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April 26 – May 30, 2024
FOOD, HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
#Bealtaine:positiveageing
Leave age in the wardrobe
this or that?’, ‘Am I too old to wear this?’ – wear whatever you want, wear whatever makes you feel alive inside and whatever puts a spring in your step. I am delighted to say that the ‘con- versation’ has shifted from ‘an- ti-ageing’ to health and wellness and vitality. We are becoming more realistic and as a result we want to feel youthful and look our best rather than look young. It’s all about priorities and sometimes the saddest of life lessons. Tragically we all know or have loved someone who’s life was cut short in a blink at a young age. This is so ‘out of the natural order of things’. Ageing is the most natural thing in the world, it is what makes life precious, it is why we need to continue to change our thinking on the subject. Stop looking at ageing as a limitation, look at it as an opportunity that not everyone is blessed with. Maintaining your sense of style as you age can be chal- lenging, especially if you listen to and absorb every piece of body shaming, anti-wrinkle pro- paganda that fills our magazines and our social media. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,
the stress alone of constantly worrying about how you look or nit picking at how your skin is ageing is enough to accelerate the process. Has anyone ever died or appeared in court be- cause their roots were showing? Laughable, isn’t it? Every day and in every way we should be celebrating age- ing. Let’s change the age-appro- priate conversation from one of ‘you can’t do this or wear this or buy that’ to embracing the fact that classic style is inher- ently ageless. Forget about the year that you were born and focus on your body type. The truth is, for most of us, that our bodies will change with age, so your focus should be on finding and wearing clothes that work with your shape and make you feel wonderful. I was the same weight for over thirty years, I’ve lost a bit in recent times (not intentionally and diligently trying to put it back on) but my shape in clothes is different. I don’t mince words, so apologies in advance for my bluntness, but my ass is no longer where it used to be, like an elevator go- ing down it seems to have gone
money’s worth The answers will help you to decide whether or not you should buy. If you are a ‘grown-up’ kid (I think we should adopt this way of referring to getting older) like me then the more you grow up, insist on buying the best quality that you can afford or else watch the sales for massive discounts on high quality cloth- ing. Spend on the small details, a hem, a cinched waist, custom tailoring, a perfectly placed dart, pleat or pocket. You won’t mind paying more because you want your clothes to last more than one season. Our tastes evolve with time also so rest assured that what you tend to be attracted to, is exactly what is meant for you. With age comes wisdom, thank God! I remember so many nights going out in heels and no coat, only to end up with throbbing feet and a freezing body. I’ll gladly bid ‘adieu’ to that trauma! Age is the catalyst for changes that affect how we want to look and dress and we get more comfortable in investing in ourselves. Be mindful of too many patterns, they can cheapen your overall look and do absolutely nothing to elevate and enhance your style. Invest in accessories, look for simple clean designs when it comes to bags, leave the chains, studs, dangly bits or charms in the shops, never to venture into your wardrobe. Wear subtle good jewellery every day. Why, you might ask? Well because it adds some ‘Je ne sais pas’, some couture! There are certain people who believe that you should dress for your mood and your personality and I agree with some of that but to be completely honest, some people seem to be in a bad mood for their entire lives and that doesn’t translate well into a good clothes style. So I’ll leave you with this, any clothing is age appropriate if you feel happy and confident. Gone are the days when mothers should be demure, girls should be coquettes and business women should wear man-drag to be taken seriously. Be practical – it’s hard to drive a car in a ball gown and heels are out of place on a trek but the idea that you have to relinquish what fires up your soul just to be considered a ‘grown-up’ is a lie. Life is per- ilously short, I don’t care what age you are or what age I am, be grateful everyday that you can put your feet on the ground and be present. Put on beautiful clothes, look at your beautiful face, lines and all, and remind yourself how lucky you are.
IMAGE Louise O’Dwyer Image Consultant louise.anewu@gmail.com Instagram: Louiseodwyer7
I have spent years banging on about our ridiculous fascination with ageing, our obsession with chemical potions to minimise wrinkles and the never-ending spiral of weight-loss/weight-gain highs and lows that dictate whether we allow ourselves to be happy or not. So let me say it again ‘screw the lot of it’! ‘Can I wear
from the first floor to the ground floor and Jesus wept but the back of my arms seem to have a life and movement all to them- selves. It’s hysterical isn’t it? I laugh about it, you should laugh about it too. Life is too short for this incessant navel-gazing that advertising shoves upon us and designers have made sure that choosing a better cut can hide a multitude of wobbles or drooping rear ends! When it comes to building a wardrobe that you love, knowing how to dress for your body type is a game-changing skill. It doesn’t just add fun to getting dressed, it also saves you so much time, a hell of a lot of money and it will preserve your sanity. The powers that be in the Fashion World have bro- ken down body shape into five different categories – Straight, Round, Hourglass, Pear and Inverted Triangle. They are self-explanatory and dressing well (screw the age thing) is about creating balance when you have ‘labelled’ yourself. Straight bodies need to avoid shapeless clothes and focus on defining the waistline so seek out classic eye-catching neck- lines as they give the illusion of a smaller, curvier waist. Round bodies have broad shoulders, narrow hips and no defined waist. Wearing a single colour from head to toe is the most flattering for a round shape. An hourglass is the easiest body type to figure out, your shoulders and hips are equal in measurement and you have a very defined waist. This body shape has a lot of clothes options but it is best to avoid oversized clothes as you can look shapeless, look for curvy classic pieces that will enhance Outfit by Summum Woman
and highlight your waist. You are a Pear shape (or some call this Triangle) when your hips are wider than your shoulders and your shoulders are on the narrow side. With hips that are wider than your shoulders, you want to focus on adding more volume to your shoulder line, this gives a more balanced look. It pulls the eyes up so there is less emphasis on the hips. If your shoulders or your bust is larger than your hips then you are an Inverted Triangle – extra broad shoulders or a wide upper body/bust. The key here is to add more volume to the hips to balance out the bust and shoulders. Avoid adding volume or width to the upper body. I should add that because we are all so gloriously unique, we can sit between two body types and the most important thing to be aware of is that our body type will most likely change somewhat over time. Bone structure is what dictates our body types rather than height and weight. I have been doing a hell of a lot of typing here and I haven’t mentioned anything about age for a while…why? Because it is irrelevant to look- ing good! During the course of our lives our lifestyle can change many times over and understanding your current lifestyle is critical in making good purchasing de- cisions. I meet so many women who love the idea of a certain type of clothing, and they buy a lot of it, yet have no place to wear it. Always ask yourself these two questions when you are about to invest in new clothes: 1) Where and when can I wear this? 2) Can I wear this a few different ways to get my
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