Dressing fashionably at 70 – There’s no getting away from it, 70 is an awfully big number.
But it’s a number we Boomers are having to come to terms with, as we hurtle towards 70. Or have already passed that landmark birthday.
We think it’s easier to come to terms with 70 when so many super-glam women such as Elaine Paige, Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon and, of course, Dame Helen Mirren, are looking fabulous in their 70s proving it’s possible. And providing a template for the rest of us for looking good at 70 years old.
Dressing fashionably at 70
Trends are definitely a little tougher to follow as we reach the Big Seven-O, but certainly not impossible. Here are some suggestions for looking sensational and dressing fashionably at 70:
STRUCTURE
Structure is our friend in our 70s. We can impose structure with good underwear, starting with a well-fitting bra that keeps our boobs where they should be.
Also, shapewear of all kinds, helps hold everything in and provides a smooth silhouette under our clothing.
A Shaper Slip, which is slightly easier to wear as there is less wrestling when you go to the loo, helps to ensure that filmier fabrics hang properly.
A bodysuit in nude is the perfect foundation under something see-through.
Or we can look for pieces with structure, such as this elegantly simple long-sleeved jumpsuit from Reiss or this striking emerald dress from Phase Eight.
GIVE CLASSICS A TWIST
Classics are Classics for good reasons – because they look good, flatter most body shapes, and carry on for season after season. But we need to give our Classics a twist and a regular shake-up, to avoid sliding into too-safe territory. Fashion for the older woman means cherishing a classic cut, but buying the Classic in a very non-Classic colour or print, such as this ‘classic’ blazer in yellow from Marks & Spencer, or a ‘classic’ monochrome trench from La Redoute.
BUYING HIGH STREET
At 70, it’s perfectly possible to shop on the High Street and to look elegant (and to appear as if you bought designer/premium). But there are some tricks to it.
One trick is to mix it up. If you have designer/premium pieces, mix them with High Street pieces. Also, when shopping on the High Street at 70 it’s good to consider buying up a size as volume usually looks pricier! If a garment looks ‘skimpy,’ that can sometimes let us down.
When shopping on the High Street at 70 it is important to consider colour. An inexpensive item will often look more elegant (and pricier) in a neutral or classic colour. For instance, we love these linen trousers from Boden. They could be paired with a simple long-sleeve tee or top for everyday. But teamed with a cami and a blazer they are perfect for dinner out.
A denim skirt is a great High Street buy at 70. Denim is not only perfectly on trend but is a clever alternative to jeans. We love this one from Kin Denim at John Lewis & Partners the midi length makes it super elegant.
STATEMENT PIECES
Statement pieces look good at any age, but it is often not until we’ve had a few big birthdays that we really appreciate the value of a bold statement piece. A statement piece could be almost anything, but, whatever it is, when dressing fashionably at 70, make it the focus of the outfit. We’d have no problem declaring either of these stunning blue dresses, one from Hobbs and one from Ted Baker, to be our Statement frock of the season.
COLOUR
Jan and Cyndy represent the two ends of the colour-loving spectrum. Cyndy adores colour, the brighter and bolder the better; Jan not so much. Jan prefers neutrals but acknowledges that as we get older, colour is vital. It has the ability to lift our skin-tone, to make our eyes shine and our hair gleam.
And as we said earlier, colour is a clever way to jolt ‘safe’ into sensational. Gorgeous colour abounds for this season. For a bold splash of paintbox-bright colour we love this embroidered jacket from Boden while our favourite pastels include this stunning pink trouser suit from Marks & Spencer.
HERITAGE/VINTAGE PIECES
You may have some much-loved heritage and vintage pieces. Give them an airing as a unique way to upgrade and complement your contemporary wardrobe, especially High Street pieces.
Only you know what’s in your wardrobe, but have a rummage and see if there’s a dress or a brooch or shoes that a fashionable 16-year-old would kill for. If so, why not give it an airing…
Here are a few pieces destined to take on heritage status in the future, such as this exquisite beaded clutch from Accessorize, or this beautiful Aspinal of London scarf.
VOLUME
Volume is your friend as you get older. That definitely doesn’t mean baggy, but a bit slouchy… Consider wearing something more fitted (like a tee or cami) under a slouchy shirt…
We love this fern print kimono from Wallis and this stunning asymmetric shirt from Evans in pastel pink.
Have you celebrated your 70th? Or are you approaching it soon and still want to be looking good at 70 years old? Are you inspired by women such as Elaine Paige, Goldie Hawn and Dame Helen Mirren?
17 Comments
Shame you didn’t show the clothes on age-appropriate models
Thanks for commenting, Heather. It is an issue for us, too. We would definitely prefer to show them on age-appropriate models. And we would if only the brands photographed them on age-appropriate models. But they don’t, which is annoying for us and for you. So we ignore the models and just concentrate on showing you the clothes we know will work!
I agree models of appropriate age please.
Why, why, why if these fashions are for women over 70 do you have models half that age modeling the clothes. It just doesn’t look right, have women over sixty modeling clothes for women of that particular age range. Would look a whole lot better and you would be able to visualize them on yourself better.
Many thanks for your comment Eileen. It is one which has been made a few times before! The issue is that almost all brands do not put their clothes on models over 50, let alone 70. There are a couple of exceptions that at least use models over 35, some might use an occasional older model, but most models are only in their 20s, if we’re lucky. A CEO of a very famous brand aimed at the over 45s told me during a conversation in his office that products do not sell well if shown on older models.
Our raison d’etre is to curate clothes from high street and high end, suitable for women over 50. And we do that manually and as I am sure you can imagine, it takes a lot of time. We have over 13,000 products on the site so it would be impossible to photograph them all on older models. So we do the only thing we can do where the model is too young for our home page and blog posts. We crop off their faces!
It’s the clothes for over 50s, 60s and 70s that we’re looking at Eileen – not the models! We show the clothes so that you can see what is on planet fashion without having to trawl the high street!
We hope you can find some pieces you like. Warm regards Cyndy and Jan
Well I’m over 80 and still interested in “fashion”. I think for some time now women have been wearing trousers for all occasions. In fact, I often count the number of women wearing a skirt or a dress and rarely get to number 6!
However I must say I like the jumpsuit from Finery and the emerald green dress from Phase 8. I would wear these.
The fern-print kimono is tempting as I love a dramatic jacket but wonder if the pattern is too large for a petite person.
Sadly, I dislike all the other outfits. :O(
Thanks for your comments, Eirlys. We’re not going to act surprised that, at over 80, you are still interested in fashion. Of course you are – and you are not alone. That is why we created SoSensational. And yes, you are spot-on with your observation about trousers. I have attended some smart birthday parties recently and noted the phenomenon of most women in trousers, though recently I’ve also noted a lot of maxis and jumpsuits, too. Like you, I also loved the Finery jumpsuit and the emerald-green Phase 8 dress. I also particularly liked the blazer from River Island. I can’t wear yellow but bought it in pink… The fern-print kimono should be fine for a petite as the print, though not tiny, is not huge or too bold…
At 100 my Mum still put her’face’on every day and, every night, laid out her co-ordinated outfit for the next day( despite the fact that she might only be visited by the ‘meals on wheels’service.)She loved clothes and cosmetics and said it made her feel young at heart ,which she certainly was. Looking good is vital to self worth
This is so nice to read Jennifer! We agree, looking good can make a huge difference to our esteem, as well as display out personality.
I also have a big problem with the models being maybe half or even a third of us 70 year olds but the problem is you still don’t know what an older face, figure etc would look like in these clothes because even if not overweight, our shape changes, and that is life, gravity etc!
Use 70 year old models, a 30 year old has a much different look in their clothes than someone who is 70.
We don’t take the pictures Brenda, just use them to show you all the ideas.
Our raison d’etre is to curate clothes from high street and high end, suitable for women over 50. And we do that manually and as I am sure you can imagine, it takes a lot of time. We have over 13,000 products on the site so it would be impossible to photograph them all on older models.
Have a fabulous day!
Thank you for your ideas however it may be more helpful if you used models in their seventies to illustrate.
Thanks Maureen, we completely agree, it would be lovely if the models were matched to the age category for the fashion, but sadly not! As we mentioned above, we don’t take the pictures, just use them from the site. To combat this, we have however set up a #wearesosensational campaign. If you want to see more models in their 70s, why don’t you take part and help the movement? https://www.sosensational.co.uk/wearesosensational/
What a wonderful piece of tips! Please post article also explaining the benefits of wearing cotton clothes.
Thank you! You might find some useful information on cotton on our sustainable edit: https://www.sosensational.co.uk/high-street-sustainable-fashion/
If only the models were age appropriate, not stick thin and in their 20s might get an ides what we might look like in these fashions.