Yes, you might be too old to wear...

Yes, you might be too old to wear...

I believe most women have a fair amount of common sense. However, sometimes even the most wonderful woman can be lead astray by a style she thinks looks good on her (twenty years later). You know that woman I'm talking ab'out. She's over 40, yet still wearing short skirts that she (literally) wore in her twenties!!! It's obvious the short skirt is not a favorable look with her aging legs. Who wants to be the one to tell her that she looks horrible?


The truth is...she's too OLD to wear that style! Yes, in MissusSmartyPants' opinion clothing labels should have an"expiration date" on them so this "too old to wear it" dilemma would no longer occur.


There are plenty of young, hip, trendy styles that can make you appear OLDER. Yes this is very scary, but it is true you need to tread lightly with the trends when you are over forty!


Here are just a few of the "youthful" styles an older woman should totally AVOID:


Message tees. You know the tees that say things like "Your boyfriend thinks I'm HOT!" Wearing a message tee (or ass-vertising sweats) like this...screams desperate!!!

INSTEAD: Choose to wear a great quality cotton tee that you can dress up or down...with NO silly writing, LOL!

Overly Trendy Denims. You've seen these women before: a rocking-hard body and a face that looks over 60, or more. The overly trendy jeans that are ultra LOW rise, torn and/or embellished with rhinestones just aren't doing this "hot mama" justice!!!

INSTEAD: Choose a dark wash bootcut jean and you'll look fabulous and "on-trend" no matter your body size or shape. This style of jean is the best for helping slim and balance your proportions.

Sky-high heels. Too high or overly theatrical styled shoes can make you look silly--not stylish! With these shoes be sure to include thigh-high boots, and 5 inch cork wedges.

INSTEAD: Stop torturing your feet! It's time to be kind and get real with your shoe styling. As we age we lose that fatty cushioning we had in our youth. Look for shoe styles/brands that are wider, sole cushioned and with thicker shorter heels. TRY BRANDS LIKE: Cole Hann, Aerosoles, Nurture Shoes, etc. PAY more when it comes to your shoes because foot comfort matters so much!

Micro-minis. Tina Turner pushed the limits on this one because she had pretty hot-looking legs! However, keep in mind she was on STAGE!!! ALL etsy-bitsy skirts should be sent directly to Goodwill. End of story.

INSTEAD:  replace short skirts with straight or A-line skirts around the knee. TIP: if you have a slightly shorter skirt (a couple of inches above the knee) you could still wear it if you wear opaque tights at the same time.


Excessive Cleavage.  Some women are well endowed and well some aren't. That's just the way it is. All 'boobage' is womanly (regardless of size) and therefore is beautiful, in my humble opinion.

BUT when it comes to cleavage in public: less is more!

'These are just a few of my un-favorite things' that can trip up any beautiful woman's style! Keep it on the classic side and you'll look fabulous every day.

Also avoid hand-made hokey jewelry, goth inspired belts and necklaces with spikes, black nail polish, glitter makeup in bright colors....GOSH! I could be here all night listing the SILLY TRENDS a grown woman really should avoid.

All the best, Leslie MSP

You can find me helping women dress their best based on their body shape at MissusSmartyPants.com

Do we value ourselves enough? Are we listening to a negative voice in our head, or are we thinking positive thoughts?

What we think has a huge impact on us. I remember this old saying ( I don't know where it is from)..."What we think about, we bring about".  How true it is!

Late last night I couldn't sleep (what else is new?)...so I read a self-help book I had on my nightstand. I grab this book and read a few pages from time to time, then put it down again. The book title doesn't really matter, but what does matters is what I got from my short reading before getting sleepy: Your reality in life is up to YOU. You make up the thoughts in your head, ultimately. Despite what anyone thinks about you (your outer appearance, your personality)...You are in charge. Despite your circumstances (those are temporary because you can change them) or anything else that has happened in your life thus far; your happiness starts in your head and it starts when you choose to let it happen.

I choose to let my light shine. I am happy. I love myself. I will stand tall, smile and enjoy all that life has to offer. No regrets, no appologies-to anyone. My life is up to me. I choose happiness and want to share my positivity with those around me. This is my truth and my reality. What's your truth and your choice?

P.S. What does this have to do with style and fashion? Everything! If you respect yourself your outer appearance will show this truth. 

A "PSA" from MissusSmartyPants.com

Some days we need a hug and a positive affirmation that we are enough--just the way we are. Sure, we've got our "imperfections" but they are part of what makes us uniquely who we are. We must therefore relax and accept ourselves first, before we can move forward or make changes in our life.

Accepting yourself first allow you to share yourself enthusiastically with others. When your inner light shines through amazing things begin to happen.

As a fashion stylist, I believe women are most beautiful when they truly love and believe in themselves!

Stop The Self-Sabotage!

 

"Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen."

~ Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

 

 

It's time to break the habit of self-sabotage! You know the feeling...when 'things are going right' it gets little scary; so you self-sabotage as a way to control the situation--but you actually end up hurting yourself. If you are prone to this sort of behavior, then use these tips below to help you hit your "RESET BUTTON" and try again:

1) Survey what you are doing

Forget justifying why you did (or didn't do) this or that; just watch yourself. The adage "Don't listen to what people say, but watch what they do" can be applied to yourself as well. Imagine you are someone else whose watching your behavior. Ask yourself: Why did I act that way? Was it the need to be in control (even if that control is related to making things fail) or was it the need for excitement through conflict, or the desire for attention or sympathy from others? Why do you do what you did?

2) Success is not black or white

Imagine what true success will be like. It may be different from what you'd been unconsciously assuming. Successful relationships, for example, don't work well all of the time; earning more money won't solve all your problems. Success isn't black or white; it's all relative. So remember that becoming successful (in whatever way) won't feel so strange when it happens because it's a natural part of being human - but the idea of success may feel strange.

3) Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater

I love this saying the most...because people most often self-sabotage because of their perfectionism! They say to themselves if it isn't perfect, then what's the point? 

You may have heard that people on strict diets trying to lose weight will more likely overeat if they feel they have veered off their diet even slightly: "What the hell, I've totally blown it now. I might as well completely binge!" People not on diets don't do this as often. So if you have a little setback or mini-failure...consciously stop yourself from throwing it all away. STOP seeing things that go 'a little wrong' as wrong and therefore ruin it completely.

STOP sabotaging your chance to look and "be" stylish! Women that are stylish are in every age group, size and height. Join MissusSmartyPants today and take advantage of this online weekly style coach. You can be more stylish...one babystep at a time!

Reality Check...

“Even the models we see in magazines wish they could look like their own images.” ~Cheri K. Erdman

Not Perfect?

Stop beating yourself up and start enjoying who you are instead!

 We punish ourselves for not having the “perfect” body. We waste a good part of our lives never accepting our body and hoping to change it--somehow.  We have self-defeating behaviors like: obsessing over food (over or under-eating), exercising (never doing any or doing too much of it) and beating ourselves up about what we are not doing and should be doing. We don’t enjoy the process called LIFE.

Let’s change our negative attitudes and start accepting our bodies and lives the way they are--or take positive steps to improve what we can improve.

Are you ready to make today the day of change?

Be All You Can Be...

Be the best rate version of yourself. Is there anything better? I think not!


You are beautiful and special, so find ways to express it to those around you...

Is Your "Stinkin' Thinkin'" Holding Back Your Style?

In today's Chatter newsletter I highlight an email that I got from "Amy". She is perplexed and wondering why others always look so much better than her. Why doesn't she have great style?

When she leaves the house in the morning she feels pretty good about her looks,(hair, clothes, makeup) then later in the day she feels she looks horrible. What is wrong with her? How come other women always look "perfect" 100% of the time and she doesn't??? What is the secret to great style?

Today on my Blog Talk Radio Show, I'm going to address this topic of image and how we see ourselves as well as how others see us. Should be an interesting hour!

Find out if you are sabotaging your style too! How to improve your style and lose what Marla at Flylady.net at calls "Stinkin' Thinkin'"!