MomofWildChild

Thank you, Missypie! I just better not ever stop running!

Hair- well, there's that..... I don't have much. I keep mine about an inch long. If I try to grow it I look like Bozo. (remember Bozo?) I like short hair.

My latest odd-ness is wearing my Zensah compression sleeves (for lower legs) to work under my pants. They are neon yellow and neon pink (two pairs). They help me recover from my longer runs. After everyone finished laughing at me, they were inquiring about where to buy them. The same thing happened with my Vibram Five Finger "shoes". I started getting emails from people who wanted them. My boss (male) has some ankle problems (he's young and thin- it was an accident a number of years ago) and pads around the department in his socks. I was once told to "dress like your boss" so......

Consolation

I shop at Chico's all the time because my mother gives me gift certificates. I don't like all of their clothes, but I like a lot of them and get plenty of compliments when I wear them. They do not look "old" on me. You have to pick and choose.

I also wear black leggings sometimes, with a long sweater or other top. My normal non-summer footwear are black Dansko clogs, which are great for long days of truffle-making and wending one's way through puddles, although I recently bought a couple of pairs of cute flats. I have some good low to mid heels left over from the days when I working in NYC, which I wear when I need to be dressed up. I absolutely refuse to wear high heels.

People dress very casually here. And since I don't work in an office I can wear whatever I want. Thankfully.

BunsenBurner

"How do you ladies wear your hair?"

For 30+ years I had long hair (2-3 ft long). I got tired of constantly taking care of it (I used to ran track and cross country in HS with that hair !) and got a short haircut (sort of llike the one Kim has in this picture: Kim: Gene Juarez Salon & Spa). When H saw the short-haired version of me for the first time he said I looked 10 years younger! He was not kidding. I love my short hair.

missypie

Do y'all ever wear prints? Florals are perilous - it seems like they're all either "little girl" or "old lady." I'm always thrilled when I find a print that seems right for me...they're very rare. I'm wearing a paisley top today that I love (Michael Kors, marked way down at Nordstrom Rack).

coureur

>>What's appropriate these days when you're 50 something?<<

Just make sure you own a full-length mirror and USE IT. There are few things sadder than a middle-aged person with fat rolls and/or sagging skin trying to dress like a 19 year old.

Booklady

I have very wavy, prone-to-frizz, very dark (with some strands of gray) hair. I wear it medium-short, since that's the most flattering to my features and also cuts way down on the frizz. The closest to a picture of me is this one of Debra Winger (if only I looked that good!): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/...4fb468875e.jpg

And missypie, I know just what you mean. Most of my clothes are solids, but in the past couple of years I've been able to find some good prints...they are rare indeed!

GA2012MOM

One thing I LOVE for women our age, are wrap dresses. If I could find a store that sold only wrap dresses, I would think I had died and gone to heaven. They hide flaws and generally hang very nice wish a slight "swish."

mousegray

You know, I think you can wear whatever you want as long as you have a an eye for cut and fit. I know that's a tall order. I don't think there's anything wrong with dressing "young", it's the women who try to dress young AND sexy that give it a bad name (and a bad look!).

Prints are nice, but generally only as a top. Print dresses can be either really aging or make you look like a giant toddler.

Chico's--- it's funny, my mother gives me clothes from there too. I wonder why. The few times I've ever been in one I thought they had big, kind of arty bohemian looking clothes. It tapped into my greatest fear, of looking like a museum docent.

The only thing I avoid are the baby-doll cuts. I think they're adorable on a 13 year old and that's about the cut-off age.

Leggings are all right as long as a), your top covers your backside and b), you don't have skinny legs combined with belly fat. Then you may look like a bug. I think for us older women, boots are really necessary to add gravitas to the look, though.

The last time I saw a Coldwater Creek catalog, it was full of "Christmas sweaters".

I think Eileen Fisher clothes are kind of pretty too, but I wouldn't be caught dead in them! I came of age in the punk era. Remember that look? (And don't worry, I'm not fronting that look anymore!)

oaklandmom

Ok, I know much of this discussion has been about leggings - but what about black tights? are they "in" or "out"? I'm off to my 8th grade reunion this weekend and bought a little dress - its a print, kind of an animal print but not really - its in browns and blacks. I'm searching for shoes(found some I like that are black and reddish but they didn't have my size). I was wondering if I could wear black tights with the dress rather than stockings. The event is in southern California. It looks like its going to be a warm day.

oldfort

I was in OC this summer. Could I tell you that I think people dress funny there? I swear gold jewelry is still in there. Do you think they feel that way when they come to NYC area too?

musicamusica

"I came of age in the punk era."

I had pink hair in '79 and green in '80. I was in one of the very first MTV videos with my band, but that was then and I shudder to think that that aesthetic would still hold sway on my wardrobe.yikes!
I like Eileen Fisher because it is contemporary rather than youthful.

Onward

Now that I know where you don't shop, I am curious as to where you (over 50 women) do shop?

MomofWildChild

Limited, JCrew, Gap, Nordstrom when I can get to one, Thomas Pink, Banana Republic

AnudduhMom

How funny! Some of my favorite clothes are from Talbot's -- but I didn't get them at the store, I got them at Goodwill! (with the tags on, apparently size 4 doesn't sell I guess)

My favorite Talbot's thing is a tweed jacket that's longer and fitted (covers my rear), and I wear it with, yes, LEGGINGS! The dreaded leggings, and a pair of high-heel boots and a snappy white shirt, and guess what, I look da bomb! People whistle at me even on the streets of Paris dressed like that.

So give Talbot's a second look (or Goodwill, I get great stuff there)

musicamusica

Nordstrom Rack and I am fortunate to have a lot of smaller inexpensive privately owned stores/boutiques near my home.