Become a Member
The Jewish Chronicle

Over 50? It really is time to leave the comfort zone

Hitting a certain age does not mean invisibility and elastic waistbands.

June 25, 2010 11:21
Cathryn wears purple camisole, £25; stripey skirt, now £65 and spotty scarf, now £29, all by Hobbs; purple tights, £15, Falke; cuff, £89, Lucas Jack; black patent shoe-boots, £80, Dune

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

2 min read

You can’t turn the pages of a glossy magazine these days without seeing a gorgeous, 50-plus woman proving that hitting a certain age does not mean invisibility and elastic waistbands. There was Anna Wintour in Carolina Herrera at the recent Council of Fashion Designers of America awards; Meryl Streep at the Oscars looking fabulous in a white draped gown; Katherine Bigelow, 59 also at the Oscars, in indigo YSL; Lulu, 61, with yet another terrific haircut…

The list goes on, but away from Planet Celeb, real women, babyboomers (perhaps we should call them Generation B) perceive the high street as hostile. They have issues finding clothes that are fabulous, modern, yet still appropriate, or they are terrified of straying outside their comfort zone.

As regular readers may recall, in November, image consultant Cyndy Lessing and I launched a website, 60&Sensational, to help women of — why not, Generation B — find fabulous clothing and advice on make-up, skincare and hair.

That and my role at the JC means the plea I hear most often is from women aged over 50 asking where to find fabulous, fashionable yet appropriate clothes. The really good news is that for every woman prepared to look past the mini-skirts, shorts and body-con dresses, there are gorgeous clothes to be found — even on the high street.