Fashion is something you either love or are not really too concerned about and see it as more a functionality rather than a way of self-expression. For me personally, ever since I was about 7 or 8, I have had a strong opinion on what I will and won’t put on my body and that has of course followed me into adulthood. Fashion is a way I can connect with myself but also can dictate how confident I am that day. It has been something that has influenced my spending habits, validated my own beliefs and actually introduced me to a range of people.
As the years have gone by, my style, personality and just overall passion for fashion have changed from my obsession with being a maximalist to minimalist, to asymmetrical pieces and so forth. So the question comes to how to keep things fashionable at any age without losing your sense of style due to societal rules.
My Issue With Societal Rules
As you might already have gauged, I have a problem with societal rules around how women should be dressed during their 30s, 40s and 50s+, and these rules come from not just men but women as well, which is both unfortunate and most likely due to internalised misogyny, which I guess is just expected in this current generation of 50+ women.
It’s always been an issue but I believe with the rise of social media, women are coming to a point where life is too short to conform in every way and are sick to death of being told what to wear and how to wear it unless it’s coming from a high fashion designer. I don’t really want to know nor do I care what you think.
Coming to that point and ignoring everything you are told about what you should wear when you hit 50 is both liberating and just refreshing If you have come to that point already or are wondering how you can just wear what you want with confidence, I have put together an array of tips and tricks to help you find your fashionable era in your beautiful 50s.
Influencer Inspiration
As mentioned, the rise of social media is having an impact on all of us, and some of that impact has been extremely positive and liberating. Influencers are no longer coming in the form of 5ft 8 skinny blonde women with big boobs, and while we love all kinds of women, there was a clear unattainable and unrealistic pedestal that men and women were putting themselves under but with the rise of apps such as TikTok, this has all changed.
People are being recognised and influential because of their uniqueness, transparency and relatability, which is both refreshing and inspiring. A lot of women in their 50s have become highly influential to women of all ages for multiple reasons and one is fashion. The one in particular I am referring to is Grece Ghanem and if you don’t know that, I would highly recommend that you do.
She has created a safe space for women who think they might be too ‘old’ to wear that and is a strong representation of how you can literally wear whatever you want and look fabulous while doing it. From crop tops to grandad polos, she’s done it all, turning them into high fashion and stylish outfits and has become a huge influencer for people of all ages, which is just so amazing to see.
Staying connected on social media and flooding your feed with women’s styles you resonate with is key to finding the motivation to find your power and express yourself freely with your fashion.
Find Your Confidence
Something that helped me be confident in times where I shouldn’t have necessarily been was this one sentence: ‘90% of life is confidence and the thing is, no one knows if it’s real or not’ which is like ‘fake it till you make it’. Faking feeling until you eventually feel like that all together is so empowering. It’s easy to cower away and wear what society deems as acceptable but does that make you happy?
Life isn’t like without a bit of risk or fear and you should push yourself into these what might be uncomfortable situations, but at the end of the day, if you look good, feel good and want to wear something, I would be the strongest advocate for it. Your opinion is what matters so wear something you want to and usually wouldn’t; this could be completely life-changing.
Dedicate Some Time
A misconception some people have is that styling outfits takes two seconds for naturally stylish people. This process takes time, trial and error, and while some outfits might come easy, others take a little bit longer, which is fine. Finding your love for styling your outfits again takes time, No matter if you dress modestly in abaya’s or you prefer a maximalist look with a million accessories, there is a styling element to all of these looks to ensure that you feel confident and it embodies you and the version of yourself that you are feeling. Take that extra time out of your day.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to keeping things fashionable at any age, a lot of it comes from the confidence side of things and understandably but breaking out the mental barrier that you put on yourself will be so freeing for your sense of style. As mentioned, fashion is a form of self-expression so be true to yourself, find inspiration from influencers you resonate with, and wear whatever makes you shine.
