I feel we need to talk about high heeled shoes. Specifically why they need to be so high? Is that really necessary designers? Is it not ok just to add a little height, say 2”, do we really need 5”. Do those really high heeled shoes really look good on anybody? Do we really want to sacrifice our health and our sanity for fashion?

Why do we need super high heel shoes?

Let’s start analyzing.

For height?

If you are short then you would benefit from some extra height. But as I already lined out in my article on how to dress when you are petite, really high heels will not look good on petite women. It will just look out of balance. If you are of average height, around 1.65, you could wear almost any shoe, but I cannot believe that you will be comfortable in heels that are any higher than 9 cm (3.5”). As for the taller women above 1.70, you would also want to wear some heels, but I don’t think you would really want to tower over your husband and boyfriends. I personally do not like a tall woman wearing very high heels.

For style?

If you’re wearing those really high heels and you look more like you are stumbling, rather than walking, you will not look stylish at all in my opinion. If you have a petite frame or are short in height your shoes will look totally out of balance as well. Not stylish at all.

For posture?

I sometimes hear (I may have even said it myself) that you walk straighter with high heels. However, if you read some of the medical reports on the Internet, it seems that wearing high heels is not good for your posture at all. Have a look at these drawings which were pulbished in the Washington Post. And there is a multiple of other issues as well, which result from wearing high heeled shoes. These issues are only more  highlighted as you get older.

For Fashion?

Yes, with many of these shoes you will definitely make a fashion statement. But again, if these shoes look out of  proportion and you can’t walk in them, you look more like a fashion victum, rather than fashionable.

And what about 40+ women?

I still want to look good and yes despite all the risks etc. I still want to wear high heeled shoes in certain occasions. I like the elegance of it and like the extra height it gives to my legs. But I want a decent height! Something I can walk on and look comfortable in. And no, I do NOT want a sensible shoe. I want a decent height shoe, that is trendy, fashionable AND comfortable. And I’m sure so do millions of other 40+ women. It just seems that all the heeled shoes I see in shops these days are for 20+ trend setters and way too high. I can’t remember how many times I bumped into shoes I really liked but would never consider buying because they were simply too high.

Here is one of my own examples

The grey and black shoes above are my favorite shoes ever. I have had them for more than 10 (!) years and they still look kinda good. They are great quality, I think they still look current AND they are comfortable. I knew instantly at the time that these were great and luckily I bought 2 pairs. They are starting to look a little bit more worn out now though, but I cannot throw them away, because when I need a heeled shoe that I will be able to walk in for any amount of time, these are always my go to shoes. For years, I have been trying to replace them with new shoes, but I simply cannot find them.

Until about a year ago when I bumped into the black shoes at Zara (above left). Similar design, decent solid heels. Still too high, but it was getting closer to my beloved shoes, so I bought them. Unfortunately, there is a problem with these shoes, they are not the greatest quality and they are made of a special fabric. That fabric cuts into my toes, so these shoes have started to become unwearable.

Yesterday, while I was shopping with a reader who is visiting Singapore from San Francisco (more on that later) I bumped into these Ecco shoes (above right). They looked like my favorite shoes, alas a trendier version, so even though I was not in shoe buying mood, I decided to try them on. They felt comfortable immediately due to some padding in the shoes and in the end I decided to buy them. Remember, it’s 10 years since I bought my favorite shoes and I never see anything similar.

Even these shoes are too high heeled as they are 9 cm, 3.5” tall. It’s compensated somewhat by the higher and padded sole which makes the actual height about 8 cm (3.1”), but still. I would definitely have preferred them lower. It is a gamble and I’m just hoping that these shoes will be wearable and as comfortable as my beloved old black heels. I can’t imagine wearing heels that are higher than this though, so that will be the absolute limit for me. How do women walk in 5” heels?

Designers, if you want 40+ women to buy more shoes, create more mid heel fashionable shoes!

I like shoes. I want to wear fashionable shoes with heels, but whenever I see a shoe I like, it’s always too high. I’m sure I would be tempted so much more if designers would just lower their heel height designs a bit . This is also one reason why I do most of my shoe shopping in Holland. Few women in The Netherlands wear these really high heels and they tend to be more practical. So a few more options there in the mid heel range.

Have a look at these nice heels I bought years ago at Claudia Strater, which are perfectly wearable.

Another great fashionable designer who creates fantastic shoes with lots of color is Hester van Eeghen (thanks Greetje for reminding me of her!). Unfortunately, not available for ordering online but definitely a store you need to visit in Amsterdam. (if you’re interested I could feature her the next time I visit Amsterdam). Below photos are taken from her blog.

So what do you think ladies? Do you agree with me? Would you love to see more MID high fashionable shoes in the shops? (if you like to show of some of your own shoes or like to find a replacement and want us to help you look, you can do so at our forum. Just register and start a new topic!)

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Although the Spring clothes and collections are hitting our stores now, designers are currently showing their collections for Fall in London fashion week. Last week collections were shown during New York fashion week, which I featured earlier last week. Here are some more highlights for women over 40 from the New York collections.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein’s collection (as seen above) was rather somber, but featured a lot of knee length skirts and dresses, which is great. I especially like the look of that leather shirt. Very chic, yet hip. My prediction is that leather is going to be seen a lot next season, as it was featured in quite a lot of collections. The wonderful orange dress was one of the few exceptions to the otherwise grey and white collection.

Jason Wu

Jason Wu took his inspiration from Taiwan and China this year. He even incorporated his version of Stella McCartney’s famous slimming dress into his collection.

Carolina Herrera

There was much to like about Carolina Herrera’s collection for women over 40 and it was hard to pick my 2 favorites. Lovely dresses in various colours, with the accent firmly on the waist. I also especially liked her evening gowns. For more of my favorites check out my pinboard.

Diane von Furstenberg

Diane van Furstenberg’s collection was colorful as usual, featuring many prints. I was most attracted though to her one toned dresses and the color blocking ensemble at top left. She  also had quite of few little black dresses that would suit many 40+ women.

Donna Karan

Donna Karan showed both her DKNY and Donna Karan collections at New York. The DKNY collection was entirely black and featured a lot of leather, something that was seen a lot in New York. Her  Donna Karan collection, however, showed a bit more colour and had a lot of interesting designs. My eye fell on this spectacular dress in a green colour and I love the combination with skirt as well! And the cute hats, of course!

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham showed a lot of dresses with her usual lean and lengthening dresses, perfect for petites. Her latest collection is also suitable for 40+ women though as the fabrics are more flexible and the stripes on the tummy area, will draw attention away from any tummy you may have. I could definitely see myself wearing the above.

More favorites at my Fall 2012 Pinterest pinboard.

Did you see any of the New York collections? Which were your favorites?

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You all know how I love statement jewellery and generally well-designed jewelry that is different and funky. So I ‘m very happy to feature a great new online store today offering just that: Jooix.com. What’s more, they have agreed to give away 1 colourful bracelet to 40+ readers!  Have a look at some of the beauties you can find in that store, and be sure to read on so you know what to do to win this bracelet.

What is Jooix?

Jooix is an online store that specialises in jewelry from cult labels like Kendra Scott and Samantha House. Popular with stars like Eva Longoria and Gwen Stefani, these labels can now be bought online in Asia through Jooix.  In addition to jewellery they also sell bags, home accessories , beauty products and gifts. Today my focus will be on the jewellery though and here are some of my favorites.

Making a statement

As a minimalist dresser I DO love statement necklaces. That way I can keep my outfit simple, yet add a little pizazz, trendyness or fun to the outfit, while still having clean lines.

I’m just loving these pieces by Samantha House, a jewellery design based in New York. They are fun, make a statement and could turn a nice plain outfit into a high-style statement!

Another favorite are these funky necklaces from Bohm, whose designer is also based in New York. For me these would also be a great accessory for an otherwise basic outfit. They would also greatly complement a Bohemian look.

Kendra Scott is based in Austin and creates beautiful pieces worn by Hollywood stars. I love the necklace and earrings pictured below. I would not necessarily wear them together (as 1 statement accessory is enough for me) but both of these would really spunk up your outfit and add glamour!

Adding some colour!

As you know, I feel that women over 40 should add more color to their lives and wardrobe. A great way to do that is by wearing a colourful piece of jewellery. That way you can still stick to your beloved basics but also add some vibrance to your outfit and light up your face. Here are some of my favorite colourful pieces from the Jooix website.

Sobral makes it very easy to add colour to your outfit. Their fun and colourful pieces not only add some wonderful splashes of colour, they are sure to make you and your friends smile!

Asrey features beautiful colourful jewellery from the land of Angkor Wat, which I just visited. Featuring semi-precious gemstones and silver and gold, this line will add colour in a delicate and stylish way.

So it is with great pleasure that I will be able to give away 1 colourful and stylish bracelet with a value of  $146 from this line to readers of 40+Style! This bracelet features a variety of small semi-precious stones including amethyst, topaz, rose quartz and moonstone, all set on a 92.5 silver chain. Perfect to add some colourful style!

All you will need to do is the following:

1. Fill in the form below.

2. Like the Jooix Facebook page and leave a comment there mentioning this competition.

Terms and conditions: The competition opens, Tuesday, February 21 at 9.00am Singapore time and closes on Tuesday , March 6 at 12noon Singapore time. One entry per person. Unfortunately, this competition is only open to Singaporean and Indonesian residents. The winner will be picked randomly and will be announced on 26 March. Email addresses entered into the entry form above will be shared with Jooix.

Good luck everyone! If you don’t want to enter or live abroad, then you can just leave your comments below. I’d love to know what you think of this jewellery.

This article and giveaway is sponsored by Jooix in accordance with my disclosure policy.

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You may see something funny about these pictures. Yes, that’s right they are all crooked. But at least, they are sharp! I had been unhappy with the quality of the images taken on my terrace so I had to do something. I can’t rotate them, unfortunately, because that would leave me with no feet and half a head in most cases. I actually think it’s fun to have these strange images, so hopefully you agree!

My outfit today is very stripey and I’m taking it from casual to chic (evening . I’m still in Chanel mode, blue mode and generally understated mode, so this outfit suits me just fine. It’s also a very comfortable outfit, with flexible cotton jersey wrapping all my curves. I snapped up the wide striped skirt, just a few days ago, when my friend Anja lured me into her favorite store: H & M. That shop is a little out of the way of my usual shopping area so I hadn’t even been inside. It was great fun shopping there, as I recognise so many of the trends featured there from the runways. And H & M is super affordable as well.

The top dress is one of my casual dresses that I wear on the beach. I bought it cheap and it’s a nice comfy dress /tunic for very casual occassions. So when I wanted to wear my new wide striped skirt to a casual gathering, I was thrilled that it actually matched my other striped dress almost entirely. It’s so great to find a perfect matching garment for something you have just bought.

I was going to a very casual event, a fair, so needed something very sporty, comfortable and casual. Yet, I did not want to be boring, so matching both skirt and dress felt like a great option. It’s now a casually chic outfit. I would have wished that I had a nice orange (big) bag to go with it. But alas, I don’t have one (yet) so I took my big comfy black one. However, I do feel that orange would go perfect with this outfit, so for the photo I matched it with a little orange mini bag I snapped up in Cambodia. (perhaps I shouldn’t have, so you could more clearly see the transformation from casual outfit to evening outfit….)

When I saw this wide striped skirt and saw that it was only about $12, I was very tempted indeed. Only later did I find out that they also have a whole dress in that same pattern. Too short, of course, but what if I combined it with the skirt. It actually looks like a long knee length dress. Sweet! Now it looks like a nice tight, form fitting dress, yet with the 2 layers it’s still more comfortable and does not show every imperfection.

This time I added a bit more glam with an orange necklace, my cute hat, high heeled shoes, a gifted bracelet and my orange little bag. I’m happy with the results and with a total amount spent of only $25, I am definitely a happy mama.

You see, I’m really WORKING this dress!

I can see many opportunities for combining both parts of this combination. Great with my white pants, great with white blouses, orange tops and of course red. The possibilities are endless. This was a great little find and the good news is, it may still be in stores near you. Linking up Monday mingle and visible Monday.

Which do you like best, casual me or evening me?

p.s. Have you checked out our new forum yet? Join in the fun!

p.p.s. Tomorrow I will have a fantastic giveaway. So be sure to check that out.

p.p.p.s. I had a new haircut. Heidi Klum’s bob style was my inspiration. Not a great photo, but at least you are all in the know now… For all of you who helped choosing my new hairstyle, thank you!

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I have some very stylish friends, so I’d like to show them off every now and then!

Stephany is one of my most stylish friends, which is no surprise as she used to run a business as an image consultant for a couple of years. Stephany is always very well groomed and I’m always impressed by her makeup which is flawless. This black dress by Lui Jo suits her body perfectly and I love the detailing on the top. How I wish I would have some of that gorgeous hair too! I noticed how it looked particularly good on this day and she shared her new secret weapon with me. It’s actually a hairdryer that serves as a curler at the same time. May have to try that out…. She is not quite 40 yet, but this dress would look great on many 40+ woman. She told me that it is one of her favorite dresses and that she has owned it for a couple of years already. So unfortunately, no longer available in stores. She now runs a new business in expat coaching.

Faithful readers will already know Anja, which has been featured on this site a couple of times. Anja is great in that she is the complete opposite of me in many ways. Lots of makeup, perfectly accessorised and usually a more is more approach in clothing. Not afraid to dress in colour and prints, she looks great in this dress from H & M, Anja’s favorite store, which highlights her fabulous legs. I think this dress is brand new, so may still be available at a store near you! Online, Anja can be found at her website, where she currently shows photos of the recent Thaipusam ceremony. Fascinating!

And here is little old me again as well, this time in a bright silk top from Alldressedup. If you feel that this top is familiar, then you are right. I actually showed a pink version to you once in my article tops that can be used as basics as well. You will also notice that my skirt is rather short. Something I don’t do so often anymore these days. But I thought it would be fun to wear this skirt to my lunch with Stephany and pair it with my more dressy top. It’s actually a golf skirt from Stella McCartney’s sport collection for Adidas, but I have worn this skirt more in other social occasions. I always think it’s fun to mix a more dressy top with a more casual or sporty skirt (or vice versa) as I did in my article on wearing formal wear more informal. Wearing it with my high red heels made the whole dressy and hip and I think the short mini skirt was ok in this instance.

Over to you now! You know that I now offer the opportunitiy to show off your style in my forum right? So for all of you that feel like it, go ahead and do it. No need to worry about the quality of the pictures there; it’s all allowed (except for nudity of course…). Just keep the image under 1mb of size.

I look forward to seeing how you have been dressing in STYLE!

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My aim for this site it to build an inviting community of 40+ ers where we can mingle and talk about style, beauty and what it means to be over 40. Yesterday, I asked you to help with my hairstyle, but I feel it would be much more appropriate to ask those kind of questions in a forum. A forum would also give all of you the opportunity to ask your questions and to showcase your own style. You can even upload a picture of your style and ask me and other readers for their opinion.

That is why today I have installed the new 40+Style Forum

A safe place where you can ask questions, come up with suggestions or just chat. Now, I know how hard it can be to build a lifely forum and maybe I’m launching it too early. But this site now has close to 17,000 visitors a month, with only a few people interacting on the site. (For those that do, thank you so much; it’s so great to read your opinions!). It would be so nice if we could entice a few more of you to participate.

This simple forum will give you all the chance to do just that. I’m sure it will take a while before it takes off, but if you want to participate then that would be great! It will take just a few women to get things started. And if it becomes just a place where questions are asked every now and then, that’s fine too.

Registration

Registration is really easy and you will only need to give your name and email address to do so. Of course, your email address will be completely confidential.

Posting

After registration, you are ready to start a new topic. You may want to start by introducing yourself. Just click on the “Welcome and Introductions” forum and click on the Introduce Yourself topic. You can do your introduction in the quick reply box, click “submit quick reply” and you’re done.

Then answer some of my questions!

To start of the conversation, I actually created some questions for you  that I would love your reply to.

1. Have you ever been in a style rut? And if yes, how did you get out of it? (in Style & what I wore)
2. Has your dressing changed much after 40? Let me know what changed... (in How to dress over 40)
3. Which skincare ritual works for you? (I’m so eager to learn how to take proper care of my skin!) (in Beauty)

Starting a new topic

Of course you can also start your own new topic. Just click on the new topic link at the right. If you like to be notified when new topics or replies to this category are created, you can click on the subscribe link.

Add images to your topics!

Being a visual site, it’s great to be able to add your own images. Great for posting your outfits or wanting advice on how something looks. You will find the add images button just below the new topic window. Just select an image from your computer, and you’re done. Make sure the image is below 1mb though!

If you like to add your own image with your username

You can create your own avatar or image for your profile. It’s the same method that you use to have an image of yourself shown here in the comments. Just go to Gravatar.com and link an image from you with the email address that you used to register for the forum.

Have a look at some outfits already there!

One reader from Holland has already put some What I Wore images on the forum. So be sure to check her out and let her know what you think! They can be found at latest style 2012 and boyfriend jeans.

Hopefully you will join me in the forum. I would love for you to answer the questions I asked above. See you there!

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Today’s post is a little different than usual. I’m going to ask for your expert advice! I haven’t discussed hairstyles so often on this blog, even though it is an important part of your style. So let’s start with my own hairstyle. Hopefully by analysing my hair style, you may find some information that is useful for you too.

I’m feeling pretty confident when it comes to my clothes, but when it comes to my hair, I’m always struggling. I haven’t got the easiest hair. It’s thin, very frizzy and difficult to style. Add to that my ’5 minute ready to go’ attitude and I am usually left with rather unglamorous hair. It was years before I finally found an iron straightener and could finally get some of the frizz out of my hair. My life became a whole lot easier still when I discovered the Brazilian Blowout keratin hair treatment, which allowed me to get my hair frizz free with very little or no maintenance.

The story of my hair styles

My hair has gone through all kinds of styles. I started with some cute tails when I was 5, but unfortunately my ‘cuteness’ was completely destroyed at age 8, when I had the ugliest glasses and the worst haircut you can imagine (what was my mother thinking?). Suffice to say, that I did not cut my hair short for a long time after that, although I can remember doing some of my dance exams with short hair again at age 16. I went through a a curly hair phace (it was the seventies!), the bob, and various short and long hairstyles after that. I’m a bit of a yoyo when it comes to hair. I cut it short, then let it grow again until I get really bored with it and then cut it off again. My hair has been mid long to long a few years now and is now almost the longest it has ever been; maybe it’s time to cut it off.

Go for the perfect hair cut or convenience?

Although I’ve had several periods when I had short hair, I cannot remember ever really being happy with it, although I love the convenience of it when it’s really short. It does not offer a lot of options. When you have a bad hair day, you can’t just put it in a quick pony tail, which is what I usually do when my hair has a decent length. But I have seen so many women looking absolutely fabulous with a short hairstyle and I DO find it a very trendy look.

The other option for bad hair is a great hat, which is an option I have been using a lot lately!

What do with my hair – Pony tail acceptable?

Question now is, what to do with my hair? I’m reasonably happy with my long hair, but it gets increasingly hard to manage. I definitely can’t have long hair without doing the brazilian blowout treatment as the frizz is just too much here in Singapore. The structure of my hair is getting even worse as it would be completely grey if I did not color it. I’m definitely breaking the ‘rule’ of needing great hair, if you are to keep your long hair after 40. But if I cut it too short (say bob length), I can’t put my hair back in a pony tail, which is still a very convenient look for me.

Finding a style that suits your face shape

The shape of my face is oblong, which would mean that long hair would not be so great for me, unless I wear it as shown below. A bob style is recommended or a short style that aims to make your head look a bit wider.

Here are some hair styles that The HairStyler recommends for my face type. You will also be able to check suitable hairstyles for your face shape there.

I quite like the last one, although I’m not sure I could ever style it like that. My hair just doesn’t have that much body. Also that style may look messy quite quickly. I’m tempted for a bit more funky color. Perhaps i should keep it long, but spice it up a bit with color.  As you can tell, I’m undecided when it comes to my hair. So it occured to me that perhaps there are a couple of hair experts amongst my readers? Why don’t you tell me what to do! All opinions and advice welcome, although I can’t guarantee that I will act upon it….

What do  you think?

Which style do you think I should go for. Keep to my long hair? What color? Do you have similar problems when choosing your hair style or is that just a breeze for you?

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Although shops are starting to fill up with the trends for Spring / Summer 2012, currently the shows for the Fall / Winter 2012 collections are in full swing in New York. It’s great fun to see the new creations of all the hottest designers in the world and over the coming weeks, I will write ocasional posts on the best dresses and garments for women over 40 from the collections.  In this episode I will feature Rachel Comey, Costello Tagliapietra, Cynthia Rowley, St. John and Peter Som.

Rachel Comey

The graphical trend continues at Rachel Comey with strong color and great prints. Even orange is still present!

Costello Tagliapietra

My reader Suzanne had already pointed out in a comment that I might like this collection. She is starting to know me Indeed this collection was full of little treasures. Beautiful dresses in fabulous colors were draped beautifully at the front. Many featured asymmetrical features which I love so much as well. The colors were bright, with orange again featuring prominently.

Cynthia Rowley

Cynthia Rowley featured some very comfortable and chic dresses, which go all the way to the knee, my preferred length at the moment. I like the idea of the grey dress below, which is worn over a printed shirt. A very comfortable, yet trendy look for autumn and winter,

St. John

I loved the effortless elegance shown at the St. John collection. That dress is just so elegant and chic, yet trendy, while those beautiful wide pants in my favorite old pink remind me of the wonderful style of Catherine Hepburn.

Peter Som

Peter Som also showed a continuation of the wide oversized shoulders and the peplum trend that we have seen for Spring 2012 as well. These 2 trends featured in quite a number of the collections shown at New York Fashion week.

Which collection is your favorite sofar?

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I have often talked about adding more color to your wardrobe. Many women over 40 (including me!) benefit from a bit more color to their outfits, as it brightens our complexion and gives us just that extra little pizazzz. I usually ad color in subtle ways: some red in my marine style outfit, a bit more color with my orange pants. So I was delighted that new local online shop Dresstronomy offered me this bright blue cobalt dress to try and take me a little bit out of my comfort zone!

Dresstomony was just recently established in Singapore and they have gone off to a good start. Their shop looks great and is easy to use and what’s more, their dresses cater towards my often minimalist style. Prices are affordable and I can only imagine that customer service will be great, since founders Patricia Teo and Tylda Tan are such delightful women. All dresses are designed by Pat and the girls’ goals for the store are big; I love young entrepreneurs with big dreams! My only wish for the shop is for some more high quality fabrics, like silk, as well, which is something that they may consider for the future.

To be honest, I hadn’t noticed this dress the first time when I browsed the Dresstronomy shop and was more drawn to their Lil Riding Hood design. It wasn’t until Pat and Tylda recommended this bright blue cobalt dress to me as the kind of dress I would like, that I saw the potential of it. They had read how I loved the dropped waist dress design and my need for more color. That effect can easily be achieved with this dress by wearing a belt with it. I saw it as a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and wear a bright color. And I must say, I felt great in it. The great thing about an affordable dress is that you can experiment with new colors and designs and discover new sides of yourself.

When wearing a bright dress, I feel it’s important to tone it down though. Of course you can go all out and go for extreme color by combining this dress with a bright red cardigan and pumps, but you will need to be careful that it doesn’t become color overload and you will look like a clown. Instead I like to stay true to myself by toning down the color with combining it with basic black. Although I could have opted for a black watch as well, I thought it would be more fun to pair it with my white watch band (very easy to do with my collection of versatile design watches). That makes the look a little bit more graphical (one of my current favorite Spring 2012 trends) and not so matchy-matchy. For more style inspiration on what others are wearing this Monday, go to Monday Mingle and  Visible Monday later.

For now visit Dresstronomy and have a look at the dresses and jewelery for yourself. They ship worldwide! And tell me, which one is your favorite?

Disclosure: this dress was gifted to me by Dresstonomy

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You may notice that I go through phases when it comes to choosing my clothing. I’ve been in my purple /pink phase, most recently the black, white and red phase, and now here are some outfits that feature navy, red and white. It’s kind of a marine look, which I particularly love. I have also featured this marine style before.

All these looks actually came about while shopping my closet. I stumbled upon this blue botton top that I have bought ages ago and which is actually very suitable for Singapore. It’s very airy, light and the longer sleeves are actually very convenient when going to the cinema here (as you will have read in my how to dress for Singapore article).

I was probably looking for an outfit that I could combine with this new Alldressedup necklace that I picked up from their sale. I thought it was perfect for all those outfits that just needed a little bit of extra color! This top suits the necklace so well.

While I was looking for navy, I also came across these navy pants, that have been hanging in my closet for quite a while as well. Somehow, these pants always seemed to be a bit too boring or just not quite right. But after a bit of searching I found this striped top.  It has a slightly lighter blue color and although it can be worn with the pants on its own, I thought it would be more interesting to combine it with my wide cotton blouse.

I could have added the red here as well for a bit of color, but I guess liked a more classic and timid look on that day.  So I combined it with these mixed stones necklace that I snapped up in Shanghai.

But here is the outfit without the white top, for those that prefer even more simpicity!

I enjoyed wearing these outfits and was happy to rediscover these blue garments that were heavily underused. All items were old, so no point listing brands as none of this will be available in shops anymore, except for the necklace which is still available at Alldressedup.

Any items in your closet that you need to rediscover?

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One reason I like comments so much on this blog is that it leads to conversation and a sense of community on this blog, which I would very much like to increase even more. Another reason is that it gives me ideas of new posts as I want to respond in a more elaborate way. My post on how to dress the petite body type was inspired by Cath after leaving a comment on this post how to determine your vertical body shape.

Today’s post is inspired by The Fashionista who responded to my article on how to hide your belly. In her comment she writes ” My cousin claims that I refuse to get old or I am not acting my age. She believes being over 40 is an excuse for letting yourself go. I believe to the contrary. Do we have to put a little more efforts? Yes, we do but at the end of the day it’s all worth it. Poor Madonna is getting so much flack for being fabulous at 50, she is 10 years my senior and boy I sure wish I could move like her. She’s my hero!!”

She’s got a point. Even one of my favorite bloggers, Dorothy, wrote quite a negative post about Madonna  the other day.

So for what it’s worth, here is my opinion on the subject.

Although I do not feel that women should strive to stay or appear young at any cost, I DO believe that we need to work harder at feeling healthy and looking good. That is a choice of course (I’m not saying that you have to do that). Yes, it will be more challenging as your hormones will change, your body accumulates fat more easily and your muscle strength will go down. But as Madonna and many other women over 40 have shown, there are lots of things that you can do about that. And why wouldn’t you?

Accepting your age doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be willing to do some extra work to stay healthy. And I can guarantee you that it will take more work than when you were 20. So you can either accept that you will have all the weight gain, loss of muscle strength etc, or you can do something about it. Does that mean you don’t accept the aging process? In my opinion no. It just means that you want to age gracefully, in a a healthy way with a strong body, so you can keep on doing the things you’ve always done when you’re older. And yes, perhaps you want to keep your body looking good and your skin looking radiant, but there is nothing wrong with wanting that either.

Madonna does not get her svelte body and fitness by being lazy about her workout regimen. She is famous for doing daily yoga and strength exercizes as well as cardio exercizes to keep her fit. This takes strength and determination, which is something that Madonna has in spades. She did not start doing this when she was forty (in order to stay young), in fact she has been exercizing rigorously all her life. Perhaps she had to turn it up a notch after 40 to keep the same body, but to say that she just does it all just to look young would be untrue. I think that she does it to keep strong, to be able to do the concerts that she loves giving and yes, I’m sure she does it to look good as well. So if you feel that Madonna does not represent her age group then that would be correct. Most in her age group wouldn’t do this kind of training.

So you have a choice. You can choose to get active and take the necessary steps to get strong or you can let yourself go. If you choose the former, then here are some things you will need to do more of when you’re older:

• You will need to do more strength exercizes to keep your muscles strong and protect your bones from breakage
• You will need to do more cardio, so you keep your fitness and energy levels.
• You will need to do more yoga to keep your muscles and joints flexible and again to prevent breakage.
• In addition to more exercize (instead of less as so many of us do) we also need to eat less. Our bodies need less when they are older, so if you keep eating and drinking at the same rate that you have always done, you will always gain weight.
• Then we will need to monitor our hormone levels. You can either choose to ignore them, or you can choose to rebalance them.

I’m sure there will be many more things that you will need to do, but I will not go into much detail here.

Now, of course the whole discussion about cosmetic treatments, surgery, botox etc. is yet another one and I will not go there (today). But keeping in shape and looking after your body the way Madonna does with her yoga and workout regime and putting in a performance with lots of dance and movement should only be applauded in my opinion. I don’t see why Madonna should get flack for doing that and should  instead ‘act her age’. To me, she is still someone I admire. I don’t think the super bowl show was her best and she herself knows that she is not the best singer in the world, but she always makes an effort to give us a show, to put in the hard work and to entertain us. That is a lot more than I can say of young Rihanna, who has a great voice but  whose concert was a total let down here in Singapore. And to attend a concert of Madonna is still on my bucket list. (there is a show coming up in Amsterdam; I’m going to try to get tickets!)

This blog’s main focus is not about keeping healthy and looking young. However, I do feel that looking after yourself in terms of your health and your strength, will make you an allround more strong, confident and stylish person, so I will touch upon this subject from time to time. I for one want to stay healthy and strong as I age and I have already taken some steps in that direction as I highlighted in my new years resolutions. What will you do?

Here is the video of Madonna’s performance for those of you who want to see it again, and don’t forget to give me your feedback in the comments

How do you feel about how we should be aging? 

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I have already written several posts on the most fabulous trends and designer collections for this coming season and I have now grouped these all together at Spring / Summer 2012 fashion trends. But let’s give a a quick overview of the trends and my opnion on what I think women over 40 should embrace and which trends they should forget about. Feel free to disagree of course and let me know in the comments section!

My favorite Spring / Summer 2012 trends

From all the designer collections shown at Paris, Milan and New York some clear trends have emerged. Here are some of my favorites:

Graphical prints

This is a trend I absolutely LOVE. I covered it before at colorful and graphical dresses for Spring 2012, but above are a few more wonderful examples of this trend. It adds some much needed color to your wardrobe and I love the contrast in the clothes. This way you can add color, but don’t have to wear it all over as you combine it with black and whites.

Every woman over 40 needs some color into her wardrobe and there will be lots to choose from in the shops this coming Spring. Orange is the no. 1 hot color of the season, closely followed by green, yellow and red. You don’t have to go all out with wearing color though. Often it is enough just to add a few color accents or wear just a bottom or top. Have a look on how I wore my orange pants recently. The green Jason Wu dress also highlights another trend we are seeing, where the hem in the front is shorter than in the back. Although I would have fully embraced that trend in my twenties, I think I will give that one a miss for now. It highlights my knees and they have seen prettier days…

I like wearing drop waist skirts and dresses as I find them irresistibly comfortable. So I am very happy to see this trend again. It was extensively seen at Marc Jacobs which I have featured above but could also be seen at Gucci, Etro, Jill Stuart and BCBG Max Azria.

The lady like trend of fall continues with very elegant silhuettes. Incredibly elegent, but tight fitting. This is definitely something I would like to try sometime.

I love white. It’s such a versatile color to mix and match and all white with just a hint of something else (be it gold, silver or another color) is extremely elegant. My only concern with white is the longevity of my clothes. They are so hard to keep white here in Singapore.

This is a trend all women over 40 should embrace. The skirt length just on top of the knee is very flattering for most body types, so while it’s on trend, you may want to stock up on the midis! A great trend for women over 40.

I don’t like to show a lot of cleavage so I’m liking this trend which was seen at Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton. It’s a classy and chic look.

Will I ever get enough of the black and white combination? I don’t think so. Clothes in this color combo will last a long time and there were lots of options on the runways. I’m sure there will be many options available in shops. Black is also great to combine with the bright sorbet colors trend and the graphical trend.

Spring fashion trends that I will probably give a miss

There are a few trends that I will happily pass by. Here are a few trends for Spring and Summer that I’m not going to indulge in.

This is really not my thing at all. Certainly not the kind of big prints that were shown on the runways. I do like pants with subtle stripes though.

The collections featured lots of busy prints, embelishments, plastic, big roses, glittering brocade, and neo-colored embroidery.  This trend is definitely a no for me as I’m more a less is more kind of girl. I also think most women over 40 should stay away from this. It can too easily become theatrical and overwhelming. Much better to go for a more minimalist look if you are aiming for elegance. Although I’m sure some women could pull off this trend with high class and style!

In sharp contrast to the bright sorbet colors, there were also quite a few soft pastels, like baby blue, soft green, and baby pink. Although there were certainly some good dresses in those colors (I loved Diana von Furstenberg’s collection) I’m not going to stock up on baby blue and pink garments. I have just never been into those really soft pastels, and these are hard colors to pull off for many women over 40.

Sports clothes as regular clothes are in fashion. Although I’m a great sports lover and love to dress up in great sports clothes, I’m not that keen on wearing sports attire while I’m going out. I quite like the peplum trend, but think it will be too short lived and too trendy. I’m definitely not into metalics for my clothes!

How the trends are translated in the stores

This wraps up my Spring / Summer 2012 trends overview. In the upcoming weeks, I will look at all of my favorite trends separately and show you what’s available in stores for these trends right now. If you have found some great pieces for a particular trend, let me know and I can feature them!

Which is your favorite spring / summer 2012 trend and how will you wear it? Let me know in the comments below!

Images from Style.com

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In previous articles I discussed how to to determine body shape and dress for your vertical body type. But I have not yet gone into details on how to dress when you are short or petite, ie., below the average height of 1.65 m (5’4” ), so let’s do that today! In principle these guidelines will work for anyone who is short in height, or for those who want to appear longer or leaner in their appearance. These guidelines also work well for those whose upper body is almost the same length as their lower body. In that case the aim is to make the lower body appear longer.

When you are short in height you will usually have the following objectives with your dressing:

1. Appear longer
2. Create a flattering silhouette (using the rule of thirds, so you don’t split your body in half)
3. Avoid boxyness

1. How to appear longer when you are short

Most short women will want to appear taller and leaner. This is relatively easy to achieve if you stick to the following guidelines:

• Stick to monochrome outfits or outfits with few colour variations. You would look perfect in simple shift dresses, with little color accents here and there.
• Dresses will look great on many short women, as they automatically created the much desired 2/3 – 1/3 look. If you opt for a tight, slim silhouette then this will make you look even taller
• Getting clothes with the right fit and size is even more important for short women. Ill fitting clothes will add extra bulk.
• An obvious way to gain height is to wear heel. However, don’t go overboard with these. Getting heels that are too high (say above 5 cm (..) will make you look out of proportion
• Go easy on the oversized accessories as these may overwhelm you.
• Often with petites, your legs will be relatively short. To make those appear longer you can wear the same colour belt as your pants or skirt.
• Vertical patterns will always elongate and would be especially good for your pants or skirt. Horizontal stripes are best avoided.
• Although a short dress can be very effective for short people when they are young, I would advise against them over 40. Instead opt for styles than fall just below or on top of the knee. A high waisted skirt or pants would make your legs appear longer.
• Wear shoes that keep your heels free. Avoid straps around the ankle and instead opt for shoes that elongate.
• Create nice vertical lines with open straight jacket and cardigans. A great look is to have a cardigan or jacket the same length as your dress.
• Buttoned shirt dresses that stop just above or on top of the knee will create a nice vertical line as well.
• Wear v-line tops to further elongate your look.
• Avoid short trousers and pants that stop at the ankle. Best to wear pants with straight pipes or wide legged ones with heels, preferably high waisted.
• Make sure that your tops stop at the hipline or above. Longer tops will make your legs appear even shorter.
• Choose boots that stop just below the knee and avoid boots that end on the mid part of your shins.

2. Creating a flattering silhouette

• Avoid wearing very contrasting tops. This will draw more attention to the fact that your upper body is almost the same length as your lower body.
• A well fitted dress will give you a great silhouette.
• High waisted pants with a short top will do the same.

3. Avoid boxyness

• Don’t get (too many) accessories that are oversized and bold.
• Fitted clothes are usually better for you and avoid oversized clothes (even i they are on trend).
• The same goes for tops. Be care with very wide tops and make sure not to have both wide on top and below.
• Go easy on the layering!
• Best not to tuck in your pants into your boots.
• Belts are best kept narrow, unless you belt it very high up your waist.

Some more general guidelines

• Choose glasses and sunglasses that are in proportion with you face and the rest of your body.
• Wedge heels will look too boxy and you, so best to avoid them and opt for more elegant styles.
• Your size is not necessarily ’petite’ top and bottom, so you may need a bigger size on top or vice versa.
• If you can’t find clothes that fit properly, find a good tailor.
• Choose a handbag that fits your physique. In many cases oversized handbags are not your best choice.

Famous short women looking gorgeous

If you ever felt that being shorter than average stands in your way of looking absolutely fabulous, think again! Here are some very famous and fabulous women under 1.65m (5’4”) looking stunning. I chose these women for their style and their choice of dressing that in many cases follow the guidelines above. These women tend to dress to appear longer. If you like to see great style by women that are even shorter, have a look at the list of celebrities under 1.60 listed below.

Madonna

Madonna is a spectacular woman (over 50 already) short on height. She is 5’3” (1.63  meters) high. She increasingly favors tight dresses just below the knee which she has no problem pulling off with her svelte figure. I also like her in a high waisted wide dresses, where she uses the trusted v-line to elongate the look.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham measure 1.63 (5’3”) meters. Above are some perfect examples on how to dress for lengthening. High waisted, pants, tight fit, use of the v-line. She goes quite wide with the shoulder on the red dress, which can be risky, but gets away with it, as she combines it with a v-neck and a very lean silhouette for the bottom part. I love all these looks.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker is 5’2.75” (1.59 meters) and has really embraced the high heel shoes as her weapon of choice to appear longer. Now46, she increasingly uses mid length dresses which I think suit her the best. In the first look she took a risk with the big flower on top and the big bag is certainly to be avoided. When wearing wider styles, she keeps the top tight, opts for an empress waist or uses a v-line.

Other celebrities below 1.60

For more inspiration on how to dress your short physique, check out other celebrities who measure under 1.60: Mary Kate Olsen who is 5’0″ (152 cm), Rachel Bilson who is 5’1.5″ (156 cm), Hayden Panettiere who is 5’0.25″ (153 cm), Nicole Richie who is 5’1″ (155 cm), Kristen Bell who is 5’1″ (155 cm), Shakira who is 5’2″ (155 cm), Eva Longoria who is about 5’2″ (153 cm), Fergie, who is 5’1.75″ (157 cm) and Alyssa Milano, who is about 5’1.5″ (156 cm).

How about when you are overweight and short / petite?

In principle all the above guidelines apply. However, you may want to prefer empress waist dresses instead of form fitting dresses. Make sure that you wear nicely fitted tops above and that you use all the vertical tricks described above that will make you look both taller and slimmer. You can also look at the guidelines for the apple shape body type and combine that with the guidelines above.

I hope these guidelines will be useful to you. Remember though that they are not written in stone. Every person is different and you will need to play with these guidelines and see what works for you. You can also try out our profesional stylist online program for tailored dressing advice.

If you are petite and have some tips that I did not cover here, please let me know!

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I have always been quite a fan of the dropped waist dress. Although it is a risky look for me (it elongates my upper body which is already relatively long when compared to my legs), I feel I can get away with it, if I wear heels. Due to my already reasonable height, that makes me tall enough to pull of this look, which is great because I always feel very comfortable in dresses that are not tight around the waist.

This dress was bought almost 2 years ago in a surprise shop I found in my home town Nijmegen and designed by designer Hue Tran. I was drawn to the well designed top part, fun back (which silly me forgot to photograph) and the perfect length, with the dress just falling on top of the knee.

Still, I would not say that the dress has been an outright success. I’m a bit over my grey phase and am now more drawn to black and white or more colorful outfits. Women over 40, including me, look much better with a bit of color or contrast added, so I feel that this dress would either need a colorful or a white jacket. I’m sure I would wear this dress much more if I lived in a colder climate where I could easily combine it with contrasting jackets, and lovely boots. But as you know, Singapore is hot hot hot, so no need for all that. So in that case I will need to find another way to break the rather dull grey.

I felt I found a good solution by pairing it with some red and white accessories, like the red and white belt, red watch, necklace and shoes. In fact I should do just that as grey is perfect for matching it with all kinds of other colours like orange. Still very basic, which suits my style, but it has added enough interest and contrast to make the outfit look interesting and good on me. Want to see more looks from other women, check out monday mingle and  visible monday.

This dress is a great basic which I’m sure I will be able to wear for quite a long time to come.

What have you been wearing this weekend?

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A few notes on what has been happening this week. I have been pinning quite a lot of my favorite looks, so if you’re not following me on Pinterest yet, be sure to do so!

I have also setup an Instagram account for 40PlusStyle, so be sure to check that out and follow me as well. I’m actually currently participating in the February Photo a day challenge, just for fun.

I will also try and snap everything that inspires me on a daily basis.

I have also been writing a guest post for Aging Abundantly on how to get your style groove back.

Jeannie of Gracefully 50 was very kind to give me a versatile blogger award. Thank you so much Jeannie!

2 of my posts were featured on Independent Fashion bloggers. My post on what to wear to the Oscars and How to wear Orange. The latter was featured in their weekly Links a la Mode, so be sure to check out some of the other featured bloggers below.

Have a great weekend everybody. Why not come and say hi on my Facebook page and let me know what you’re up to?

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Valentine day is coming up soon, so you may want to surpise your loved one with a wonderful gift. Therefore this article is partly intended for those wonderful men, who want to surprise their lovely women with a nice gift, but my female readers may see something nice for themselves as well.  But what to buy for us wonderful ladies over 40 who already have so much? And how much do you need to spend?

My ideas for buying gifts for women over 40

I would say, keep it simple.

I believe that valentine’s day is more about the gesture, rather than an (expensive) gift. So no need to take up an extra loan to afford some expensive jewellery. But DO buy  something that she will actually use and enjoy. We are all different so my ideas are not bullet proof, but if you were buying something for me, then this is what I would like to get:

Affordable gift ideas under $100

1. Silk button down blouse, available in various colors, $97. You will never go wrong here; a silk blouse in a neutral color will always be worn.
2. A great palette of lip colours, $60, so she will always have the right one for her outfit.
3. We all want our skin to look as fabulous as possible. I like Murad’s skincare products and this compact set ($89,50) is a great way to try them out
4. This is a great way to add some orange to her outfit. Betty Large wrinkle patent leather bag.($87.99)
5. A nice perfume is always nice and this Prada Infusion D’Iris Parfum de Sac Refillable EDP Purse Spray ($74) is a good choice.
6. Nine west taker, $69. These shoes are fun; great to spice up an otherwise boring outfit.
7. I’m loving these oversized sunglasses, $21,49
8. A good book that is inspiring, like Chanel, collections and creations ($26.40)

Of course, if all else fails, you can still give your loved one a nice bunch of flowers. That will make us all happy. Just make sure you put them in a vase for us after giving them…

Can you help out our men and recommend more gifts that women over 40 would like? Also, how many of you are actually celebrating Valentine’s Day and how expansive do you think a present should be?

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I’m sure you’ve heard and read that being stylish is not about money. In fact, many people believe that men and women with less money are often more creative as they are forced to mix cheaper garments and think very carefully before they buy something.

I am also of this opinion. When money is not a problem, it is all too easy to buy the complete set as the designer intended and just wear it as is, often resulting in a dull look that may be too matchy-matchy. In most cases, even designer outfits, bottoms and tops actually look much better when combined with garments from other (cheaper) designers.

Style has a lot more to do with:

• how you carry yourself
• how you have mixed your garments into something unique
• how the garments tell something about you
• how comfortable you are in your clothes
• knowing what looks good on you

Now, I wouldn’t say that the outfit featured in this post is overly creative or unique , but I would say that it is simple and chic. It really gave me the Coco Chanel look and feel, inspired by the film and article I featured earlier. Although the quality of the fabric is not perfect, it is not clingy and extremely comfortable. The thing is, I felt great in this outfit. Effortlessly chic, comfortable and confident to be seen. Although I want to embrace more color in my style, I always feel great in a simple black and white (or in this case off white) combination. Essentially I just love simplicity.

Both dress and shirt combined were only $30. Both garments were bought in Haji Lane, a fun local street here in Singapore where many independant shops reside. As you know I’ve worn this dress with some of my other clothes as well here and here, so it is already a great success. If you shop around, there are many little treasures to be found. If you then combine that with a little creativity, shopping of your closet and a dose of confidence and good cheer, you will have no problem looking put-together and stylish all the time.

No more excuses ladies. You can look stylish at any budget and at any age!

(for admin purposes, please ignore: 9239YQK4G8FM)

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Over the last week some of the world’s best designers have shown their (haute) couture shows. Although these dresses are unaffordable for most, they still offer great inspiration and give us a glimpse of new colors and trends. Many of the world’s designers will be inspired by these dresses and cheaper versions will hit the stores throughout Spring and summer.

Here are my favorite dresses and suits for women over 40 from the 2012 couture shows in Paris.

Chanel

Chanel’s show was all about blue and featured a lot of cobalt blue (very on trend) but also lighter and darker tints of blue. I love the straight dresses with the big pockets. Always great for a stylish and casual look. I like the big wide necklines and when you combine that with a very long jacket in the same fabric, it just looks incredibly stylish!

Alexis Mabille

Alexix Mabille’s show started with a quote from Marcel Proust—”It is only women who do not know how to dress that are afraid of colors”. Something to consider and think about… Here are my favorite colorful creations.

Armani Prive

I mentioned in my earlier post on the best evening dresses to wear to the Oscars, that I loved Armani Prive’s collection, featured at the top of this post, which is full of moss green and a few purples. Lots of asymmetry  and drapery as well, which you all know I love, with wonderful silhuettes.

Bouchra Jarrar

I liked the simplicity of this collection. The short belted jackets over classic pants, the simple grey and black dresses and the chic long skirt with wide top.

Do you have any favorites from the latest couture collections?

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Interesting question from IFB and quite honestly, one I don’t have an easy answer for. Of course going to the Oscars would be a dream, but there may be another important occasion that you may want to choose a dress for. There are many things to consider when choosing your perfect dress for something like the Oscars:

1. Do you want to stand out?…
2. or do you want to play it safe?
3. Do you want to be fashion forward?..
4. or do you want a timeless dress?
5. Do you want to be comfortable for the night?…
6. or do you sacrifice your comfort to look absolutely stunning and sexy?
7. Which dresses have you previously liked at lot?

Where to start? In this instance, I think it would be good to really know your style, and perhaps even your style statement, so you can fall back on what you know will be right. It also helps if you know your own personality. Would you mind if you ended up on the worst dressed list, even though you felt amazing on the night? Would your nerves cope? Would you be comfortable in a strapless dress or would you worry the whole night wether or not the dress will stay in place?

Ask yourself what is important to you

Let’s take myself as an example here. Let’s try to be honest.

1. Do I want to stand out? Yes, I would, but I am not sure if I have the confidence and nerve to pull it off. I’m tempted to go for a safer dress, perhaps timeless black and white?

2. But then again, I don’t really want to play it safe either. This would be my time to shine, time to get noticed. The last thing I want to be, is boring.

3. Yes, I like trends so would want to be fashion forward, but I don’t want to be a fashion victim!

4. It would be nice if my dress was timelessly beautiful. You never know, this may be my only time at the Oscars, and those photos will keep coming back forever. Better not choose something that will look awful in 3 years time.

5 / 6. Yes, I think I want to be comfortable. I think it would show if my dress were too tight, or I would be afraid if it stays on my body.

7. Have a look at some of the dresses I liked from the recent SAG awards.

Where to start choosing?

With those answers in mind, a good place to start, are the recent spring 2012 couture collections, which feature some fabulous gowns.

I like Chanel’s dropped waistline dress which features a bit of color as well, but unfortunately, I would find it too dark.

I like their light blue dress as well, although it looks a bit too sweet.

I love Jean Paul Gaultier’s simple tight dress, but it is a bit too bright and perhaps a bit too body hugging.

I like the color of the Elie Saab dress, but I think this dress would be too romantic and there is a little too much going on.

I really liked the collection of Armani Prive. I actually really love this color green (although I don’t wear it much, it’s featured a lot in the the decor of my house) and think that would be a perfect color to wear to the Oscars this year.

I really like the dress on the left, but would want it to be a bit more green.

I love the color and texture of the gown in the middle, but the cut is a bit too princess like.

The last is a bit too shimmery.

Not easy picking a dress! Nothing seems to be quite right.

What I would really want is the first dress with perhaps a bit more assymatry and one over the shoulder piece (for comfort as well), as shown in the picture on the left. I guess that if it were true that I would go to the Oscars this year, I would have to have a little chat with Mr. Armani. I’m sure that between the 2 of us, we could create the perfect dress for me to wear to the Oscars and I could accept my award(s) in style!

Now I would LOVE to hear from you. Have you ever thought about what you would wear to the Oscars? Have you seen anything from the collections that you would consider wearing? How would you answer the questions above?

Images from Style.com

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Some surprise pictures today from wonderful Siem Reap in Cambodia. Facebook fans and twitter followers may have picked up that I went away for a few days last week during the Chinese New year public holidays. Siem Reap in Cambodia had been on our list of places to see for quite a while and this short break seemed like a perfect opportunity.

The main attraction in Siem Reap are, of course, the many ancient temples like Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and many others. I have actually posted some images of temples of Siem Reap and the village I visited on my personal site, as well as on the 40+ style facebook page, so if you’re interested in seeing more or learn more about Siem Reap, you can check those out.

What I wore

But now let’s concentrate on what I wore. As faithful readers of this blog will know, I’m quite a fan of wide legged (sailor) pants. You have all seen my favorite white sailor pants a few times already, so when I went to the Alldressedup sale last week and saw these sailor pants at a massive discount in my size, I snapped them up in 2 colors.

To be honest, I wouldn’t normally have bought orange pants, but as you all may know, orange is the IT color of the year 2012. Although this particular orange isn’t quite the color tangerine that is the particular flavor of orange this year, it still comes close. Since the trousers were cheap and I knew that I like this particular kind of trousers, I decided to have a little fun with orange and join the trend!

Orange is not an easy color to wear, I find, although you can always mix it with white (I gave some color combination recently in this article on how to wear orange). On this particular day, I needed to stay comfortable (it was very hot) which is why I wore the very flowy and thin cotton shirt and I wanted to add an extra flavor to give the whole look a bit more of a graphical and playful feel, hence the black top underneath.

The blue version

On the second day I kept it even simpler, opting for the blue version with my white Zara top with black lines. The necklace works here as well and adds a bit of extra color and fun to the outfit. The blue version is definitely a lot easier to wear and I can see myself pairing these pants with many items in my closet.

The hat is not my most stylish one, but in this hot weather where you need constant protection from the sun, it is certainly a very practical one!

I had a wonderful trip to Siem Reap. The temples are spectacular, the people incredibly friendly and we had a lovely hotel just outside Siem Reap, right on the country side. Taking photos for this blog was a challenge but fun at the same time, so hopefully you enjoyed them. If you like them and want to pin them to your Pinterest board, you can now easily do that with the pin button at the top of this post. If you want to see more images than head on over to the 40+ style Facebook page. Have a look what other ladies are wearing at visible Monday and Monday Mingle.

Sailor pants: Alldressedup
White shirt: Haji Lane
Black and white top: Zara
Necklace: Alldressedup

Are you going to wear orange this coming season? 

Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to hear from you. If you would like to leave a comment on this post, please click the link below: Invasion of the sailor pants in Siem Reap, Cambodia Become a fan of our facebook page!