Style is About More Than What You Wear – Defining Your Style

(Last Updated On: November 8, 2021)

I’m not a fashion follower. You won’t see the latest clothing styles in my closet. Spending hours shopping for the perfect outfit would be a painful experience for me (get in, make the purchase, get out, is how I roll).

But, as a woman over 60, I have a clear sense of style about me. Style is about more than what you wear. Defining your style is about your mojo, your ju-ju, your aura…call it what you will…it’s what makes you…you!

Style is about how you carry yourself and the confidence you have. It’s about being okay with life and the choices you’ve made. By the time you’ve lived a half century or more (good grief…that sounds ancient!) life has thrown some curves, there have been high points and low points, family issues and other life-shaping events.

I remember being so concerned about my looks when I was young. It meant everything to fit in with the crowd. My hair was very naturally curly in a generation where straight hair was the required look. We actually ironed our hair to make it straight…gross!

My body shape was curvy in the hips and my friends always looked thinner and better than me. I wished that I could have that straight, small hipped look that other girls had. I wanted to look like anyone other than ME.

That was back in the 60’s. Thank goodness I realized as I grew older and more mature, that my curly hair was unique and my shape was normal, even kind of sexy. My husband loved the curve to my hips and shapely rear 🙂

As I’ve lived through my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, I’ve learned to embrace my shape, size and other God-given traits that are all a part of who I am. Yes, I have to work at it every day when I look in the mirror, but a gentle reminder that this is me, I’m okay, and in fact, I’m beautiful just the way I am, is the way I start each day.

Defining Your Style: Why is it about more than what you wear?

For me, my defining my overall style as a mature woman includes some ‘trademarks’ that are always with me:

1 | My Scent…

I’ve worn the same perfume, Interlude by Frances Denney, for about 40 years. Nothing else, just Interlude bath and body perfume. I don’t wear too much, just put it on once in the morning and it’s done for the day. (I have difficulty with people whose scent I can smell 10 feet before and after them…way too much for me.)

I’ll be making a huge decision in about 3 months, though, when I run out of my supply of Interlude. I’ve just learned that Frances Denney is no more, so I have to say goodbye to my good friend Interlude unless I want to pay about $300 for an ounce of it on eBay. Not. No, I’ll be searching for a scent that has similar spicey, floral and citrus blend…oh well, that’ll be a topic for another post.

2 | My Hairstyle…

Naturally curly all my life, I’ve had women stop me and tell me how much they love my curls and would give anything to have hair like mine. There was a time I would have gladly given it to them!

But now I appreciate the curls, even though as I’ve gotten older the natural curl has changed and doesn’t look as nice as it did a few years ago. Oh well…add that to the list of changes that occur with the aging process!

I’ve gone back and forth between curly and straight hairstyles for the last 30 years. But no matter the curl level, my hair always ends up in one particular style. It’s my signature hairstyle. Parted on the side, about neck length, with the back a bit shorter than the sides. It’s simple, but it’s a look I always return to.

My natural hair color is a medium to dark brown with red highlights, and as I’ve gotten older the gray has joined the party. I made the decision to go totally natural with the hair color, after years of using an auburn shade of box color.

It was such a huge change, but I love it and will never go back to coloring my hair. Read more about how I went gray in a day. 

More recently I decided to changed that hairstyle that I’d worn for so many years. It’s grown out some since the photo on the right, but I think it was a good change for me, and it still an expression of my personal style.

3 | My Makeup…

Not too much. When it comes to defining your style, how you care for your face and choose to show it to the world is an integral part of the overall.

My makeup routine takes about 2 minutes every day. That’s about it. I always wear a foundation with a strong SPF protection, some type of concealer for the under-eye bags, cheek color, eyebrow enhancement (yes, they diminish with age, too), and a bit of mascara. That’s my look.

I don’t think a mature woman with a bunch of dark eyeliner and eye makeup looks better. It’s harsh and can make a woman appear older. That’s just my opinion, but it seems like a softer, natural look is more complimentary to a mature woman’s skin and appearance.

Skin care makes such a difference, too, particularly as we age. I put time into my skin care routine every day.

4 | My Clothes…

…if you take a peek into my closet you won’t be overwhelmed with all the clothing pieces, accessories, and shoes. While it’s not quite as minimal as the image at the top of the page, it’s pretty simple overall.

I’m a jeans or slacks kind of girl, with a comfortable top, tucked in or on the outside. Although I do subscribe to the current style of slimmer style, leg hugging jeans, I would never go out in public in yoga pants or other skin-tight looks, particularly as a woman in her 60’s. Not cool…for me anyway. There are some things better kept loosely covered.

As I’ve moved into my mid 60’s, the tunic-style tops have worked their way into my wardrobe. It’s part of the acceptance of my changing body shape, and their forgiving length and cut is a good thing for me at this time in my life. I still tuck in the tops sometimes, but have moved to more of the simple, longer style tops, particularly in the comfortable and flattering micro modal fabric. (It’s magic!)

The shoes are most often an open sandal or flip flop. I live in SW Florida where it’s warm and sunny most of the time, and the dress is almost always casual.

As an aside, the way you style your home also speaks to others about your personal taste and choices. There is almost always a correlation between the two! Read more about creating a home interior to love

5 | My Confidence…

…I believe that most of all, having the confidence of knowing who you are, inside and out, believing in yourself and being comfortable with where you’re at in life is the most significant aspect of your unique style.

Whatever you choose to wear…wear it with confidence.

The hairstyle you choose...wear it proudly.

The face and body God has given you…be grateful for it.

Defining your style as a woman in midlife? You’ve come this far, learned so much, experienced life with its ups and downs, and through it all, you have become the person you are today. It’s true…style is about so much more than what you wear!

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