Fashion Forecast – Sunny and Bright For Spring and Summer

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Judi

Now that I’ve caught up on all my spring magazines – InStyle, Vogue, MORE, Allure – and read the fashion news from “T” The New York Times Style Magazine and perused my monthly Nordstrom catalogs, I’m here to report on spring and summer fashion trends.

life after 50, baby boomer women, retirement, spring fashions, over 50

Each spring I pack away my non-woolen winter clothes in a big suitcase.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I love the seasonal changeovers and clearing the clutter from my winter closet to welcome the warmer weather. This week I took my woolens to the dry cleaner and packed away my corduroys and heavy sweaters in my big brown suitcase. (Check out JudiBoomergirl’s Spring Closet Changeover at my new YouTube channel. This is my first try at video - a work in progress for sure!)

The forecast is sunny and bright for spring and summer. What should you have in your wardrobe? Here’s the scoop:

- Floral Prints & Modern Floral: Flowers abound on all sorts of attire from bathing suits to skinny jeans, dresses, skirts and even shoes. According to the InStyle editor, “modern florals should wind down the center of the dress or skirt to create a slimming illusion.”

spring fashions, floral designs, life after 50, baby boomer women, over 50, retirement

This modern floral dress has a dramatic black background.

(These florals remind me of the designer Laura Ashley from years ago. I loved her small paisley prints and once made a dress with Ashley fabric for a college sorority formal. I was quite a seamstress back then. Maybe it’s time to buy a portable sewing machine and start sewing again during my life after 50.)

- Stripes and Bold Geometric Prints: There are wide stripes and narrow stripes, big squares and small squares. Stripes can also be found on jackets, sweaters, shirts, pants and even espadrilles. I bought two Caslon cotton knit striped jackets at Nordstrom – one in beige and one in blue – to wear with my Not Your Daughter’s Jeans. I like these jackets because they go with a variety of my favorite Banana Republic Timeless crew neck tees and you can dress them up or down with jewelry. They also sell these jackets in a variety of colors. For a stylish look, you can mix stripes with polka dots too.

- Tuxedo Jackets: Not just for an evening out, these longer jackets are worn during the daytime with skinny jeans or pants. (Think my DKNY black linen suit will work just fine for this trend. It has a tuxedo-style jacket and skinny-legged pants — cool and casual even for a non-corporate summer wardrobe.)

- Sweet & Soft: These clothes are unstructured and flowy. They are often in pastels and with chiffon-like fabrics. (Not my favorite.)

PUNK Chaos to Couture, life after 50, baby boomer women, spring fashions, retirement

Back to the Future: Check out the PUNK Chaos to Couture Costume Exhibit at the MET this summer.

- Spectacular Effects: Wild prints, crystal studs, ornate details. (Speaking of studs and ornate effects, my friends and I went to a preview of the PUNK: Chaos to Couture Costume Institute exhibition at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It is a fabulous show and I encourage you to see it if you are on the east coast this summer. It is on view through August 14. There are clothes and accessories made with safety pins and outfits made with black garbage bags – just amazing designs!)

- Black & White Graphics: The InStyle editor says “not to add any other colors to the mix.” So no gray this summer, absolutely no gray! Okay?

- Warm Weather Leather: This is more for spring. I think leather no matter how thin is too hot for summer. How about that punk leather jacket above?

- Lace Dresses: The InStyle editor says to wear vibrant hues with shoes in the same color.

- A-line Skirts and Bold Ruffles: These skirts have a flair and are below the knee. (I prefer pencil skirts since my body is more pear-shaped. Flairs tend to make me look like I am wearing a tent.) As for ruffles, I like Ruffles potato chips but don’t like to wear ruffles. I think I am too petite for ruffles – they tend to overwhelm my body and face.

- Peek-a-boo.…I see you! This trend is for the adventurous boomer girl who wants to have a little see-through. Ooh, la, la! I do like the Miracle Suit ‘Mystify’ one piece bathing suit that I saw in the Nordstrom catalog. It has a side mesh detail. I plan to be on the beach a lot this summer at my condo on the corner at the Jersey shore. Won’t need too many clothes this summer, just some bathing suits will do.

spring fashions, life after 50, baby boomer women, over 50, retirement

A colorful mix - this pink dress and yellow shawl caught my eye in a Madison Avenue window. A gorgeous combination.

What colors should you buy this summer? Definitely get your greens – pistachio, mint, aquamarine, blue-green, bright green. Reds are hot, hot, hot – flaming red or blood-orange red. And pastels are always a favorite during the spring and summer.

Now go shopping and buy yourself something new, something beautiful to wear. I hope you have a glorious spring and summer…and let me know what you bought and where you bought it!

Judi

Congrats to Cindy Eyler on winning the Mother’s Day raffle including a box of GODIVA chocolates (courtesy of my friends from GODIVA Chocolatier.) Thank you for your readership and for your comment on my Mother’s Day blog post.

Stay tuned for the June raffle featuring the Spa Sonic Skin Care System (courtesy of EpiCare LTD.)

New Shades For Sunny Days

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Judi

This weekend I spent a wonderful two days in NYC to kick off my retirement from my full time corporate job. After 30 years, it was time to have some fun in my favorite city. The weather cooperated with two sunny days.

On Saturday I went to the American Society of Journalists and Authors Conference at the Roosevelt Hotel. I met some very talented writers and consider them to be my mentors. Many had written novels, non-fiction and memoirs. Several had written more than one book. It felt good to say that I am now a “writer” too…and maybe one day I will be an author as well.

On Saturday evening, my kids A and D took me out to celebrate my retirement. We went to Parm, a small, reasonably priced Italian restaurant on the edge of Little Italy (Parm is located at 248 Mulberry St. between Prince & Spring in NoLIta.) My son D is such a foodie and knows all the hot spots around town. We dined on some of the best meatball parm sandwiches, eggplant parm and ooh,ooh,ooh yummy garlic bread. The garlic bread was well-baked, very crispy and served with a rich ricotta cheese and smooth tomato sauce to top it off. To end the meal we had Parm’s ice cream cake which includes three layers of ice cream – pistachio, strawberry and chocolate – with crunchy chocolate bits in-between. Not a spoonful was left by the time we finished.

On Sunday, my daughter A and I headed out apartment shopping. It was a bright sunny day in NYC. I took along the sample of Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses that I had received from the Vibrant Nation’s Vibrant Influencer Network, to shade my eyes from the sun.

“What happened to your new Marc Jacobs purple sunglasses?” asked A. “Didn’t you bring your new prescription sunglasses?”

“I love my Marc Jacobs purple prescription sunglasses, however, the glass case is rather large,” I told A. “I enjoy wearing them when I am at the beach, but since we are going to be going in and out of many buildings today and I am going to have to take my glasses on and off, I thought it would be a better idea to try my Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses, which fit over my progressives.” I was so glad I had made that decision.

I loved the Dioptics brand. They easily fit over my Silhouette titanium prescription eyeglasses, which I also love because they are so light. I have Silhouette sunglass clip-ons, but the Dioptics brand was even more convenient. Solar Shield® sunglasses are made to fit over your prescription glasses or readers for convenient sun protection. They also have a lightweight nylon frame, polarized lenses to reduce glare, and the lenses block 100% UV rays. Plus the lenses are scratch resistant, which is really good. (Let’s see…we saw about 8 – 10 apartments and I must have taken my Solar Shield® sunglasses on and off about 20 to 30 times that day as we went from apartment to apartment. It was so easy.)

life after 50, over 50, baby boomer women, Dioptic Solar Shield sunglasses

Do I look like my idol Audrey Hepburn in my Dioptic Solar Shield sunglasses?

Are they as fashionable as my Marc Jacobs sunglasses? Well, not really. But I chose the Fashion Collection and as you’ll see from my picture, I thought I looked pretty fashionable in my shades on Sunday. What do you think – do I look like my idol Audrey Hepburn? And for sure, they were really practical and easy to wear and to take on and off. I’m definitely going to pack them for my trip to France. Of course, my Marc Jacobs prescription sunglasses are coming to France too, I’ll wear them on the beach in Nice.

The Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses are really reasonably priced at around $25 a pair, so I may get another pair from the Designer Templates Collection just to keep in my car or to go with my black and coral clothing. Black frames are very trendy this year. (Note that on the Dioptics website it says that the sunglasses are 15% off right now.)

So, did A find a Manhattan studio she liked? Yes, yes, yes. There were so many she liked…and I liked too. I asked the agent if he would give us a special deal if we bought two apartments. “I like your thinking,” said the real estate agent K.

Wink, wink – I had my snazzy sunglasses on when I asked him this trick question, so he could not tell that I was really only joking. That’s not to say that when I become a rich and famous memoirist that I won’t be back to buy my own sunny studio on Sutton Place.

Judi

My New White Button Down Shirt

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Judi

There’s a chill in the air. The fall equinox has arrived. And I just took my wool clothes out of storage today.

I’ve been thinking about fall fashions now that the weather is cooler. Thanks to my friends at Foxcroft, I now have a crisp white button down shirt to add to my fall wardrobe. The nice thing about the Foxcroft shirt is that it is 100% cotton, non-iron and shape fit.

All spiffy in my new Foxcroft white button-down shirt

“You look all spiffy in your bright white shirt,” said one of my colleagues. A few others noticed too. I dressed it up with a chunky grey necklace and wore it with my black a-line skirt and a wide patent leather belt. I added a silver and black bracelet (courtesy of my boyfriend L…thank you L) and put on my new Jones NY patent leather and suede flats. (Lord & Taylor had their annual fall shoe sale last week. The more shoes you bought the more discount you received. Of course, I bought three pair of flats and got 30 percent off. I so wanted the high-heeled platform Tahari Laura pumps. Ooh, ooh, ooh, they would have gone even better with my new white button-down shirt, but I think I would have likely twisted my ankle and ended up with a white cast to go with my new white shirt. So I resisted and bought all flats. Question: I’ve been using my DVR to tape the Katie Show the past week. How does Katie Couric wear such high heels every day – she is 55 – guess she doesn’t do much walking in her shoes?)

My New Jones New York Gabbiano Flats in Black Patent and Suede

I realized that the reason I don’t own any white button-down shirt is because it always gets dirty. While I did not wear a bib the day I wore my new white shirt, I did eat all white foods – milk for breakfast, vanilla yogurt for lunch, an apple for a snack (the juice from the apple ran clear.) Wearing my new white shirt was definitely good for my diet and I can attest to the “non-iron” attribute, as I did wash and dry it in my washer and dryer and the shirt was still in good shape and still white. (No ironing for moi…not during my life after 50.)

Fellow boomer girls, if you would like to purchase a new white button-down shirt or a striped or printed one (I really like the black and white stripped shirt but it was out of stock in my size), Foxcroft is going to provide a 20 percent discount to all my blog readers until October 15, 2012. Check out their website at www.foxcroftcollection.com and use code JUDI20OFF.

I asked the stylist at Foxcroft to provide some Fall Fashion Trends, here are her tips:

- Animal prints: Got it – have a pair of leopard print shoes from 2011.

- Winter whites: Got it – thank you Foxcroft for my new white button-down shirt.

- Deep regal colors like purple and navy: Love purple, but navy isn’t one of my favorite colors.

- Geometric prints of every kind: I do need to look for some bold colored tops to go with my a-line skirts and create my own geometry. Think my 50-plus figure is turning into a triangle as my hips continue to widen.

- Pair any of these trends with a skinny jean and a heel and you are “Tres Chic!”: Maybe I should go back and get those Tahari Laura heels. The sale is off at Lord & Taylor, but I found them at Piperlime. Take a look. I do really adore them.

What favorite fall fashions will you be wearing this season?

Judi

2012 Fall Fashions Are Here

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Judi

With this week being Fashion Week in NYC, I thought it would be appropriate timing for me to write my annual fall fashion blog post. It is September and summer is almost over ( I just threw out my summer flowerpot and put out my mums – which btw are already wilting). Next week will be the official start of fall 2012.

I did finally read all 2000+ pages of my fall fashion magazines – Vogue (with my fav Lady Gaga on the cover), InStyle, Allure, T- The New York Times Style Magazine – so I do feel qualified to report on what stylish boomer girls should be wearing when the weather cools down. Ooh, ooh, ooh, today I was in NYC for a meeting and I walked up and down Fifth Avenue to take in all the store windows. The windows are all dolled up in honor of last week’s Fashion Night Out (which unfortunately moi missed.)

Loved this jacket in Lord & Taylor's window

So what’s trending for fall? Here’s a topline, according to InStyle magazine (which provides the trends in a very simple to understand format):

- Magic Garden florals are all the rage. (I agree that these patterns are dense and opulent and I don’t know if I can carry them off. I go for more simple solids and like to accessorize with floral scarves and pins.)

- Leather that is treated more like a fabric. (No, no, no. I cannot wear a full skirt of leather with my pear-shaped body, but a nice neutral or rich jacket will do.)

- Bejeweled looks with ornaments are popular. (With this style there’s no need to wear any jewelry. Although not sure I will be able to stand up straight with all the embellishment hanging on my sweater or dress.)

- Restraint Sensuality. InStyle magazine editors say that “boatnecks enhance the more mature and this attitude is appropriate for all age groups…clothes with strong shoulders, a defined waist, and below-the-knee hemlines. (This one is on my “meh-list” – as the New York Times Sunday Magazine would say.)

- Black & Gold. (Love it, love it, love it. Gold is one of my colors. Black is not one of my colors. But, but, but, if I add gold to black then black becomes one of my colors. How fabulous is this trend? I will definitely listen to InStyle magazine editors’ advice: “Do not let any other color come out to play with these two. No jewelry except for gold earrings.” Got it and I will follow to a tee. I do have a perfect pair of gold earrings for fall all ready and waiting in my jewelry box.)

- Business suits are back. (Not for me. Flared skirts and pants – I’m passing suits to my younger millennial girlfriends. I am on the road to retirement – hint, hint, news coming soon in a separate blog post, do tell, do tell – Judiboomergirl is giving up on her dream to own an Armani suit in pursuit of her other dreams – namaste yoga wear.)

- Fine China motifs, uniform tailoring, full skirts are additional trends. (I just don’t care for these styles. No wonder I hardly bought any fall clothes at the Nordstrom’s pre-sale in July.)

I want this form fitting dress from Project Runway

- Winter white, geometric curves, big coats and more modern outerwear that has an athletic design. (I like these styles much better. Maybe I will purchase a fall dress with bold blocks of color and curves. I like it. I like it.)

Oh, how I love fall clothes (and spring and summer and winter clothes too). I just love clothes! I adore the colorful corduroy jeans (NYDJ are the cords I will be buying as I can no longer fit into Gap jeans). I also like the full-bodied burgundy colors in shoes, dresses, jackets and coats. (I did purchase a burgundy cashmere wrap to keep me cozy while I stay on trend.)

Yes, it’s time to do the annual switch and pack my summer clothes in my old tan leather suitcase and bring out my fall clothes. Funny how each year I forget what I packed away the months prior. It’s like a whole new wardrobe when I unzip my tan leather suitcase. Surprise, surprise…but, like a good fashionista, I always want a few new things to add to my seasonal closet.

Happy fall shopping. Let me know what trends are your favorites.

Judi

JudiBoomergirl’s Raves and Reviews

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Judi

Hi, all you boomer girls. I thought I would start a new Raves and Reviews blog post to curate some of the boomer girl reads of the week on topics that you have told me you find of interest – beauty, fashion, health and wellness (physical and financial) and most of all, fun! Some of these stories will be from books, magazines, newspapers, (you know I am an avid NY Times subscriber), television shows, or social media that I have stumbled upon. Or, trend-setting information that friends and readers have shared with me. I’ll bring these blog posts to you from time to time. I’ll aim to do it weekly, but don’t want to over commit.

Let me know what you think of these features. Do they spur you to think differently? Do you have a thought you would like to share with other boomer girls? Do you have a boomer girl trending topic you would like to share? If so, please leave a comment.

Here’s what I have for you this week:

Retirement: How do you feel about retirement? “According to Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economics at the New School for Social Research, “Very few people have the money they need for old age, and it’s not their fault.” Read her piece from the NY Times Sunday Week in Review at “Our Ridiculous Approach to Retirement.”
Fashion: Do you dream of starting a business during the prime of your life? Read about Diane Gilman who has had success selling her jeans to baby boomers on HSN. (Go Diane! I’ll have to check you out on HSN.) Here’s Diane’s story on “Selling Fashion With Couch Appeal.”
Beauty: Coming up on Monday, July 30th at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO, be sure to watch (or DVR like I now mastered thanks to my son D) the new documentary on “About Face:The Supermodels, Then and Now.” I loved the quotes from some of the boomer girl models who will be showcased. Listen up: “When you get older you build something else in your core, which goes beyond the physical, because it has to,” says Marisa Berenson. Or as Jerry Hall puts it, “Of course it’s no fun getting old or sick and dying. We all know that is coming and it’s a bore. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to age. When I turned 50, I felt a sense of achievement.” (I so agree with Jerry and Marisa. I’m still strengthening my core every day. Plus, I felt a sense of achievement when I turned 50 and I feel even more accomplishments are on the horizon.)

Enjoy!

Judi

P.S. – Calling all boomer girls…this blog is my newly updated site. I hope you like it. As part of the relaunch, anyone who signs up to receive my posts via email or leaves a comment on any blog post during the month of July, or sends a note to me with feedback about my newly designed blog, will be entered into a raffle for a copy of “I Remember Nothing And Other Reflections” in remembrance of the late writer Nora Ephron. I just received the book in the mail and it is so wonderful that I am going to order another copy for myself.(Note: To leave a comment on a post you can click the little bubble near the title of the post.)

My Handbag Runneth Over With Eyeglasses

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Judi

“You have dry eyes and your eyes may be strained from looking at the computer for so long each day,” said Dr. V, my eye doctor. I had paid her a visit a few weeks ago because I had been seeing double by the end of the day. My aging eyes were not able to focus properly on the computer screen with my progressive lenses.

“I think you should try computer glasses,” said Dr. V. “We’ll make bifocal lenses so you can see the distance to the computer and also read the keyboard or paperwork when you have to look down. Don’t spend a lot of money on these eyeglasses, as you’ll want to see if they work for you.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I responded as I headed off to Brite Eyes boutique to purchase my new eyeglasses. My nearsightedness had changed a bit, so I needed new progressive lenses for regular wear.

I decided to order the same Silhouette rimless titanium frames as my current progressives. I like titanium frames because they are so light to wear. The best part is that my insurance included a discount on the frames, so I was a very happy camper. Silhouette makeup artist Mary Greenwell says that “rimless glasses allow you to be who you want to be and enhance your natural beauty.” (Thank you Mary, I want to enhance my natural beauty during my life after 50.)

“I don’t want to spend too much on a frame for my computer glasses,” I told the nice sales woman. “I’m going to go home and find a pair of old frames. Then all I’ll need to pay for are the bifocal lenses.” Home I went to rummage through my stash of eyewear from the 1980s, 1990s and beyond. It was fun to see how styles have evolved over the years. I had big red frames when I was in my 20s, round rimless Ralph Lauren preppy frames in my 30s, thin narrow frames from my 40s, and now rimless titanium frames in my 50s. I found an appropriate frame from my collection and brought it back to the eye boutique.

“You’re all set,” said the sales woman. “You saved so much money, you got a great deal on the Silhouette frame and you didn’t have to buy a new frame for your bifocals.”

As I prepared to exit the shop I felt very proud of how much money I had saved. That is until I eyed a purple Marc Jacobs frame that looked like it would be perfect for a new pair of sunglasses. They were big and round and they were my favorite color purple. They were screaming out to me, “try me on, try me on.” I had just saved a few hundred dollars. I really needed new bifocal sunglasses to read on the beach. (Time out: How do I rationalize the cost of these Marc Jacobs sunglasses? Here’s how – my old Elizabeth Arden tortoise shell sunglasses contain a prescription that is so out-of-date that I have to take them off to read on the beach. This could actually do more harm to my eyes. This is not good. I need my eyes for a long, long time. Time out: The purple frames will go perfectly with my aquamarine bathing suit.) Dare I leave the shop without trying on the purple frames? Absolutely not.

“They look fabulous on you,” said the sales woman. She was so right, they were made for my face. “We’ll give you a discount on this frame since you are buying so many pairs,” she added. “A discount? A discount? Really? Hmm, hmm, hmm, I do love them,” I replied. How could I resist? (When I brought my daughter A back with me to make my final decision, A said they had Jackie-O Judi written all over them.)

“How am I going to fit ALL these eyeglasses in one handbag?” I wondered. (My bag now weighs almost 40 pounds according to the Honda dealer who told me that fact when I wanted to know why my seatbelt light was staying on when I had my handbag on the passenger seat. My handbag weighs so much that the car thought it was a young child who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.)

My handbag does runneth over with eyeglasses. However, my computer glasses have done wonders for my eye strain. I wish I had made this change sooner.

As for my big purple sunglasses – well, well, well, they’ve changed my life too. I love, love, love my big purple sunglasses. I am more stylish on the beach when I read my Vogue and InStyle magazines. Whose hiding behind those shades? It’s me, me, me.

Judi

P.S. – Calling all boomer girls…this blog is my newly updated site. I hope you like it. As part of the relaunch, anyone who signs up to receive my posts via email or leaves a comment on any blog post during the month of July, or sends a note to me with feedback about my newly designed blog, will be entered into a raffle for a copy of “I Remember Nothing And Other Reflections” in remembrance of the late writer Nora Ephron. (Note: To leave a comment on a post you can click the little bubble near the title of the post.)

Spring Ahead with Fashion

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Judi

I hope you remembered to set your clocks ahead yesterday. It felt great to know that there will be more daylight and that spring is only a week away. What, what, what — spring is only a week away. I must do my annual spring shopping.

That’s why this weekend I made sure to read up on all the spring fashion trends. I finished the March issue of O Magazine, which focused on “decluttering.” I did a little ‘decluttering’ as I reviewed my current closet full of warm weather clothes. “Throw out anything that you haven’t worn in a year or two,” said the experts at O Magazine. I started to put a bag of old clothes together for Goodwill and there’s likely more to come.

I read 1500+ pages about spring fashions including the March issues of InStyle, Vogue, T – The New York Times Style Magazine, and More. Plus I tagged all my favorites in the Nordstrom catalogs that I saved from the past few months.

So what are the latest and greatest colors, shapes and wearables for boomer girls this spring? Here’s my recap according to these mags:

Bold Pastels in shades of lilac, mint, rose and lemon are popular, as are pastel hair and nail polish too. (Not one of my favorites since I am classified by Color Me Beautiful as an Autumn, I don’t look very good in pastels.)

Romantic elements like peplums, florals, lace and ruffles. (Again, not one of my favorites. However, I do like some of the lace skirts and lace tops that I saw in the Macy’s advertisement and in the window display at Ann Taylor. Peplums and ruffles are not appropriate on my short 50+ figure.)

Mad Prints with large geometric designs and polka dots. (Oh, I love polka dots, especially accents of polka dots. Maybe I will get an accessory, such as a scarf, handbag or shoes with polka dots for spring.)

Pleats and more pleats. (No, no, no – pleats don’t work with pear-shaped bodies. No pleats for me – thank you very much.)

The Dress Shirt in white button down. (Here we go again – another takeoff on the shirt dress of yesteryear. This is why I should think twice before I “declutter” my closet.You never know when an old trend will become a new trend in the future.)

Sporty looks in comfortable fabrics with bright colors. (Love it, like it, want it. I prefer more casual wear during warmer weather.)

Hi-Gloss with metallic tones and illuminating beads, studs and other embellishments. (I like to shimmer during summer nights. Ooh, ooh, really liked the cotton dress with paillettes by Michael Kors. Maybe if I do more exercise and get rid of my middle-age middle I’ll be able to shimmy and shimmer this season.)

Bright day dresses and expressive stripes with bold blocks of color. (I did finally buy a dress for myself last summer. Maybe it is time to buy another one this spring. It is easy to get dressed when all you have to put on is one piece of clothing.)

Nature Prints with flowers and garden colors. (Little bits of nature may work better on my body than an entire dress or top. Flower power is not my thing.)

High Waist silhouettes. (Listen up boomer girls. InStyle editors say that this trend “was a staple in the ’70s and ’80s.”Are you getting nostalgic? Have any of your old high waisted pants buried in the back of your closet? Or if you gave them to Goodwill like I did, you may have to buy some new ones, cause according to InStyle these high waisted pants and skirts will help “legs look longer, the dreaded muffin top bulge and whale tail thong top vanish.” Amen, I’m sold.)

Denim shirts are back. So are blurred prints, color blocking, crafty platform shoes and espadrilles (love espas), long skirts (didn’t we used to call them maxi skirts in the ’70s?), open weave, leopard prints (again, oh peleezze!) and more skinny bright colored jeans and capris.

Can’t wait to go spring shopping! Hope my tax return shows up soon. But wait, I was going to save that money for a summer vacation.

Judi

To The Hips, To The Hips

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Judi

Everything I eat seems to be going to my hips. Ah yes, and to my stomach too. Perhaps my middle age middle is acting up again.

No matter what I do. No matter what I eat. (Okay, I have been eating too much dark chocolate. My boyfriend L really likes dark chocolate, so what’s a boomer girl to do? Not eat it? Isn’t dark chocolate good for me?) No matter how much I exercise. (Okay, I haven’t been exercising enough. I really do need to do more aerobics. I love my gentle yoga class. Maybe I need to start doing more fast-paced vinyasa flow workouts.)

I’ve only gained a pound or two, yet my clothes just don’t seem to fit me like they used to anymore. My pants are tighter and my waist feels like a ball of rising bread dough that I wish I could punch down into a flat loaf. Some days I feel like singing Beyonce’s song “to the left, to the left,” only with different words “to the hips, to the hips…

“Mmmm to the hips
Everything is down in a box on the hips”

This morning I was catching up on the February issue of MORE magazine while on my stationary bicycle (trying to get those jiggles on my hips moving). I enjoyed reading psychologist Vivian Diller’s article on “HowTo Let Go Of Wanting to Look Young. I wonder if that is my problem. My youthful figure is fading away. Vivian used to be a dancer in her 20s and is now 58. She is the author of “Face It: What Women Really Feel As Their Looks Change.”

According to Vivian, “it’s okay to cry but then move forward.” Here are her steps to help:

1. Face Your Uh-Oh Moment Head On: Acknowledge that your appearance is changing. (I have.) Dig deep to discover what feeling this elicits beyond fear of losing your looks. Being honest about what you are truly scared of will help you face the transition with more confidence. (Thank you Vivian, I have done this and it’s all in the hips. My fear is that my pear shape is becoming more of a Bartlett. I must learn to love my body just the way it is during my life after 50.)

2. Listen To Your Internal Dialogue: Pay attention to what you tell yourself when you look in the mirror. (Vivian, you are right. I am over critical of my wrinkles and dark spots on my face. I am overly sensitive about my stomach rolls and my expanding hips. I will rewrite my dialogue and be easier on myself.)

3. Learn To Appreciate Your Appearance Today: Vivian says I should fast-forward 20 years and imagine seeing a photo of what I look like right now. She says I’ll probably think I look pretty great and might regret that I didn’t enjoy my appearance more when I had the opportunity. (Yes, Vivian, I’m going to change my tune. Thank you. Thank you.)

4. Make Some Healthy Changes: Instead of clinging to the past or trying to recapture the look I had, I should make positive changes that will help me feel attractive right now. (Hmmm, hmmm, maybe I should go back to Macy’s and buy The Ultimate Push Up Bra by Maidenform which says it works like magic and adds two cup sizes right before my very eyes! I’m sure that will help me feel more attractive right now and also may turn my pear shape into a more hour-glass 50-plus figure.)

Uh, oh…I didn’t finish reading the last step, Vivian really said to make some healthy changes. Okay, okay, I will do that too. I will try to do more exercise too. Thanks for all your great advice.

Judi

An Amazing Day At The Alexander McQueen Met Exhibition

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Judi

I was invigorated for two hours last Wednesday morning as I attended the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my two BFF. (Yes, I was one of the 17,500 new members to join the Met so that my two BFF and I could skip the two hour waiting line that wrapped around the second floor of the museum.)

I was engulfed in a world of fashion in all its forms — muslim, plaids, shells, wool, cotton, gauze, flowers, feathers, wood, steel, metal, and whatever else McQueen used to express his fashions, his accessories and his life. (I could not feel my feet after walking and standing on the hardwood floors, but it was well worth the trek and well worth the time spent.)

I was engaged in the music as I entered each room, from Tony Hymas, A Scent of Intrique, to the theme of Schindler’s List.

According to Sunday’s Style section of The New York Times, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, ranks among the museum’s 20 most popular exhibitions. Why did I love this exhibit SO MUCH? Let me count the ways…or should I say let me count the McQueen quotes that I wrote down. (After I took so much time to write down each quote, sneaking in-between many people’s legs and feet, I bought the exhibition catalog, like 55,000 others who attended the exhibition, so I could forever read the quotes and view McQueen’s fashions.)

“I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress,” said McQueen. (As a boomer woman, I especially liked this quote. I so agree with McQueen. I want the clothes I wear to empower me. When I look good, I feel more empowered.)

“With bustles and nipped waists, I was interested in the idea that there are no constraints on the silhouette. I wanted to exaggerate a woman’s form, almost along the lines of a classical statue,” said McQueen. (I just adore McQueen’s poetic license with fashion and his thinking about the female body. Don’t you? I know Lady Gaga does too, since she wears all his clothes and pedestal shoes.)

“With bumsters, I wanted to elongate the body, not just show the bum. To me, that part of the body — not so much the buttocks, but the bottom of the spine — that’s the most erotic part of anyone’s body, man or woman,” said McQueen. (I now have a new appreciation for my boomer bum.)

“It is important to look at death because it is part of life. It is a sad thing, melancholy, but romantic at the same time. It is the end of a cycle — everything has an end. The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things,” said McQueen. (Wow, oh, wow. This quote blows you away, doesn’t it? How sad McQueen died so young. He was such a talented artist, designer, historian, creator and a whole lot more.)

“There is no way back for me now. I am going to take you on journeys you’ve never dreamed were possible.” (Yes, this exhibit was an amazing journey that I will never forget, especially since I bought the $45 exhibition book. Being the frustrated fashionista I am, I’ll cherish and remember it forever.)

While the exhibit is only at the Met for another week, I urge you to visit if you have the opportunity. It is well worth the wait. Go with your two BFF and you will enjoy it even more. Then do as we did, and have a relaxing lunch at the cafe at the Centrolire restaurant on Madison Avenue not too far from the Met. But, before you leave NYC, be sure to stop at La Maison Du Chocolat (on Madison Avenue too) for a cup of chocolate sorbet or chocolate or caramel ice cream, like my two BFFs and I did before catching the train home. Ooh, la, la – next stop Paris absolumont!

Judi

Getting My Dibs on Fall Fashions

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Judi

I was pre-preparing for my fall wardrobe this weekend. I was invited to “get first dibs on the exceptional designer merchandise” during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It was one of THE MOST FANTASTIC days of the year.

“You will have to change your vacation day,” I told my daughter A when I received the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale catalog a few weeks ago. “The pre-sale dates are July 5 – 13, a week earlier than you thought.”

I had two weeks to drool over the catalog and decide on all of the fall fashions I wanted to purchase. Ooh, ooh, ooh, I just LOVE all of the colors, styles, and accessories too. (Not that I want to rush away summer. No, no, no. I don’t want the snowy winter back anytime soon. No, no, no.)

My daughter A arrived home late Friday night due to a bad rainstorm, so her friend S, who is a personal shopper at Nordstrom, spent an entire evening catering to me. My appointment was for 6:30 p.m. and I didn’t leave the store until after 9:30 p.m. (Yes, I spent three hours trying on clothes and other accessories. It was heaven.)

Want to know the trends for fall 2011? Keep in mind that these are the trends according to Nordstrom. There will be more fall fashion blog posts to come after I receive my fall mags, including the September issues of Vogue and InStyle. (Have to get my arms in shape at the gym so I can lift the 900+ pages. Hope the issues fit in my tiny townhouse mailbox.)

For now, here’s the pre-pre Nordstrom scoop:

- A-Line Skirts (Very pleased that narrow skirts are still in fashion. I bought two a-line skirts in yellow raisin and basic black. The Nordstrom Halogen petite skirts fit me perfectly and they wear really well. I highly recommend these skirts for women 50+. They are very slimming, especially for boomer women like me who are becoming more and more pear-shaped during their life after 50.)

- Capes (“Every woman must have a Mackage cape,” said my personal shopper S. ”It looks fab on you. You must buy it.” As the catalog says, “The cape, right now, is the real hero in any woman’s wardrobe.” I liked the Mackage cape. The leather trim was very pretty and it fit me well. The price tag was a bit steep, but it was quite versatile, despite the short cape-like sleeves.

Buh, buh, buh. Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh. Stop the presses. Stop the cash register. Something magical was about to happen. It was as though Batman had swooped into Nordstrom in his black cape and taken me away to Burberry land.

My personal shopper S took me downstairs to the accessory tent where she took out a black reversible Burberry cashmere cape. OMG, OMG, OMG, I wanted to cry. IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WRAP I had ever wrapped myself in. I COULD NOT TAKE IT OFF.

“Don’t you LOVE this Burberry poncho?” said S.

“Poncho? What poncho? I know what a poncho is,” I said to S, remembering all the ponchos that my mom had crocheted for me in the ’70s. “This is no poncho. This is a wrap for a mature woman.” I replied. ”I definitely love it more than the Mackage. I never want to take it off.”

“Buh, Buh, Burberry it is,” I said at the end of the evening. “Burberry it is.” P.S. When I showed it to my son D, he said “mom, you look like you are wearing a blanket on your back.” C’est la vie!)

- Equestrian boots (My daughter A wanted the Tory Burch riding boots. Ooh, ooh, ooh, but brown is more my color. A doesn’t wear brown very much. Maybe she will let me wear the boots sometimes. Dare I ask her?)

- Big, Bold, Belted Handbags (I didn’t buy a new handbag. Last year, I bought such a large handbag that it weighed down my right shoulder so much that I had to discontinue using it. Had I continued to use it, I might have eventually looked like a hunchback in my old age.)

- Knitted and Ribbed Vests (Longer vests that hang to the knee seem to be a fall trend. I did purchase a Tarnish Fringed knit vest in a lovely beige and brown knit. A bought one in purple. It was very cute on her.)

- Gray Flannel (I noticed gray flannel skirts, boots, sweaters. But, gray is not one of my favorite colors. No gray for me. Not during my life pre-50, nor during my life after 50, even if it is the pre-pre Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.)

- Exotic Essentials (I tried on fur vests and more fake fur-trimmed ponchos. They were fun, but I went more for the mainstream.)

Dresses and scarves, bracelets and bangles, flats and low heels, pants and tops with ruffles, I wanted them all, but I had to set limits. As I’ve done in the past, I plan to give many more donations to the Food Bank this month in honor of each fashion purchase. Maybe, maybe, maybe, my Burberry cape will do real magic this winter and help me warm the hearts and stomaches of all who need help, just like Batman does in his Batman comics and Batman movies. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Maybe I will change my name to Judi Boomer Bat Girl and fly around town in my bat mobile all wrapped up in my Burberry cape.

Judi