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Friday, July 20, 2012

Fifty, Not Frumpy

I think someone switched closets with me.  It looks like the same one I've had for years, yet somehow it doesn't belong to me.

It seems lately I put on outfits I've worn many times before and somehow, they don't look the same.  The skirt seems a tad short or the slit a little high.  The neckline is showing too much of my neck and decollete.  The waistline of the pants seems a wee bit snug.

I've decided that around 50 is the hardest time in a woman's life to find clothes that look good on her.  It is like walking a tightrope.  On one side, I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard to look younger, and on the other side, I don't want to look "geriatric" as we say in our family.

I'm noticing that I bypass the shorts and reach for capris instead.  The tanks all seem to show too much skin, and not because it looks too sexy, but because the skin doesn't look so great!  Those tops that fit close to the body, well, they seem to show every bulge and bump.  I gravitate more to the fabrics that "skim" the body.

And jeans, well, that's practically impossible!  Trying to find a waistband that falls where I want it is difficult at best.  They all seem to come either right under my tummy or through the middle of it.  Not a good look!  The ones that come right under the navel are my favorite, but good luck finding those, especially without them looking frumpy.

Dresses are also challenging.  I'm the type of person that looks best in tailored, dramatic clothing, yet most dresses favor the tiny print and lace lady with a hem around the ankles, kind of like "Little House on the Prairie".

And shoes!  I have a closet full of heels that I put on and take off after walking around in them for five minutes.  These are shoes I have worn for years!  Too painful--I reach for the more "sensible" shoes instead of the "sitting" shoes.

So every time I have to go somewhere that requires decent clothing, my bed becomes a pile of discarded outfits as I try on one thing after the other and look in the mirror.  The only one happy about this is our local thrift store who gets all my cast-offs.

I'm considering posting future blogs with outfits I wear to get my readers' opinions on them to help me decide whether they are frumpy or lovely and sophisticated (the look I am going for).

Please join me in my clothing journey.

I am also considering hairstyles in this project as I have grown my hair out after years of it being short and I'm thinking it makes me look like a teenage wannabe.

Let the games begin!

3 comments:

  1. Oh, I can SO relate! I will be watching...

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  2. 50 is all in your mind. You don't look frumpy, nor do you look fat. If you looked geriatric, I would definitely tell you. You look great! As to dumping clothes, you are not the only with a bed covered in clothes waiting for donation! LOL

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