Bright lipstick can help you look 10 years younger. Photo / 123RF
Bright lipstick can help you look 10 years younger. Photo / 123RF
Big brows, trainers with everything, ditching handbags – age-defying tips from fashion director Anna Murphy.
Some foolish folk claim you grow out of fashion. I think you should grow into it. Because there is no better way to stay looking and feeling youthful than tweaking your style. And it canbe just a tweak. We are all only a pair of earrings away from looking up to date. Diana Vreeland once said, "I shall die very young. Maybe 70, maybe 80, maybe 90. But I shall be very young." Me too. Here are my tips for holding back the years.
1. Be open-minded
It's easy to dismiss something you haven't worn before as not for you. It may not be, but then again… Refreshing your look is precisely that: adding in elements that are new to you. As long as something works with your body shape, frame size and colouring, there aren't any no-go's. My advice is to revisit your opinions. It often takes me time to embrace a new trend. I sit with it a while, by which I mean as long as a year, even two. If it's still around and it's still catching my eye, I give it a go, having had a proper scope out in a full-length mirror first, of course. (If you don't own one already, this is the most important fashion purchase you will ever make.)
For example, I have never met a woman who wouldn't look great in a pair of smart track pants and a tailored jacket. I have met plenty who think they wouldn't, but they are wrong.
3. Go for bright lips and strong shades
If you do one thing (or two), it should be this. Find your look-lifting go-to's, the elements that transform what you see in the mirror and what everyone else sees when they look at you. It might be a great pair of sunglasses. It might be a great necklace or pair of earrings. (No need to spend much money. H&M is a good source for both.) It might be a bright lipstick – I like MAC's Amplified range. What's key is to avoid being too sensible. Because sensible is boring. And you are not.
4. Getting noticed is good
Often, when you make a change to your appearance or the way you dress, it gets commented upon by people who know you. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a good thing. You are being seen. Embrace it.
5. Loosen up your hair
"Helmet hair" that doesn't move is hair that hasn't moved with the times. It's one of the single most dating things one can do. Instead, think loose layers and, if you are a fan of the hairdryer, not so much blowout as blown in the wind.
There is nothing more ageing than carrying a bag in your hand these days. Hands-free is the only way. Go for a cross-body bag. I have had mine for years. Or you might be ready for a belt bag or even – sacré bleu! – a phone bag. (Bandolier's are the choice of the more mature members of the fashion pack.)
7. Dial down a smart work uniform
You need to ensure your smart doesn't appear uptight, so avoid fabrics and cuts that stifle. Look for edge, in the form of colour and pattern, unusual fabrics or athleisure detailing (zips 'n' stuff). And try not to look too try-hard.
8. Go OTT on jewellery
It might be lots and lots that's small and layered, in the form of a so-called "neckmess" (necklaces) or "curated ear" (multi-piercings). Or it might be less that's more (think big and bold). Either way, this is what jewellery means for front-rowers in their forties, fifties and beyond. It works.
9. Big eyebrows are a) good, and b) not an impossible dream
It is one of the biggest beauty shifts of the decade. Embracing bigger brows will immediately bring you bang up to date. OK, not immediately. It can take a while to grow them back if you've been plucking them for years, though I have been amazed – and that is not a word I use lightly – by the efficacy of Revitabrow. The three-month results have been garnering me compliments even over Zoom. I fill in any remaining gaps – making small hair-like swipes upwards, rather than solidly blocking them in – with Suqqu's Solid Eyebrow Pencil.
10. Trainers modernise every look
They are the biggest game-changer, transforming everything from a trouser suit to a floral dress. But not any old trainers. Go for white or white-ish. Try Veja or one of Russell & Bromley's flatform styles. And absolutely do not – do NOT – wear visible socks.
Trainers can transform any outfit. Photo / Getty Images
11. Your shoes are ageing you
If your shoe style is unchanged from a decade ago, I'll wager they are ageing you. By all means stick to what you like, be it kitten heels or loafers. Just move things on a bit. A new heel shape here, an animal print there. Also, ankle boots can be worn by all ages. Get a pair!
12. Do some research
If you see someone who is getting it right, be they a friend or famous, or a woman in the street, work out what they are doing that you like. Same for a brand. You don't have to be able to afford a label to pick up some style tips. Check out the catwalk shows on vogue.com. The websites of high-street labels such as Zara can be great resources too, as they are so good at making trends work in real life. Check out what they put with what. Do you like it? Would it work for you?
13. Play with proportions
Big square sunglasses suit almost everyone, not least because they hide eye bags. Chunky footwear is youthifying for all but the most petite. One pattern in two different scales – a small and a large floral, for example – looks ineffably au courant. If you are slim, pair something dramatically proportioned with something neat. If you are not, never swamp your lines: skim, skim, skim. But not in a way that looks Eighties. Once more, it's about the details, the fabrics, the colours, the patterns, and the accessories (again, big and bold) you wear them with.
There's the aesthetic, obviously. But there's also whether it works for your size and proportions. Most labels cater best for the physicality that predominates in their country of birth. If you are tall and rangy, Scandinavian brands such as Cos and Ganni are likely to fit you well. If you are petite, then try French and Spanish brands, such as Claudie Pierlot and Zara. If you are a British pear shape, then no one's going to deal with that fruitiness better than homegrown operations such as John Lewis and LK Bennett. If you lack confidence in knowing what goes with what, stick with a single brand, as they tend to design their pieces to work well together.
15. Try before you deny
Three items that define modernity and that will straightaway have you either nodding your head or shaking it. Cropped trousers. Jumpsuits. Wonky hemlines. You may love and wear one, two or three of them. Or you may hate some or all of the above. If you fall into the latter camp, have you actually tried them? They are all perma-trends for a reason, because they are all – if you buy right for you – flattering. And, yes, that's whatever your height or size. A flash of ankle is lengthening, whether delivered by way of trews or an indeterminate hem. A jumpsuit unifies your lines in the same way as a dress, yet can appear more relaxed. And less uptight smart/more relaxed always looks more modern. I am increasingly coming round to dungarees – a sixtysomething friend looks great in hers – but I know not to push my luck.
16. Buy classic, but wear with a twist
If it's a trench coat that makes your heart beat faster, or a pearl necklace, by all means wear one. But wear it in such a way as to ensure no one's going to mistake you for someone from 1990, rather than 2020. Either make one other element of your ensemble indisputably now (see No 11, shoes) or buy a version of a classic that is also indisputably now, such as Plümo's baroque pearl drop necklace.
17. Wear one thing that's a little bit bonkers
I don't mind what it is and I don't mind how small it is. A brooch or a pair of socks would do it. On the other hand, so would a wonderful coat or jacket to throw over an otherwise dialled-down ensemble. It will make you happy, and happiness is the ultimate facelift.
