Frumpy or Fabulous?

I think frumpishness is one of the biggest dangers that older women fall into. Why? Because with age can come a sense of "I know what I like and I am not going to change now." And that's when the frump factor steadily creeps up as fashions in hair, clothes and makeup subtly change and shift and you find yourself looking the same as you did ten or (even worse) twenty years ago.

So How to Avoid the Frump Factor and Stay Fabulous?

• Hair. Take a good look at the photographs above. Frumpy has silvery white hair which sits like a fluffy immobile blob around her face and makes her look about ninety years old. Her face also looks fatter because her hair is similarly round in shape. Fabulous similarly has silvery white hair but it has been cut longer than her jawline and blow-dried into a loose, casual style tucked behind her ears. This is instantly slimming to her face and the hair cut looks modern and sharp.  If Frumpy had the same haircut it would take 20, maybe even 30 years off her!
• Clothes. Both Frumpy and Fabulous are wearing blouses and trousers. But what a difference colour and cut make! Frumpy has gone for the 'greige' option. A kind of muted grey colour which gives her a fuzzy silhouette and that long patterned top makes her look fatter and more shapeless than she probably is. Fabulous is wearing one very bright bold colour and then teamed it with black which has a dramatically slimming effect. Frumpy's trousers are baggy and overlong (maybe she bought them from the M&S Classics range!), whilst the slimline trousers that Fabulous is wearing fit her perfectly and she has cleverly lengthened her legs with black boots with a small heel.
• Make-up. It looks as if Frumpy might be wearing no makeup. You cannot really tell but one could hazard a guess that she might have an old lipstick and some compressed foundation with a powder puff in her dressing table drawer! Fabulous looks as though she would enjoy wearing some great makeup and would definitely be wearing colours on her face which would compliment that beautiful silver hair and cobalt blue blouse. She might even have been watching some of our videos to help her to update her look so that she knows how to look especially gorgeous despite a few wrinkles.
• Weight. Now the elephant in the room (almost literally!) Frumpy is clearly overweight and that is probably why she is wearing those clothes. However I would say that if they had the same hairstyle, clothes and make-up they would both look equally fabulous - so being heavier is not a reason to give up the effort to look good. I am very pear-shaped with a heavy bottom half. I compensate for this by wearing light bright colours on my top with interesting necklaces and earrings, drawing attention away from my lower body. I also make sure that my trousers fit me really well so that my legs look as slim as possible. I rarely wear skirts or dresses because my worst area (legs and knees) are on show and they look better covered.

I know that many women worry about looking old but I think they should worry more about looking old-fashioned!

Stay interested and abreast of shapes, colours and trends in hair, makeup and clothes and think long and hard when you look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. If you have been sporting the same look for more than (say) ten years it might be time for a re-think!

Believe it or not the photo above is the same woman. Susan Street was 58 (left hand picture) when she lost weight and turned herself into a fabulous fashionista!

As always let me know what you think. I love to get your comments.