Street Style Do's and Dont's

I love looking at street style trends, and I must admit, I laugh at many of them.  Some of them are just plain ridiculous, some only work if you are under 20, and some can be surprisingly cool.  According to Harper's Bazaar, one of my favorite fashion and beauty mags, here are some of the street style trends for this Spring 2015.  And here are my recommendations about which ones to avoid if you are a femme d'un certain age.

1. FRINGE: There was a time when I thought fringe was pretty cool, but that has been a while.  In small doses, it's okay, but beware the allover fringe look.

Add caption

Now I think Olivia Palermo almost always looks fantastic and she looks good here, too. But if you're over 50, I wouldn't go there.  If you must have fringe, try it on a scarf or bag.

2. LADYLIKE BAG: This is an all time classic.  I have a camel Bally bag from 1991 that is a dead ringer in shape and size for some you see on Bazaar's pages.  it still looks fresh and pretty with an outfit. A definite YES!

Ladylike Bag

3.  OVERALLS:  I had a pair of lilac overalls by Liz Claiborne that I wore in the '80s - does that tell you anything?  Unless you need to do yard work or paint a room, please avoid.

Overalls

Stay tuned for the next 3 trends!

Over 50 Style: Helen Mirren

   In my last post, I expressed dismay that out of Harper Bazaar's 100 Women of Style list, only 9 of the women noted were over 50! Surely there are more stylish women over 50?! I immediately thought of several whose absence from the list was surely a glaring oversight on someone's part. Heads should roll!
   The first woman of style missing from the list: Helen Mirren.
   Why she should be on the list: She has style in every inch of her body. Her style speaks through clothing choices, her posture and attitude, her hairstyles and makeup choices. There were a few under-thirties on that list who could learn a lot about style from Helen Mirren!

 Above and below, I love her choice of formal wear.  The dresses are always beautiful on her and they are truly what I call "starlike", that is, they are beautifully cut and adorned with lovely embellishments.  When she goes to awards shows, she is just flat out glamorous and sexy while still being classic. I would love to own the black dress below.

 Love the earrings with this outfit. 

 Below, I love that Helen Mirren shops at CVS!  I also like this "everyday" look she's wearing for running errands.  That top is divine!

 Below, another look at that gorgeous dress. 

 Love the hair! And Helen Mirren is so good about choosing colors that look fantastic on her. Knowing what works on you is such a huge part of having style!

 Below, this bright blue is beautiful and looks great with the color of Helen's hair.  I love the whimsical lizard pin that she is wearing. 

 Below, another of the wonderfully embellished dresses that Mirren favors.  The earrings are perfect.

 Above, striking a pose in red. Look at the wonderful decorative belt she is wearing.
 Below, two wonderful head shots with two different attitudes. Both are stunning!

   So, who over 50 would you add to Harper's Bazaar's list of stylish women? Do you agree with me about Helen Mirren?

Harper's Bazaar and 100 Stylish Women: Where Are the Over 50's?

 The list is out: Harper's Bazaar has chosen 100 women who supposedly are some of the most stylish in the world.  Am I to be blamed for being disappointed that only 9 out of 100 are women who are over 50?  And of those who were chosen and are over 50, I'm a bit puzzled by the choice.   But let's look at those 9:

   1. Carine Roitfield: (above) She's 59 years old and looks pretty good, but then she's French! She's also the former editor of Paris Vogue.  If she were a close friend, I would tell her to do something with her hair.

 2. Carolina Herrera: The jet-setting lady who lunches turned designer is a favorite of mine because of her taste in clothing, perfume, and home furnishings. Yes, I can see why she was chosen.  She is the ultimate in ladylike fashion and good taste.

 3. Cindy Sherman:  The famous photographer/artist is a chameleon when it comes to fashion and in this photo looks rather tame compared to some of her other incarnations.

 4. Ines de la Fressange: Once again, she's French, so what can I say? Actually, she's the best of French style and always looks chic.  Being rail thin doesn't hurt her chicness, but she definitely has style in anybody's book!

 5. Linda Fargo: She is senior vice president of the fashion office and store presentation at Bergdorf Goodman. She's responsible for spotting trends and is quite trendy herself. She always looks good!

 6. Lynn Wyatt:  This lady who lunches has been around forever.  I like her. I enjoy reading about her at times, but I don't see her as particularly stylish since she has more money than I could spend in a million lifetimes and so much cosmetic surgery that it's hard for me to consider her stylish. Style indicates a certain individuality that comes from having imperfections and quirks, and Lynn just doesn't seem to have any - or if she does, she gets rid of them quickly. Although her clothes are pretty, I never remember seeing an image of her in anything that made me really sit up and take notice (and I've been following her since the 1980's at least).

 7.  Queen Elizabeth:  Now I like that Queen Elizabeth is on the stylish list because she does have style. If you don't believe it, then go to Nieman's or Saks' websites and see if you can't choose an outfit for her. I'll bet you can! Her style, by the way, is perfect for who and what she is.  It's called appropriate.

 8. Tilda Swinton: I love her as an actress.  She does have style, not necessarily style I would want to emulate, but style that does inspire!

9.  Sheikha Mozha: She's probably not as familiar as the other names on the page, but yes, she certainly has style.  She is the widow of the Emir of Qatar, a graduate of the University of Qatar and extremely active in furthering education and development in Qatar.  She's known for her love of haute couture and for adjusting it to meet the modesty requirements of her home state.

Who would you add to the list of Most Stylish Women Over 50?  I'll be adding to this list in the next few days - the women over 50 who should have made the list, but didn't!