Style Tips From 4 Top Midlife Fashion Bloggers

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I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl. That is what I am most comfortable wearing. And as a blogger who works out of a home office, that is perfectly OK – while at home. But how does someone like me dress appropriately for other occasions in a way that gives me confidence and communicates who I am and what I’m about? Here’s what I learned from four of my favorite Fashion Bloggers.

Pam Lutrell

Pam Lutrell from Over50Feeling40.com was one of the first fashion bloggers I started following. At that time, I was a size larger than most of the clothes in my closet and was thinking that there was no way I was going to go shopping until I “lost 10 pounds!” Well, if I continued in that vein, I would be wearing about 2 things that were tight and uncomfortable all the time, because to date, those 10 pounds haven’t gone anywhere!

Pam believes that women can make fashion choices that make them feel confident not matter what their age, size or price range.She inspired me to love my body and to shop for clothes that fit me NOW. Pam says that “There is nothing which prevents a woman from being stylish, confident, and fashionable…age does not matter; income does not matter; and body size does not matter.” 

Each week, Pam does a feature with Jennifer Connolly called Style Sweet Spot. Here’s how it works – Pam and Jennifer pick an occasion that they are dressing for like a baby shower, trip to the museum or out for a casual dinner and show us what they would wear and why they made the choices they made.

Jennifer Connolly

What I like about Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life is that she helps me understand WHY something is a good look. For example, I loved this top that she was wearing.

Jennifer says she was playing with proportion and angles when she chose this top with asymmetrical lines. I knew I liked it, but that little bit of a description helped me know WHY I liked it. And knowing WHY I liked it will help me look for those same features in a top in the future.

In another post, Jennifer talked about how texture and pattern near a woman’s face can minimize the “texture” on her face. Don’t you just love that we can call it texture.

Here is Jennifer’s textured dress over pants:

I tried the print near the face option with this heart-print scarf near my face for a girl’s lunch out.

Shellie Bowdoin

Shellie Bowdoin is from thefabjourney.com. Shellie often posts looks featuring great basic pieces she has in her closet (in some cases she’s had them for years), with new pieces to make a great new outfit.

Her post “How to Shop as a Fabulously Frugal Fashion Hunter” inspired me to quit doing my usual, walk into the store and buy everything on the mannequin outfit and walk out.

Here is my pairing something old with something new to make a whole new outfit:

The sweater, leggings, boots and necklace in the middle are all several years old. I added the necklace that my husband gave me for Christmas and felt up to date and stylish for a Saturday luncheon at a country club!

Shelley Janac

I first discovered Shelley Janac from thequeeninbetween.com on Instagram. She had the most marvelous looks that MIXED PATTERNS! This blew my mind – mostly because I am the QUEEN OF MATCHY-MATCHY and because in the “olden days” that was a fashion no-no! But Shelley’s looks were so fabulous and fun.

So I put on my big girl pants and gave it a try for a Saturday shopping trip.  I paired a navy polka dot vest with a red and blue print scarf.

This was way out of my fashion comfort zone, but when the sales guy at White House Black Market complimented my look, I knew I had arrived! LOL!

So…thanks to these ladies for their wonderful websites and their great fashion advice. There may be hope for me yet! I hope you will follow their blogs and social media accounts. You’ll be inspired to up your fashion game!

Do you ever feel like you are in a fashion rut? What’s the hardest thing about styling your over-40 self?

This piece first appeared on MySideOf50.com. 

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