'Fabulous Fashionistas'

I like to wear clothes that are practical but not dull! I'd like to be like Gillian!

It's odd isn't it KatyK ? One of my friends had a hysterectomy on her 40's just like my MiL , but she went off and learnt Scuba diving and underwater photography and ended up winning a woman of the year competition in a magazine. Seems to me life's short enough without grinding to a halt halfway through!

Deedaa - I know a few people like your mil. Someone I know got to 50 and said 'right that's it, no need to worry about dyeing my hair, wearing make up and worrying about clothes now'. I thought she was joking but she wasn't. Personally I have to try harder than ever now and hope I will always do so.

At church this morning there was an older man (60s?) wearing some dark scarlet corduroy trousers and a matching red and yellow Hawaian shirt. He had a tall erect build, and showed no sense of embarrassment and he looked great.

Three cheers for the male, well not quite fashionista, but he showed the same joie de vie.

Yes it has all been pretty sad for my mother in law appygran and sadly she has passed on a lot of her attitudes to my husband, so that I feel he has missed out on a lot of life's pleasures.

I'm just watching an episode of come dine with me. In there is an older lady wearing a rubber dress which looks awful to my eyes. Far too much droopy cleavage on show. The thing I liked about this show was there no mention of dressing to please men but, I presume, only themselves. Anyway the show was not about how they dressed but their attitude.

I think greatnan hit it on the head. I think they must have always been flamboyant in both their dress sense and attitude.

Joan - I agree with you on the 60s stuff. I felt it was made for me too and I loved it. I was tall, slim, had long slim legs. Well, I'm still tall......

Hate long grey hair. So there!

Oh, and the mottled legs. Sodding late onset excema.

Actually no. Most of the old girls in that prog.

Except the "relaxed stomach muscles". That bit is me.

Are you speaking for yourself, jingle? . I can recommend walking with Nordic poles for bingo wings, and for toning up everything else!

There is a lady I occasionally see when I am getting the bus into town. She is tall, slim, has nice hair and wears really nice clothes - pencil skirts, patent shoes with little heels, lovely coats etc. Her face is always made up with just the right amount of make-up (not that I am an expert you understand). She was waiting at the bus stop one day and there was a man sitting down on one of the seats and he started chatting to her. He was moaning and groaning about his aches and pains and then he said 'I'm 83 you know'. This lady gave him a lovely smile and said 'are you? Just a youngster then, I'm 90'.
I know it's the luck of the draw sometimes but still.

Hear, hear, flick.

I think that's a polite way of saying speak for yourself, jings

Why is long loose grey hair an aberration? I have seen women with long loose grey hair beautifully cut that looked fabulous.

And what age is scrawny flesh, bingo wings, and mottled legs? I have seen plenty of older women look fabulous - and not high maintenance women either.

Older women, like middle aged and young women come in all shapes and sizes and many of the things described can be seen on some 30 year olds and not on some 70 year olds.

I love that Lona ! Sums it up really.

I think young or old, you've either got it, or you haven't.

I've had it briefly, but it's buggered off now!

Thinking of my mum at her eightieth birthday celebration.... She looked beautiful in her midi length flared skirt and a white blouse. You don't have to be eccentric to be stylish. Simplicity often works just as well. I think that's what I really mean about understated elegance.

Not that I have anything against eccentricity. It's often great fun.

And not in a good way.

Long and loose grey hair is an abberation.

I might have invented the word "scrawngy"

No. Age is scrawngy flesh, bingo wings, and mottled legs that should only be shown to the world once a reasonable tan has disguised the worst.

Oh, and don't forget the pull of gravity. And relaxed muscle due to the absence of hormones. (That's not fat btw! really it isn't!)

I was impressed by all the ladies in the programme? It is all about attitude. I come from a family where all the older ladies had style and attitude and I hope I have inherited some of both. I have just got back from a visit to Spain where my Aunt, in her 70s is driving a BMW Z4, has long hair, wears very short shorts (a la Kate Moss, with the fab legs to match). I only hope I can keep up! Age is a number! X

My mother loved wearing beautiful clothes, lacy underwear and make-up until the day she died at the age of 85. She had a personality to match, someone after her death described her presence at a social event as like champagne, when she came into the room everybody started bubbling.

I was only eight when someone first commented about how well dressed she always was. At that age I was less impressed once telling her that she looked awful, just like something out of Vogue.

I have inherited her love of clothes, though my style is less certain and I lack the bubbly personality, but like her I dress the way I do because I want to and I enjoy it. I have never done it to attract or keep male attention and the only boyfriend who tried to control what I wore rapidly became an ex.

I had a look at the pics and liked 6,7,8,10. The others sort of scared me a bit.

It would be nice to dress well and look fabulous. I did have one fashion era made for me - the 1960s and the mini. I had good legs and figure, so the short haircuts, the boots, short skirts, and little tops looked great. No other era was quite the same - the maxi look drowned me, and the fancy 80s hairstyles were not for me. Can't remember the fashions of the 90s, and since retiring in 2002 it's been tshirts and shorts, mainly. My best friend at U3A keeps trying to get me into more interesting clothes, but laziness is my enemy. Still, I do sometimes wear a skirt.....