what to wear at 60 plus?

I think it all depends on size, and we should wear what suits us. Nothing to do with age.

Thought I'd do some people watching today in my City Centre to observe what "older women" are wearing.

There were a few of "those" skirts, yes, but mostly everyone was wearing pretty much the same thing, regardless of age.

A particular "look" around here seems to be straight leg jeans, flats, a polo shirt and a colourful puffa gilet.

One lady was rocking a gorgeous grey asymmetric bob. Very stylish indeed.

Lots of flats, brogues (currently very fashionable), swingy slubby tops, bikers and flowy shirts.

Alas, still too much nylon in the shops.

I think it's easier than ever to look stylish, providing you stick to good quality fabrics. I agree there's a lack of fitted T-shirts around at the moment.

I read a lovely quote by Lauren Hutton that went something like this . . . fashion is what designers offer us 4 times a year . . . but style is what we intuitively choose from all of that to make our very own. I have since very young loved capri pants ballet flats and turtle neck/polo jumpers. I have seen this look come and go and come back again and I am still a keen fan.

So PennyB I say use your own forever intuitive style with a tweak here and there. And as to where to shop . . . knowing your own style you can often find suitable items in many shops . . . I bagged the last size 12 khaki lightweight casual jacket in the whole of the South East from Topshop in Brighton. It is just the right length and looks great casual in jeans and flats or over a little black dress with heels and nice jewellery.

And I love Alyson Walsh's references to what she calls "grown up" "style tribes" in her book "style forever" - Casual Glamourpuss - Scandinista - Older and Bolder Brigade - Fabulous Femme - Gentlewoman. There was a lovely recreation photo-shoot in The Bath Magazine last week? with some of us older gals . . . really interesting. I am about to read the book now for some more tips! More info on the style tribes in Alyson Walsh's excellent style blog . . . thatsnotmyage.com/older-models/the-grown-up-style-tribes/

I meant to add, why feel that you should dye your hair.? There does seem to be a lot of pressure from magazines, newspaper articles etc.on older women to do this. Unless you have a very clever and/or expensive hairdresser, you can just look like an old woman with dyed hair.I stopped dying mine when I was in my sixties and haven't regretted it. (I have a good haircut though.) People usually think I am younger than I actually am.) There aren't any rules really are there? Do what makes you happy and stick two fingers up to the fashion writers!

Love the summer when I can wear my maxi dresses. Find that I need to wear heels with knee length dresses or I feel really squat and frumpy. Under maxis I can wear pretty flip flops. Roll on summer

BIjou, you are an inspiration!

sallyswin - I've got the same problem as you, problem legs and feet. My legs are spindleshanks with lots of broken veins. Large flat painful feet .
The rest of me isn't bad for my age. (80).
I usually wear a full length skirt or trousers to hide my legs. I made some wide flared trousers in floral patterns. Can't wear tights or holdups now.
I like strong colours, especially pinks, never beige, and black drains all colour from my face.
Tops are a problem - do others wear those baggy smock tops like maternity smocks? Fitted tee shirts are hard to find now.

Oh dear, I love Capri pants and blue. Grace Kelly in Rear Window, Audrey Hepbrn or Jackie Kennedy in anything, that's my ideal look. There is obviously no hope for me!

wow... never even thought of changing... 59 this year but told i look 40... wear jeans and tops for football and at home during the colder months... got my short denim skirt on sleeveless top and flip flops today as it's hot...... i don't intend to change and my hair is short blonde and spiky and will no way ever have a crash helmet perm like my mom (86) has.... age is just a number these days its how you feel that matters..... and i have never felt better..... ((the sunshine helps!!)) keep on keeping on!!!! looking forward to my hols... bikini during the day ... dresses for night!!!

Not sure how to start a new discussion so poaching this topic to ask why my Gransnet emails have now started to appear in my Spam folder instead of my regular email Inbox and how can I stop it ?

I would say avoid clothes that are marketed 'for the older woman', such as 50+ etc. Why do designers want women 'of a certain age' to leap into nautical themed clothing as soon as spring comes around, and why must everything be blue? Capri pants, blazers and embroidered anchors? Not for me.

The good news, however, is that, for those of us whose waists are no longer as tiny as they were, this is a great time to buy clothes. The phenomenon of the overweight younger women (I'd hesitate to say 'bingeing ladettes') means that there are lots of pretty clothes around in sizes and styles which flatter all ages. And have you noticed how many trousers come with elasticated waists nowadays? No need to squeeze your self into anything.

It is no coincidence that clothes marketed for younger women nowadays come in larger sizes and are A-line, trapeze-shaped or just plain 'oversized'. Oversized shirts which dip at the back but are in colourful, draping fabrics flatter everyone. And there's no need to let one's hair go grey and add to our years.

In my mother's day, any mature woman above a size 14 was expected to wear tiny floral prints to minimise the hips and huge sailor collars to divert attention from a large bosom (remember the voluptuous Hattie Jacques?). Not so nowadays, however. Give me fuschia and magenta hued vests worn beneath black oversized shirts with see-though stretch lace sleeves, slim leg jeggings and diamante encrusted flatties, and watch me rock!

I don't know what other people do but I wear quite different clothes for different activities. Walking in the countrty in a skirt. No way! If you live in the city you probably worry more about your clothes than I do. Jeans for everyday, lighter trousers or a skirt in summer smart black trousers with different tops for more formal occasions such as funerals (at my age you go to a few!) or for an evening occasion where you aren't so sure how dressed up you should be. Boring maybe but easy. Having said that, I have lost weight recently, and all trousers are now too big. I would like to update my wardrobe but have no idea where to start. I'll probably just buy the same things in a smaller size! I could take my younger daughter out shopping with me as she lives locally but since her idea of high fashion is two colour jodhpurs, I'm not sure that'll be much help! Dare I wear leggings at 72 and size 12? And re. Mary Beard, what's wrong with looking like a hippy bag lady anyway?

My close friend commented some years ago that she was studying what 'old' people wear so that she could avoid these things like the plague. She told me that stone coloured clothes were an absolute no no. I do agree about the floral skirts and the smart jackets - they are so 1980s and ageing.

A good smart haircut and clean shiny hair are a great help to any 'look' - don't you agree that if your hair looks awful it wouldn't matter what you are wearing? Other than that, does it matter? There is only one day between being in your fifties and arriving in the sixties - you are no different.

Bijou You're not iris apfel are you? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Apfel

That's a compliment by the way

I never wear beige and rarely pale colours.I generally wear dark jeans in the colder months ,but with a top in a bright colour not black,in the summer a skirt or dress just below the knee or knee length shorts.

I wear what I like and have done all my life.
however I now don't wear a skirt as I don't like long skirts even mid calf ones. i'm a "larger lady" and skirts don't suit me. however with a HUGE scar on my right knee from a replacement knee op and a rather large "hole" on my right shin from an ulcer which refused to heal, my legs aren't for display purposes.
apart from at home when I generally wear a long bandeau type dress as it's lovely and cool when i'm doing the housework. I can also pull the skirt up when i'm sitting in the garden in the hope of getting some sort of tan - although the scar is always white.
so it's black trousers for me and tops in various colours which are long enough to hide all the lumps and bumps.

At 68 I wear what I like, mainly jeans and jumper/tshirt. Shorts ( knee length) in the summer and oh how I would love to wear a maxi skirt but I can't find any without elasticated waists, I absolutely hate eleasticated waists they are just soooooo uncomfortable.

"If Mary Beard can get away with what she wears, why should anyone worry"
She doesn't "get away with it" she looks like an aging hippy bag lady.

Hello, the best purchase I made was something called sleeves from if only it had sleeves. Covers my bingo wings without looking like im trying to cover up. Hope this helps

I think only very short skirts make an older woman look inappropriate. That said, I think they look inappropriate on younger women in the workplace! Other than that, I agree, wear what you like and feel happy with (and not because you think others would approve). There is a psychology of colour. As someone else said, colour can influence mood. I can't get on with grey or beige, and I wore too much black years ago, not because I liked it, but because I believed the rubbish about it being slimming. I sometimes like a black dress for an evening out, but I like colour in the day time.

Good for you.

Sitting on my scooter in town yesterday people watching I noticed that most elderly women wear black trousers (in spite of fat bums) and tee shirts and anoraks and short permed hair. none look attractive. are they frightened of being individuals?
I hate trousers and I the winter wear calf length skirts with blouses and in the summer pretty dresses and although I am 93 still wear make up. Iam often complimented on my appearance. I believe in being individual.

I don't believe in age appropriate dressing. I have always been obsessed with clothes, but not in a 'have to have what's in fashion' sort of way. I just take what's interesting from the current looks around. My figure has changed, and I now feel I don't look good in trousers and tops. I am a bit top heavy, and being short, I feel they cut me in half. I also find most trousers too uncomfortable and tight round the waist. So my solution is to wear dresses. They pull you together and you can dress them up or down, with sandals and a denim jacket in summer, and boots and rights in the winter. You can ring the changes with cardigans and different jewellery. I find interesting dresses in Boden mostly. The only style I don't wear are jersey wrap-overs, as I think they do look frumpy.

Mary Beard gets away with it because what she has to say is more interesting than the way she dresses. She also gives the impression of having supreme self -confidence. Most of us aren't so fortunate. I wish I could wear leggings, baseball boots and a ratty old unironed dress and look eccentric rather than unkempt! (I also wish I could remember the Latin I learned as a child!)

Never wear beige...it will put you on the downward spiral I wear colourful calf length flowing skirts with layered plain tops that pick out colours in my skirts.