I'm actually over 60 and I'm finding it harder and harder to get dressed everyday. Once I reached 60, things started to change drastically...overnight. And unlike the weight gain during pregnancy, this is something I can't exercise my way out of. Few of my go-to outfits fit anymore. Blouses don't button over the breasts that I had during that last pregnancy and I don't think I can get away with saying there's a baby in there this time. Combine this with all the other shrinking and expansion that's going on in my body and the overall effect is...that woman sitting on the bench.
With age comes wisdom and I've migrated into a somewhat unexciting but stable wardrobe direction. First of all, I dress minimally. I only wear a few neutral colors - black, white, gray and tan...and only solids of these colors. The only print I wear is an animal print or a maybe a subtle paisley in a scarf. Wearing these solid neutral colors
seems boring to many, however, I think they are classic and always look good when mixed and matched or worn color on color. Dressing like this
also eliminates that Twilight Zone intro thing that went on in my head as I tried to put another outfit together. Everything goes with everything in
this case. It's almost foolproof dressing. Check out this Pinterest page for endless neutral inspiration. Every look is wearable as they are or with minor substitutions or modifications depending on how trendy one is. Also, I wear jewelry every day. I don't wear as much as I used to wear, but I never leave the house without earrings, at least one bangle bracelet, a ring and a good watch.
I think the following suggestions are all good investments that will stand the test of time and not make you look like Uncle Tonoose as you age. Most of the items are designer labels but I'm not showing most because you can find these looks just about anywhere and for considerably less money than couture. Shop Nordstrom's, Macy's, Bloomingdale's and online. When shopping online, be sure to create an account in the places where you find items you like. They will send you more offers than you know what to do with. And always checkout sites like RetailMeNot where you will find coupons for a percentage off or at least free shipping.
Get a few turtlenecks (black, camel, gray - a little longer in the back
if you can find them) but don't wear them exclusively or you will look like
Kathryn Hepburn, who didn't wear anything else because she never got a neck
lift. Look for cardigan or boat neck sweaters (post neck lift) and wear with pants in the same color scheme for an elongated and sophisticated look.
A sedate neutral pallet.
A hipper look shown with the coat closed and worn with booties. This coat would also look great worn open and with flats instead of boots.
Ferragamo Riding Boots - worth the investment at full price but you can find last year's version on sale.
Celine Bag. Expensive but too gorgeous not to own.
Louboutin Black Pumps. This height is very manageable - even for the over 60 set with the bunions and weird feet issues. Well, maybe not the bunion people.
Good white shirt.
Great black pants. These are St. John Emma Modern Tropical Wool Crop pants. They are worth it because they fit like no other pants in the world. In this image row, the bag, the heels, the blouse and these pants make the perfect outfit.
You can never go wrong with your animal print thing being a scarf. Just be sure to only wear one animal at a time.
Another reason to have a leopard coat - it guards the bag.
This is what we call a "Glamour Don't"...what was she thinking ;0)
Short leather jacket or blazer.
A few long scarves - silk or pashmina will do. Watch this handy video
from Nordstrom on how to tie a scarf and allow this
to be the color you add to your wardrobe.
Diamond stud earrings. Buy the biggest you can afford. Hang on to your receipt because most jewelry stores allow you to trade up in size.
Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Bone Cuff in sterling silver. Most don't realize this cuff is made for the right wrist and also for the left wrist. Be sure to get the right one or it will hurt like hell.
And last but not least - The Little Black Dress. There are so many to choose from you should have a few!
Things have been very busy at Bella Tutto as we get ready for the upcoming holiday season. We've worked hard to acquire a fantastic assortment of designer jewelry at low prices. We have a lot of David Yurman jewelry right now but we also have Lagos, John Hardy, Judith Ripka, Roberto Coin and more. Here are some of our newest items. With the holiday's quickly approaching, now is the time to make your purchase as these pieces will go fast! So pour that big glass of wine, sit down at your computer and let's go shopping. Nothing says Christmas like seeing the USPS, UPS or Fed-Ex truck with your package on it!
You can find these and more at bellatutto.com or call us at 267-607-9070 for personal assistance.
Those of us who are a certain age (you know who you are) remember the 80's as the next best thing since the 60's. We were still young, but old enough to enjoy the loads of money we made, loved our big hair, shoulder pads, Princess Diana and cell phones that were as big as shoes. Now, I see that Beyonce is a one woman diesel fashion train driving a jewelry statement back to the 80's by wearing some of the most
outrageous earrings ever seen on a human.
Beyonce hangs Oscars on either side of her head when meeting Ban Ki-moon as they join forces to launch a campaign in honor of World Humanitarian Day.
This is a close up. Yes, they are her earrings...or a pair of those yellow Nike Volts, I'm not sure.
Here is Beyonce holding up two worlds on either side of her head. Who needs Atlas.
Diamond dusters - always acceptable.
One thing I learned from the 80's is that it's hard on your lobes to wear ear muffs like this. However, you won't know it for 30 years or so.
As a nod to Oprah’s farewell week, let’s take a look at her jewelry and her style over the years. I just spent the weekend viewing hundreds of images of her and girrrrrllllll…….she's got some bodacious jewels. I’m not sure I’m in total sync with her clothing stylist because her looks have been hit or miss over the years, but one thing is for sure: as she acquired wealth, she definitely got better jewelry.
Oprah’s Earrings
Starting with the 1970’s look. Not fair because we all looked like dorks back then. Funny how we thought we looked so good. Do you suppose she still wears these peace earrings every now and then?
By the 80’s, the hair was getting bigger as were the earrings. These were the years we ruined our ear lobes. We all talked about getting surgery on them but few of us did. There are lots of little lobe backs and discs you can use to camouflage any flaw you have. Look closely at the image above. Her earrings look eerily like Michael Jackson’s gloves.
In the 1990’s we still had big hair and big earrings and Toontown gave birth to the smoky eye. However, in the image above you can see she has discovered yellow diamonds. Oprah seems to favor drops, and although I don’t know for sure, they look like they could be detachable. Her diamond necklace is gorgeous as well.
1997-These must be an extra pair she keeps laying around. They are small compared to what she owns today.
2004-Chandelier earrings were new on the scene and we sold lots of them. Oprah looks good in hanging earrings.
2006-I used to see her wear her yellow diamonds a lot but I haven’t seen them in a while. These could be about 10 carats per ear and could easily cost over $250,000 each.
2011 - It’s really hard to estimate the carat weight of these earrings but they are huge. Could be 5-10 carats each. If you check out Blue Nile, you can find radiant cut diamonds at approximately 6.0 tcw, G, VS-1, and are selling for around $233,000 each, making the approximate value of Oprah’s earrings close to a half million dollars.
I was really surprised not to find any definitive information on the size and value of Oprah's earrings, or of the diamond house that sold them to her. I found very general estimates of “10 carats," but they did not indicate whether or not that was total weight for one earring, or the total weight for both. In my opinion, the bottom of one earring (one pear stone) could be as much as 10 carats. And, of course, Oprah would only have the best quality diamonds available. On eBay right now in the loose diamond category, a 7.89 carat, pear shaped, D-IF, GIA certified loose diamond (D-IF is the top quality you can buy) is selling for $1,922,004. If you want to sacrifice a little clarity, you can find a 12.15 carat, pear shaped, D-VVS2, GIA certified loose diamond for $1,321,876. This gives you some idea of how much just one stone can cost. The thing is, you must find four equally matched stones to create these earrings, and that is not easy to do. So as you can imagine, Oprah has a very special pair of earrings.
Oprah’s Watches
Considering how much she spends on her diamonds, I’m surprised by her watches. You don’t see her wear one in many photos, but she is very faithful to Philip Stein. Oprah gave them away on her Favorite Things shows in 2003, 2005 and 2010.
In 2010, Philip Stein commemorated her 25 years on TV with a special edition diamond and non-diamond version. The two and the five are highlighted to recognize 25 years on the Oprah Show. We carry Philip Stein in my store and I remember when these watches came in right before the holidays. We only got one diamond and one non-diamond version as they were limited editions. No sooner had we put them in the case when someone came in for the diamond watch. She was a true Oprah devotee, and although her head didn’t exactly spin 360° around, and she looked like Susan Boyle, pre-makeover, she was damn happy to get this watch.
I showed a woman a pair of beautiful Konstantino earrings the other day ($555.00 on the Neiman Marcus website). She was over 50 and probably was attractive in her earlier years but since she was a smoker (I could smell it) she had those little lines all around her mouth that one gets from years of pursing your lips as you inhale cigarette smoke. I guess you think you’re sexy and mysterious when you first start to smoke, however, by the time you’re 50, if you are still a smoker, those cigs have not been kind….and God forbid you tan as well – you just wind up looking like Keith Richards.
So she does this thing that about 80% of my female clients do when they try on earrings. She puts them on, looks at herself in the mirror, then purses her lips to form some kind of sexy pout as she checked herself out. Along with the pout, she also musses and poofs the hair Now, I think she thought she was looking all fabulous and everything but I just heard the Rolling Stones in the background. Just sayin’.....don’t smoke if you plan on wearing earrings later in life.
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