When magazines do issue's which are in some way age related, I always cringe a little since they nearly always say that when you hit your mid thirties you really must invest in a nicely tailored suit. Bleugh! I can't imagine anything more soul destroying (fashion-wise) than wearing a tailored suit, even if that suit in question was Balenciaga or other such designer.
The fact is I actually really like being 36. I never attempt to hide my age and am very upfront about it. I feel sorry for the women who can't accept their age and lie about it. My mother spent much of her life lying about her age - and mine. I was 25 for four years according to my mum! To admit to people she had a daughter in her 30's was giving it away that she was older than she said she was. For my mother it was a way of holding on to happier times; a refusal to accept that her life had moved on but not to something better. Before she sunk deep into an all consuming depression, where pain was etched deeply and clearly on her face, my mother was an incredibly good looking woman. I remember looking at her when she was in her late 40's and thinking how beautiful she looked and that I hoped to look as good as her when I got to her age.
I wouldn't go back to being in my 20's. Your 20's are usually spent either using fashion as a way to conceal your insecurities or trying really hard to cement your self image. It's a time, for many, that requires lots of validation from other people. And that's only natural. It's really only when you hit your 30's, when you've been through things like losing parents, cancer scares, career freak outs, children or lack of, divorces and all the other things that usually take time to rear their ugly heads, that you come out the other end with a proper sense of the person you really are. Of course, there are young 'uns out there who have been through many things and have had experiences of someone older, but they are the exception. For us older peeps, we generally don't have quite the same hang ups as younger people do. We have come to terms with our bodies, our wrinkles, our grey hair. That's not to say some older women don't ocassionally freak out or get depressed about being older, but for most of us we've come to accept it and work with it.
For me, I choose to work with what I have and push my own boundaries. But I know my limits. I know when I will look completely ridiculous and I draw the line at that point. I won't be going around with my hair in bunches and baubles any time soon! I don't want to be one of those women who look like overgrown teenagers, trapped in some perpetual state of adolescence.
When I picked up the latest issue of Vogue, I was curious to see how they were going to tackle the age issue, having previous form for shoving the 'buy a nice suit' law down our throats. The women they featured, though most not actually that old, were refreshing indeed. But the stand out for me was Amanda Harlech who has been styled by her daughter. She looked simpy incredible, aged 49. Of course this wasn't her choice of what to wear and, to be honest, her own fashion choices are more in line with what a woman her age would be expected to wear, but the fact her daughter saw her mother as a vibrant, sexy, powerful woman was very inspiring.
Most women in their 20's would kill for Amanda's body. Do I want to be rocking leather when I'm 49? If I looked this good, absolutely!
I feel it's a matter of principal that people who feature me on their sites or magazines get my age right as it's very much part of who I am. Some people I meet do raise an eyebrow when they find out my age, thinking that what I wear was ok when they thought I was in my 20's, but as soon as they find out I am closer to 40 than 20 they do question my motives for why I dress the way I do. For me it's a quiet form of rebellion. I don't need to prove how rock 'n' roll I am by being aggressive or behaving like a bloke - I do it by defying conventions. It might not seem much, but it does go a long way to helping you accept your age and all it brings. As soon as you have done that then there are few things life can throw at you that you don't find the inner strength to deal with.
Queen Michelle
Images from The Fashion Spot
