The Big Black Dress

It was Chanel who made the little black dress famous in 1926 and changed the image of black from old to young. Ever since black clothing has made a statement for youth, from the beatniks, to the Goths, to Project Runway.

But before Chanel, what we might call the “big black dress” was the monopoly of older women. This was the wardrobe staple of women over fifty. According to a 1902 article in Ladies Home Journal, “A gown of black silk for an elderly lady is always in good style for either an afternoon, evening, or house gown. One is never at a loss for something to wear when a black silk is among one’s possessions.” The magazines are filled with drawings of appropriate black clothing, cut for the aging figure.

Today’s fashion journals and commentators often advise against black for older women, warning that it can be too harsh against older skin. But perhaps this advice is partly based on the assumption that black is for the young. I say: one good turn deserve another. Take back the black!

Me and my Menopot

I think one of the worst side effects of menopause is the pot belly that develops as a result of estrogen loss. Dr. Pamela Peeke, in her book Body for Life for Women, calls this rounded belly a menopot, a clever term linking it directly to menopause. Now I have never been a willowy person, but until the last decade I could always boast a flat stomach. Not any more. If I tucked my shirts in (which haven’t done in years), I might look similar to Twiddle Dee.

Peeke compares menopause to a reversed adolescence. Just as estrogen flooding the system changes young bodies quickly, the end of estrogen does the same. Despite all the happy-face books on how we should honor this stage in women’s lives, many of the changes are not for the better—muscle loss, bone density loss, and the migration of fat upward to the belly. There are solutions, however. Eat a lot less and exercise a whole lot more. The good doctor recommends marathons.

Power Couple--Red and Black

In several "how-to" fashion books I have read recently, the experts warn against older women wearing red and black. Stacy London, from the TNT show What Not to Wear, warns that it evokes images of Raisa Gorbachev; Sherrie Mathieson, in her style book Forever Cool, is even harsher. She doesn't like any combinations of primary colors and black; for her, red and black are a particularly bad fashion cliche.

However, a New York Times Magazine feature on the power journalist, Eleanor Clift, shows just how powerful--and hip--this combination can be. Why ban colors from your wardrobe, especially ones that bring attention to you and what you have to say.

Dame Mirren

Helen Mirren once again showed her wonderful sense of style in a beautiful Academy Award dress. It offered an ingenious solution to one problem of vintage women--less than stunning upper arms. The amazing beading made a potential weakness into a strength--and I also loved the draping around the waist.

Lauren Hutton--OH! Icon

The LA Times ran a style feature on Lauren Hutton today, surely a fabulous example of someone old and hip. My favorite quote from the article could have come straight from the fashion classic by Elizabeth Hawes, Fashion is Spinach. Hutton says: "Fashion is simply what is offered; style is what we pick out of that, how we wear it and the way we put it together."

Fashion Manifesto--Old and Hip (OH!)

Inspired by the recent spate of fashion books directed to boomers, I have decided to come up with my own fashion philosophy. Here it is in a nutshell: It is foolish to pretend that you aren’t old; however, that doesn’t mean you can’t be hip.

What is “hip” anyway? The word gained popularity through the beats, who used it to mean “cool” or “in the know.” (One entry in the Oxford English Dictionary speculated that it came from fishermen’s slang. When they wore their hip high boots, they were ready for anything and thus “hip.”) Let me give my own spin: the “hip” are people who are original, interesting, and comfortable in their own skin.

What are the qualities of the Old and Hip? (Let’s call them OH!)

They are not afraid to admit their age.
They have used their life experiences to develop unique style elements, like a collection of Taxco bracelets, bakelite buttons, flea market scarves.
They have found a way to merge style and comfort so that their clothes facilitate their endeavors and reflect their personalities.
They do not follow prescriptions about required colors, fabrics, or silhouettes; instead, they draw on life experience to figure out what is best for them.

As a 57 year old woman who collects vintage kimono and makes clothes out of them, proudly wears elastic waist bands in her pants, despite fashion advice to the contrary, adores orange, and only wears comfortable shoes, I like to think of myself as one of the OH! Certainly Diane Keaton is. How about you?

Dont Stop Thinking About Tomorrow

I have never added up just how much money I spend every year on beauty products and treatments. Probably the sum would shame me. Still, I’m sure it is less than the $7398 that Charla Krupp , author of How Not to Look Old, admits to spending on her upkeep. Looking young requires a team of experts, from stylists to colorists, from manicurists to eyebrow sculptors. Although I am hardly immune to the siren song of forever young (after all, I bought the book!), I don’t have the inclination or the income to keep up with the beauty routines recommended here.

To be fair, this is not a book about plastic surgery; many of the interventions Krupp recommends are not expensive or terribly time consuming. Buy skin care products, get a better hair cut, hem your skirts. Nonetheless, the underlying message is dire: without taking steps to hold back Father Time, you can easily lose your self-respect, your significant other, and even your job. (She’s in television and so has a right to be worried.)

Krupp divides women over forty into two groups determined by style, not age. The Old Ladies (OL) consistently lose out to the Young and Hip (Y&H). OL style consists of red lipstick, elastic waist pants and sensible shoes. Elements of the Y&H aesthetic include pink lipstick, feathered bangs, and bare legs. All women can be Y&H if they will only abandon their OL ways.

But do we all want to be Y&H? I for one want many more alternatives to aging with style and grace that the one vision offered here. But then again, I have tenure and don’t have to worry about losing my job.