Be the best you ever!

As well as writing my own blog - written for fellow over 60s, though under 60s are always welcome - I am an avid reader of other blogs aimed at over 40s and upwards. Many of them are written by professional bloggers whilst others are, like mine, the random thoughts of keen amateurs. There are some gorgeous looking and very stylish women out there, who always inspire me even if I cannot hope to emulate them! It's important to create your own style if you want to look your best. I love many of the outfits that Inès de la Fressange wears, however she is a tall, slender ex-model whereas I am short and not-so-slender, so I need to dress for my individual body rather than try to copy Inès.

What I am hoping for with this blog is to convince my readers that, even though we're older and not as slender as we were, even though we have a few grey hairs and lots of wrinkles, and even though we are over 60, we can still aim to look our best. We need to create outfits that flatter us, that reflect our personality and that we love wearing.

In my pursuit of becoming the best Sue Walker possible, I have tried colour analysis with the House of Colour, Dressing my Truth and finally the 7 Steps to Style system. It's been an interesting journey, especially with the different options I've been given for colours. I'm warm in two systems but cool in another one. I've posted photos of myself in both warm and cool colours for readers to comment on and even they couldn't agree. Click here for a few photos showing me in both warm and cool colours and see what you think.

First up is "Dressing Your Truth", which recommends that you choose colours and styles based on your energy type. According to their system I'm a bright and animated type one so I should wear clothes like the two tops and bright scarf shown in the photos below. They have an on-line store where you can buy clothes true to your type, however to be honest many of the clothes were too fussy or cutesy for me and I didn't like all of their colours. Colour-wise, type one is closest to Spring in seasonal colour analysis, however they did have some cool colours as well as the warmer tints. What I liked about DYT is the way that they encouraged you to be true to your own nature and appreciate who you are.

My DYT colours

DYT green top

DYT top and scarf

Seasonal colour analysis has changed a lot since I was first analysed as a Winter many years ago. When I booked a colour session with House of Colour I was expecting to be told that I was a different season, especially after so many people approved of me wearing warmer colours, however the verdict was a Jewel Winter. I think the key factor was my dark hair, which was one reason that many of the lighter Spring-like colours of DYT didn't look right on me. Here I am wearing a Kettlewell top from the Jewel Winter palette, in one of my best colours.

 

Some of my winter colours are shown above, with my best colours highlighted by **. The common factor between being either a Jewel Winter (House of Colour) or Enigmatic (7 Steps) is the fact that I have dark hair and eyes, so deep colours suit me. However a Winter looks best in cool shades while an Enigmatic looks best in warm shades. Confused? I'm not surprised - so was I! I am fairly close to the border between warm and cool though.

I also went for a style consultation with House of Colour, which I thought was very good value. We not only established that I'm a Natural Gamine, which was based on my answers to a questionnaire plus my consultant Fiona's input, but my body proportions, body shape and facial features were also considered, as was my lifestyle. This part of the consultation covered similar ground to the 7 Steps to Style system and this holistic approach does help you to create more flattering outfits that suit your lifestyle and your personality.

In the end I decided that the 7 Steps to Style system was the most comprehensive and enlightening colour and style system of them all. I have described the 7 steps in some depth in my previous posts, but when it came to Step 3: Your Colours what impressed me was not only the fact that Imogen's system has 18 different colour groups (I'm Enigmatic, because my colouring is warm, smoky and deep) but the way she personalised each colour swatch. I had some colours that other Enigmatics didn't have in their swatches and vice versa. When I look at the colours in my personal Enigmatic swatch, there are very few that don't appeal to me, and I have eighteen signature colours all of which I love and which are very flattering.

The knowledge that I gained through doing the 7 Steps helps me understand why the two DYT outfits in particular don't really suit me.  The green in the first photo isn't too bad, though it's not quite warm enough, but the style doesn't flatter my H shape figure and the proportions aren't right. The second photo highlights the fact that colour alone is only a small part of looking your best. I need high value contrast but low colour contrast. Basically this means I look better in monochromatic outfits or neutral outfits with one colour, ensuring that I have a mix of light and deep colours. There's definitely a high value contrast with the light coloured trousers and darker top, but have you noticed three different colours? The darker top against the light trousers cuts me in half, making me look broader and shorter than I would like and finally, the wide trousers - need I say more?

The third outfit is better than the two above it, however the blue is a bit cool. I'm only just on the warm side so I can get away with it, especially if I wear a lipstick that's warm or a scarf or necklace in the right colours. Most of us can't afford to discard an entire wardrobe just because the colours don't blend with our swatch so the solution is to choose make-up that flatters us and buy a couple of scarves or necklaces in flattering colours to wear near our face. My black jeans will stay in my wardrobe until they become faded, but I'll ensure that the tops I wear with them are in the right colours to compensate.

The cardigan I'm wearing below is what Imogen refers to as a "hero piece": any garment that's not a basic and that has some detail, colour or pattern that makes it the centre of attention. I love the fact that there are so many warm colours to choose from in the pattern when I'm deciding what to wear with it. In this case I selected brown and wore it with a brown necklace, top and jeggings (plus brown shoes that you can't see), thus creating a column of colour, which has the effect of making me appear taller and slimmer. What's not to like?

I'm wearing the same brown jeggings in the next photo with a soft teal top, plus a necklace and bracelet that blend well with both my top and my jeggings.

You can see from these photos that looking your best involves much more than just wearing the colours that suit you. It may have taken me more than sixty years to realise this - I'm a slow learner! - but I honestly believe that I now have the tools to truly look my best. What do you think?

A Woman's Prerogative?

Last year I declared that "cute" wasn't a good look for the over 60s and maybe it was time for me to grow up. This is the original post: is cute a good look for over 60s?. However I'm a woman, and we women are allowed to change our minds, aren't we? Over the last 12 months I have been looking at Dressing Your Truth (DYT) and, according to their guidelines, I am a type one. Guess what? Type ones are described as bright, animated and cute!

So was I right in saying that cute wasn't a good look for over 60s? I think it's probably a matter of how much cuteness we over 60s should allow ourselves. I had already thrown out some t-shirts with really cute pictures on them, and clothes that had far too many frills, which I think was the right decision. There is a thin line between cute and juvenile, especially for the more mature woman!

Pre DYT outfit

I had discarded black and brightly coloured tops as well, which I think was also a wise decision. These colours wore me rather than the other way round and black in particular is too harsh for most women of a certain age. If you look at the photo above I look a bit washed out, even though I was wearing make-up, whereas I think I look far better in the following photos where I am wearing brighter colours.

 

Many of my trousers and skirts stayed, however they are mainly neutral colours such as the navy, stone and brown trousers in the photos above. In these photos I am wearing DYT colours - the three tops are all purchases from the DYT type one store - but that is only part of the story. What I like about type one colours is that they are tints, i.e. pure colours with white in them, which are flattering against more mature skins. All of these tops are very light to wear, which is a feature that has always influenced me when choosing new clothes. In the three outfits I am wearing light, colourful accessories, which is very much a type one trait too.

With DYT, unlike some seasonal colour analysis systems, clothes don't have to exactly match your colour card, so long as they are in harmony with it and "pop".  If I go shopping without my colour card, but I am wearing a top or scarf that I know is the right colour, all I need to do is check whether my new purchase goes with what I'm wearing.

The shapes for type one are circles, stars and hearts, so design lines should reflect this e.g. rounded jacket bottoms, round or v-necklines. Pushed up sleeves and skirt lines that flare are also good looks for us.

Chunky textures are out - clothes should feel crisp and have a light weave. Light to medium weight fabrics are the best choice, with fabrics that look crisp and feel light and fresh on the body. The best patterns are animated with small and/or medium shapes and light, upward movement in the designs. A lot of these features work well for me as a petite size.

I've said it before - but it's worth repeating - that too many of these colour and style systems are overly prescriptive and you do have to use your own intuition and a bit of common sense. When I've looked on-line at the DYT store, there have been many items there that didn't appeal (either the colour wasn't one of my best colours or the style was a bit too fussy for me) but equally there have been many items that I have loved.

One type one tip that I have deliberately avoided though is wearing a flower in my hair. The look of horror on my daughter's face when I suggested that I might try one for the recent family wedding was enough to reassure me that this idea was best forgotten! I wore the flower on the lapel of my jacket instead, so everyone was happy.

Warm or cool colours - does it matter?

Many of us have tried colour analysis in the past and been defined as either a warm or cool season. In my case I was described as a Winter, which apparently was because I had cool, deep colouring. Maybe I did when I was in my late 30s - though none of the icy colours suited me - but I certainly don't have now!

Things have moved on since then and I recently decided to try Dressing my Truth, which is based on your energy type and your nature rather than the colour of your skin, hair and eyes. I am a type one bright, animated woman, which means that I look better in light tints rather than deep tones. I don't have a colour swatch to match up with clothes like I did with colour analysis, just a colour card to hold up against any items that I am considering buying to see if they 'pop'.

What I've noticed is that both warm and cool tints are included on my card (the main absentee is black!) so I thought I would carry out an experiment. Do you think that I look better in the cool tints or the warmer ones, or do you agree that both groups suit me equally?

The above are cooler shades, though I think the second green top has a warmer look to it than the green and navy striped top - and the orange scarf is obviously the odd man out.

The second group of photos shows me wearing tops in the warmer shades, with blue or navy trousers and a turquoise scarf as contrast.

As I have already mentioned Dressing Your Truth, I should point out that the third photo in each group, counting from the left, is of an outfit that I bought from the DYT type one store. Both the purple top and orange scarf in the top row are right for my type, plus the coral top in the second group. Unlike seasonal colour analysis, dressing your truth is more that just wearing the right colours: design lines, texture, fabrication and pattern are also important. At the end of the day though, if you follow your own instincts, you will hopefully choose the right colours and garments to suit you as an individual.

Style Statement - part 1

Generous, warm-hearted, adventurous, independent, creative, compassionate: these are the words a dear friend used to describe me when I was trying to define what type I was for Dressing Your Truth.  I am now trying to establish my individual style within the DYT guidelines, and part of the April Style Challenge is to find your personal style statement, so this seemed like an opportune moment to do so. 

The words for type 1s in DYT include: light, animated, buoyant, crisp, fresh and fun.  From these words, I think the ones that best express the way I like to approach fashion are light, crisp and fun. Looking at my friend's list, the words that I would hope to convey through the way I dress are warm-hearted, independent and creative. Imogen from Inside Out Style described my style as colourfully, comfortably relaxed.  

Colourfully, comfortably relaxed?

Is there a common theme here?  As Imogen is the style expert, I will look at her words first. "Colourful" probably relates to the light, fun part of me that uses colour to brighten up my outfits and I hope that this makes me seem more approachable and warm-hearted too.  The "comfortable" aspect is light again, and crisp, as I don't like to wear anything that feels heavy or drapes too much. "Relaxed" ties in with the comfort factor too.  I hope that I am expressing my independent side by not slavishly following fashion, but using the latest styles if they happen to suit my lifestyle. I like to think that some of my looks are creative, but the main criteria when I wear a particular style is "does it feel good?" and any creative touches are secondary to that. So, not surprisingly, I think that Imogen was spot on - she is the style expert, after all!

I think that "colourfully relaxed" is a good starting point for me, as it also represents the way I like my home to be.  At the moment I am working my way through "The Style Statement" book so I plan another post on this topic, in which I will reveal the two words that are my personal Style Statement.

Seasonal colour analysis vs Dressing your Truth

Do you remember the 80s?  If you answered "yes", the chances are that at some stage during that decade you decided to go for a colour analysis.  I certainly did - after being encouraged by the transformation of a work colleague - and I was told that I was a "winter". This meant that I could wear black, lots of icy colours and many bright colours as well.  According to the colour analyst, that is! In reality, when I went shopping clutching my colour swatches, many of the colours just didn't suit me.  I ended up with a wardrobe full of clothes in the most flattering of winter's colours and was reasonably happy with the way I looked, but I knew that the system was far from perfect.

Winter colours - most of them were too harsh or dark on me.

Then we entered the 90s and colour analysis had become a bit more sophisticated, with the basic four seasons being subdivided and new categories emerging such as light or deep, soft or clear, cool or warm.  It made more sense than dividing millions of women into just four groups.  I was made redundant during this decade and offered a free colour analysis as part of my redundancy package. So what type of "winter" was I now that there were additional categories?  Actually, none of them!  This colour analyst told me I wasn't "winter" after all: I was a " bright spring". Confused?  I certainly was. This time I didn't bother buying a swatch of colours, after all some of my winter colours had suited me and others hadn't, so would this be any different?  I did buy a pretty scarf though in bright spring colours, which I still enjoy wearing.

Seasonal colour analysis is based on the colour of your hair, skin and eyes but, as I discovered, it doesn't suit everybody.  It started out with four groups, then expanded into twelve groups and, at the last time of checking, it was now sixteen groups.  Why is this?  Can any colour system, no matter how many groups there are, really be defined in such a way that all women can find their perfect colours within that system?

Spring colours suited me more, being slightly lighter as well as bright.

A new century and a new system to help women find their most flattering looks, but this time we are talking about more than just colour.  "Dressing your truth" returns to the idea that there are just four types of women, but they aren't using your colouring here: this system is based on your energy and recognising your true nature. The four types are bright and animated (T1); soft and subtle (T2); rich and dynamic (T3); bold and striking (T4).  When you are dressing your truth, you don't just dress in certain colours, you also take into account the design line, texture, fabrication and pattern. Colour or chroma is just one of five elements, and it's amazing how much difference combining all five elements can make when choosing new clothes.

I received a colour card with a difference.  When using colour analysis I tried to match the colours in my swatch exactly, but with Dressing your Truth the secret is choosing colours that are in harmony with your card and that "pop" when the card is held up against them..

I was surprised to find that the colours shown for type 1 all suited me.  How could this be?  My actual colouring wasn't part of the equation, and when I looked at their website: Dressing your Truth,  I realised that within each type there were many different women, from blondes to brunettes, short and tall, slim and not-so-slim, representing all age groups.  You have to admit that the before and after photos on their website are inspiring and seem to prove that this system works.

Once you know your dominant type, you can start thinking about your secondary type, though it doesn't change the colours that you should be wearing.  I realised that many of the elements for my type 1 are elements that I am naturally drawn to: rounded or V-necklines; textures that feel crisp rather than chunky: light to medium-weight fabrics, that feel light and fresh on the body: animated patterns.  And of course I do love bright jewellery!

Wearing some type 1 colours!

This system simplifies shopping.  It's not just a case of rejecting clothes that are the wrong colour for you, but if the colour is right and the style or pattern are wrong, it is also a "No. No".  You soon learn to pick out the right clothes and discard the rest.  I have loved wearing the clothes that suit my type and received many compliments too. I feel good about myself and more confident as I learn to recognise my true type.

If you are intrigued by the concept as much as I am, why not try the free Dressing your Truth course?  Then leave your comments here so we can see what you think about it!