Sustainable, Purposeful Wardrobe Building for Women Over 50

Over 50 Feeling 40 supports sustainable fashion

Happy Monday!  Today I want to discuss sustainable, purposeful wardrobe building for women over 50.  I have been blogging for right at ten years, so you have seen many of my favorite separates before.  This is purposeful.  I have worked hard to build a wardrobe which represents me and will withstand time.  My separates are selected so that they look great with professional and casual wear.  I also try to select garments I know will be in style of years to come and hold up with great quality.

Once I began to understand what I wanted to communicate to others with my outside style, and I began to be consistent and control those messages, then a wardrobe came together which reflects me.  Whenever I put on an outfit, I look in the mirror and ask, does this say to the world that I am creative, current, approachable, intelligent (chic, classic) and strong?  Those are my personal adjectives that describe Pam-style!  Sometimes the creative adjective is demonstrated through a scarf or other accessories.  

All of these pieces are ones I have owned for several years.  The Eileen Fisher gray, waffle-patterned jacket was purchased on sale at Dillards. The lovely deep red blouse is Vince Camuto also purchased at Dillards years back.  The pants are the newest part of this ensemble and are JJill from last year.  I have owned this scarf for so long, I do not remember where it came from originally.  I like it because it has both silver and gold in it, so it goes really well with mixed metals for accessories.  It also has the red from the top in it.   Many of the older scarves are shorter in length and I prefer that if i want to wear it down like I am doing today.

The waffle texture in the EF jacket is really on trend this year.  I have seen it many places.  Now, because I am finally beginning to lose some weight and tone my body at the gym, a few pieces are starting to hang a little.  Once they are really too big, I will consign them at my favorite consignment shop or donate to Goodwill SA.  That is part of the sustainability of a working wardrobe as well…knowing when to pass it along.  Of course, there is no better brand to promote when discussing sustainability than Eileen Fisher!

I did a little “closet-diving” this weekend and it was fun!  A great reminder that my strategy of wardrobe building has paid off.  Do you have a strategy for building your wardrobe over 50?  If so, please share….enjoy the slideshow (EVERY GARMENT IS ON SALE)….and 

KEEP SMILING!!

 

NOTE:  I forgot to tell you yesterday about the WOULD YOU WEAR it mannequins from Saturday.  Believe it or not, I found these in a local grocery store.  I personally do not think the fact they are in a grocery store, let’s the display designer off the hook.  Every fashion display should be styled with the intention to make sales (no matter what the brand is).  Sadly, I personally do not think this one does motivate anyone to buy….unless you are shopping for leggings alone!  I agree with those who said the styles would look better with longer tops. 

 

 

8 Comments

  1. Pam, you always have such sound advice for us! I love your classic look, classic without being stodgy or staid. Hope you were nowhere near the tornado that ripped through part of Dallas.

  2. Thank you for your sweet concern, Donna. San Antonio is almost a six hour drive from Dallas so we did not experience the tornados weather. Thank you!

  3. This is what I consider classic. Looks good now, will look good 2 years from now. I’m 70 now, and have put on some weight, about 5 pounds. It seems it’s here to stay. I’m not complaining too much, I’m still a 6, but I’ll never wear those 4’s in my closet, that I keep hanging on to. All my cashmere sweaters are too small, and I just have such a hard time giving them up, but they are just taking up space. I need to rethink, replace. I was going to say the scarf needed some red in it, but then you said it did. The color doesn’t come across for me. You look great. Congratulations on losing weight and getting healthier.

  4. Thanks, Freda! I would be singing from the rooftops if I was a size 6…will just never happen and I can live with that! I bet you can sell those sweaters… check our Posh mark or eBay. Yes, there is red in the scarf! It’s a great scarf!

  5. Hopefully, you avoided any of the awful aftermath of that tornado we are hearing about up here in the Northeast? Please tell us you’re ok.

    On sustainability…yes, I look for classic and hopefully endless fabrics and design that will rake me forward. I gave up work at age 65, so it’s been awhile and donated my working wardrobe (most if it) to an Agency helping women. Those pieces I saved were a black blazer, a navy blazer piped in hot pink, and some tailored shirts in solid and stripes from a better store.
    Today I depend on several pair of good jeans, and leggings with two to three paiir of trouser pants. Add to that some tee shirts and a few sweaters as I live in the northeast. Not much. I’ve pared down my wardrobe considerably…..

  6. Thanks for sharing, Paulette! I know this is helpful. Texas is a very big state and Dallas is North and I am South. I do have many friends and family in Dallas but have not heard any were affected. Thank you for your concern! ☺️

  7. I’m glad to hear that you weren’t impacted by the harsh weather. I thought of you when I heard what happened in Dallas.

    I agree with buying quality basics that will give us some years of wear. I have a black pencil skirt I got about 30 years ago and it’s still in style, was high quality so it’s still going strong. I had to replace the zipper, but other than that it’s not showing wear. Granted, I don’t keep clothes that long in general, but there’s a lot to be said for buying quality pieces.

    You have great style and really do communicate your Foundational Five! Learning about this from you helped me develop a personal style and also helped me when transitioning into retirement. I can’t recommend this process highly enough! I like that it’s fluid, and revisiting the adjectives from time to time can keep our style current and meaningful.

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