Defying the decades

Apr 17 2008 by Emma Pinch, Liverpool Daily Post

Looking good isn’t just for those in the first flush of youth. Emma Pinch reports

WHAT do Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Stone and Andie McDowell have in common?

All these women are the epitome of Hollywood style and beauty – and they also all celebrate their 50th birthday this year.

Time was that you’d rarely find those attributes together in the same sentence. But, after decades of being Worth It, these women aren’t about to slink off into a twilight world of elasticated slacks, comfy shoes, and flicking though the latest innovations supplement at the weekend, just because the big 5-0 is coming up fast.

Obviously, for the rest of us, it’s not as simple. We don’t have a live-in motivational coach or team of hairdressers snipping at our layers or a stylist on speed dial.

Image consultant Sue Donnelly is 50 this year and is conducting a series of workshops around the country for women suddenly unsure about what to wear.

The confusion about how to dress, says Sue, often centres on issues surrounding identity that raise their head at that age.

“Often women are unsure of their identity at 50, because you can be many different things. You might be widowed or divorced or have children who have left home or grandchildren, or you might have quite young children.

“Maybe you’re going through the menopause, which can bring on all kinds of conflicting emotions, about ageing and becoming less feminine. You can feel a bit forgotten about.”

On the other hand, with more money and time and interest in looking good, women of 50 can be a Size 10, but don’t want to dress the same as their daughters.

“For me it was about realising more than half my life had gone, and also that I’d drunk and smoked and sunbathed a lot, things that were fun at the time but I realised was showing now. Suddenly, nothing is certain.”

She decided that not having the dewy skin of a 19-year-old doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous at 50.

“How you dress at 50 is the same as at any other age – making the most of your attributes.

“As much as anything, the problem is about confidence. About 80% of the 50-year-olds who come to see me have no confidence in the way they look and it’s about reassuring them.”

Clinging onto hairstyles or clothes that are locked in another decade is the first thing to ditch. But don’t be afraid of embracing looks that you might otherwise dismiss as “too young”, she says.

“There are jeans out there for everybody. As you get older, higher waisted are better than low waisted. Boot leg jeans are always going to be flattering for more curvy women, and go for those with lycra.

“Don’t immediately dismiss styles you’ve seen the first time around,” she adds. “Hobbs, Phase Eight, Jaeger – it used to be old fashioned but isn’t any more – along with House of Frasier’s Linea, Fenn Wright Mason,” all work well for older women.

She also recommends Vivienne Westwood and Oska and Dey Birger et Mikkel as designer lines with pieces to pep up the 50-something lady’s wardrobe.

“If you do buy something or try a hairstyle that doesn’t work, chalk it up as your curiosity satisfied.”

emma.pinch@dailypost.co.uk