I want to look elegant, even if I am OLD.
Yesterday I went to see "Quartet," which was just the ticket for a cold, cloudy afternoon: charming and moving, even if it does teeter on the edge of making-silly-about-old-people-because-the-alternative-is-so-depressing. The music is glorious.
Maggie Smith plays a retired opera singer, and she is so beautiful, so elegant, with her long sweaters, beautifully tailored loose pants, striking necklaces, and ladylike shoes. (I looked her up on Wikipedia; she's 78.) One of the other actresses, also elderly, reveals her crepey cleavage and her midriff rolls, but she's so charming and ditsy and adorable, that it seems fine.
I wouldn't choose it, but it's fine:
The stills I found from the movie don't do Maggie Smith's wardrobe justice. She's not dowdy! You need to go see it.
So, is elegant and tailored still acceptable? Or is it all lumped under "dowdy?" Does everything need to be skintight to be fashionable? Can you buy elegant clothes for a reasonable amount of money? Not super conservative--like Orvitz and I've had a go with them--but well-cut, flattering, with some pizazz? And Spandex-free?
Do you have to wear Spanx all the time to camouflage midriff rolls? Spanx are tight! They're uncomfortable! They mash your boobs!
I wonder.
Last month, a New York Times article about a new website for older women shopping for clothes gave me hope. The 28-year-old who started Halsbrook.com says older women want to be "chic but not intimidating." Her mother had some input.
When I checked out Halsbrook, I found no clothes for under $300 and many for over $1,000. And they're short. And many are sleeveless.
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| Vitamin Shirts, Cotton Canvas Jacket, $315 |
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| Les Copains, Stretch Shirt Dress, $425.00 |
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| Peter Som, Vine Print Crepe de Chine Dress | , $2,145.00 |
Eileen Fisher clothes come to mind as an alternative, but they're expensive. And sometimes I'd like a little more structure than what they have to offer.
Still looking.
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