Friday, January 24, 2014

Fashion Over Fifty: Staying Warm in the Arctic Freeze!

Hello!  Is it cold enough for you?  This has been the worst winter we've had in Wisconsin in a long time.  It is rare if the average daily temperature is above 0 degrees.  Last night when I got off work it was 17 degrees below zero.  Although I had gloves on, my finger tips were in agonizing pain from the cold for at least twenty minutes before the car warmed up.  I really detest winter.  Come quickly spring!

  So the topic of extreme cold weather brings me to this week's Fashion Over Fifty post:  how to look fashionable, yet stay warm in arctic cold temperatures.  Well, I love sweater dresses and find them to be dressy, yet warm and comfortable at the same time.  In a previous post I showed you THIS  Aztec print sweater dress that I wore with black leggings and a scarf.  The sweater dress I have on in the pictures below was purchased a year or two ago from J.C. Penney.  It came with the belt, and has a cowl neckline so I didn't wear any scarves or necklaces with it.  It's only drawback is that it is short sleeve, so I wore a thin long sleeve shirt (OLD) from Express underneath it to keep my arms warm.  I always think short sleeve sweaters are an oxymoron.  I mean really, if it's cold enough to wear a sweater, don't you think it's cold enough to need that sweater to cover your arms?

 Because I was quickly going from a car to inside a building when I wore this outfit, I wore brown ballet flats.  If I were to be walking outside long, I would have worn this outfit with boots.
 I love to wear leggings with my sweater dresses, they are so much warmer than tights and nylons, and I think they are a bit more modest when worn with shorter dresses too than if you just wore nylons.  I was all enraged yesterday when I read on another blog that in a popular magazine for 50+ women, they asked in a survey if it was appropriate for women over fifty to wear leggings.  Really?  Are you kidding me?  Does that question even need to be asked?  What is wrong with women over fifty wearing leggings?  I tell you, the fashion industry is going to have all of us 50+  women walking around naked pretty soon if they keep telling us everything we SHOULDN'T be wearing, because there won't be anything left that they consider age appropriate for us TO wear! LOL!   Well in your face, "____" magazine, this is what a 51 year old woman looks like in leggings!  My response to their survey was that clothing appropriateness is more about a woman's size and shape, NOT her age, and that women of any age could wear leggings, as long as they covered their bums and did not wear leggings as pants.
Enough venting, onto the shoes.  I wish I had a picture of the heel of these cute flats, because they have a nice detail of a tie with a gold embellishment on the heel.  I forgot to have my hubby take a picture of the heel of the shoe. Sorry. they were also purchased last year so I don't have a link either.
 The only jewelry I wore was this large gem bracelet.  I don't remember where I got it from, but I've always loved the beautiful brown tones and sparkle it gives off.
Have a great day!  And, if your fifty, wear those leggings and stay warm and fashionable!  Amy

5 comments:

  1. Very nice post. I've begun regressing in my fashion tastes: opaque (thermal or not) tights; sweet socks, etc. I have yet to find a bracelet like that! Beautiful detail. And, no, age need not be a factor in fashion, as you said.

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  2. Your outfit looks great Amy. Love how the white shirt looks layered under the dress. And fabulous bracelet!

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  3. Love the outfit! I just found your blog through Pinterest and will definitely become a regular. I'm 48 and very petite. I'm never sure what to wear since I don't look my age. I have to shop in the petite section, but all they have are the polyester, elastic pants. Why do they think that short women want to wear that stuff? I just found my first sweater dress(XS), but it's still a bit baggy and can't wait to wear it with my new fleece-lined leggings. But my 20 yr old told me that I need to start dressing like I'm almost 50 and not like I'm 20.:)

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  4. Wow Lee Ann, I can certainly relate to your dilemma. I'm not short, but I am small (for my age) and I struggle finding clothes that are small enough for me in the women's departments. Most women's clothing stores only carry sizes down to a 4 ( I wear a 2), and some only go down to a 6. I certainly don't want to shop in the juniors department (just because I think Juniors clothes are more cheaply made and the cut isn't as flattering), so I end up at higher end stores a lot simply because they carry the smaller sizes. I too have been told I don't look my age, most people guess me to be in my 40's and they always shocked when I tell them I'm in my 50's. And I hate it when kid's or young adults tell us how we should dress. I truly believe one should dress for their size/shape, and not their age. Sometimes I think they are just jealous. LOL!

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  5. Love, love your bracelet and what you wear is definitely determined by your size and shape. I sometimes think I dress too young but there isn't a lot of older fashion I want to wear. I'm 5'6",lean & thin and in good shape (due to a lot of gym hours an genetics).) I pretty much wear what I please.
    hugs
    Glenda

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