How can senior women stay stylish?

Key points:

• A good hair day is a good day — sit at the salon and go for something different
• Comfort trumps all, but it doesn’t have to feel bad to look good
• The longer a woman has lived, the many more styles she can incorporate into a chic blend — it’s not age, it’s experience

This edition of Your Retirement Living is for the glam madames, from the dainty ballroom queen through to the strong matriarch who made a name for herself. This article will address which styles let you live it up in colour, glow up your day and radiate the style of a woman whose life smiles. Putting effort into your personal presentation is worth it on special days, whether you’re meeting your girlfriends on a daily basis or rekindling with people you haven’t seen for years.

Looking beautiful is hard work and Rome wasn’t built in a day. Luckily, this article will run you through how to find an independent look, going over previous decades of female beauty and helping you find the parts that you loved most.

1920s — 1950s

A lot changed over the course of 1920 to the 1950s in Australian womens’ fashion, from the bohemian stylings and addiction to French culture which sweeped Melbourne and took over the roaring 20s, through to the emphasis on feminine fashion in the late 40s and 50s, following the switch in wartime attire.

A trip down memory lane to the Australian Women’s Weekly magazines over the decades highlights the constants throughout the years — shifting from flapper outfits, to wartime wear and then into a new age — brimmed hats, necklaces, a touch of class and a sprinkle of sparkle.

1960s

The groovy 60s were a time of great change for women in Australia, as the hippy movement inspired tie-dyed, loose-fitting and experimental new designs, giving way to the bee-hive hairdo, along with short bobs and hairclips, instead of the standard decorative hat. Bangles, wristbands, sleeveless tops and mini-skirts were all in fashion, with accented fashion and a strong focus on individuality. The 1960s created a bedrock for unique chic visual looks which would get wilder and more care-free in the 70s.

1970s

Crop tops, bell-bottom flared pants, long PVC boots and jazzercise acrobatic spandex made their way to the nation in the 1970s, with contrast, asymmetry and disco fever giving rise to sequins and shimmer style.

Silk, satin and bohemian floral prints were in high demand, instead of the corporate cotton fabric. A garish mustard weather and platform boots were all the rave, as nightlife entered into an era of perpetual neon sunset and attention-grabbing visual emphasis.

How to stay ‘up to date’ with modern styles

Styles come and go, but the modern idea of a pretty woman or a handsome man is hard to pin down. The world’s biggest C.E.Os aren’t wearing pinstripes or pantsuits anymore, they’re in t-shirts and hoodies. Kids look back on the 70s with rose-tinted glasses and retro admiration. Whether you prefer a modest and classic look of your early years, something experimental and snazzy from young adulthood or whatever fits best — success in fashion is purely up to you. Grab a cup of tea or a glass of rosé and raise it, as each new birthday is a chance to reinvent yourself as many times as you want to. Be your own icon when you wake up, because you’ve already been iconic for decades — inspiring new fashionistas looking to get a bit of that magic you invented. 

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Preparing yourself for retirement

How can senior men stay stylish?