Fashion for the Retired Woman

Now that I am retired one would expect not to require fashion.  Wrong.  A woman who has been dressed for the office for 40 years cannot just turn off her need for something stylish.  I may look like a Ukranian peasant when cleaning out the chicken coop, in sweat pants or dirty jeans, bulky sweater or old ski jacket and an amazing variety of toque all unflattering but when I go shopping for groceries in town or lunch with girlfriends I must be decked out to the max.

I take my cue from the most elegant woman I know, my mother.  From the time I was a little girl until my mother was in her early 50’s she never, ever went grocery shopping or elsewhere in anything but a skirt and blouse, or dress.  She did not start wearing slacks until she was in her 50’s except when she was in the home or going for a casual walk with my father.  I remember her changing into a skirt in the afternoon, after she had finished her housework, so that she was always dressed nicely when my father came home from work.  She always wore makeup, not a lot but always lipstick and foundation.  When she was 15 years old her sister Lise gave her an eyebrow brush that she has to this very day and she always brushes her brows with Vaseline to keep them smooth and glossy.  She has used Pond’s cold cream morning and night for over 60 years, also something she learned from her sister (despite my father protesting he didn’t like the smell and despite me trying to get her to try Mary Kay skincare products she has stuck with her Pond’s cold cream, with the green colour, I think it’s “normal”).

If I have a bad hair day I escape under a hat and will wear it in the store even if I am cooking in order not to disgrace the family.  As I have written in the past, hair is a bit of an obsession with my mother and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  In my youth I wasn’t much given to caring about what I looked like, especially where my hair was concerned, and to be honest if it wasn’t for my mother’s look of horror I would not care very much which way my hair went so I am very grateful that I actually look good in a hat.  In the mornings Mom and I compare our hair and even though we look like wild hottentots I ask “whose looking Ma”?  Most days I look like an Iroquois while Mom looks like Einstein but we bless water and a good brush and hope for the best!

To get a well-dressed look a woman really only needs a nice pair of dark dress pants, a nice blouse and a good jacket.  A scarf or statement necklace can set things off and always a pair of earrings to finish the face.  A good jacket is important but not that easy to acquire.  There are plenty of jackets around but it’s key to find one that will wear well and not be too trendy.  A blazer style is excellent with good colour, blendable colour (black, navy, grey are best as they go with most things).  I don’t think a person will look overdressed in a jacket as it can look both dressy or casual depending on the blouse, t-shirt or sweater worn underneath.  If you like trendy, that’s okay, but if you need something to last for a good while, a classic jacket is money well spent because they don’t come cheap.

One of my favorite shops has got to be Laura because the quality is there and they cater to women of all sizes and ages.  They are not trendy like some of the younger shops but they have on target styles as well as classic looks.  And the price is right.  Definitely my first place to look for something be it suit, dress or blouse.  And did I mention purses?  But that’s for another time.