy and smug." This is undoubtedly further proof of how much the internet is democratizing fashion. It allows all mature women to step out of invisibility. An invisibility that the fashion industry, with its obsession with young models and celebrities, still supports.
When my mother put her light-colored nylons back on after her year of mourning, I knew that this was a step back into an active and self-determined life.
