Pondering elder style: Lessons from Queen Elizabeth
I recently saw this photo of Queen Elizabeth at last spring's Royal Windsor Horse Show, and thought, "When I am her age, I want to dress like that." She looks smart, comfortable, relaxed. (You cannot quite see, but she is wearing pearls.)
Seems to me that women my age are obsessed about not looking old, but I am beginning to be obsessed with how I will look, old. But then, I've always thought ahead. In my tweens, I couldn't wait to grow up and wear a black lace cocktail dress. Now, I'm not so eager to race through my life, but I do think about what elder attire could be.
Not for me, the lamé leggings and "creative" jacket. I'm going "cas" like the Queen: matlassé jacket, cashmere cardi and tweed skirt, or possibly straight-legged trousers. I'm not alone; Agyness Deyn has said Queen Elizabeth is her fashion inspiration; shown, Deyn on the inaugural cover of Love magazine (2009).
The Queen is known for colour; she has long known that luminous hues draw the eye in a crowd.
When it's time to replace the Eric Bompard cardis I habitually wear, I'll remember how colour revivifys and adds interest.
My long-loved black won't be so appealing in the next decade, and I'm not referring to the traditional connotation of mourning. Black doesn't ennoble the elder woman as much as rich grey, plum, navy or camel.
Queen Elizabeth is known for Hermès carrés worn as headscarves, an effect I have not yet essayed. Certainly, I am keeping my stack. Though some fashionistas will not touch them, I am certain the glowing colours and prints will lift me, especially when worn with a smile as twinkly as Her Majesty's.
I'm developing interest in subtle, colour-flecked tweeds, such as a navy and copper tweed jacket from Brora.
I think too, of my godmother. When she was the Queen's age, she received me in an ecru shirt, fresia pink cashmere v-neck, Donegal tweed fine wool slacks and a strand of big Mikimoto pearls. I always adored her style, and she will be another of my beacons now.
So, I'm going for more colour (even if only navy instead of black), more quality (even if not bespoke, like Her Majesty's), and more longevity, via relatively classic styles, for example, my coat from Dalmad Marine.
In July I turn 67, rounding the corner toward 70, which especially matters when I make a major purchase. A new coat, for example, should last into that decade. Of waterproof wool (similar to loden cloth), durable yet supple, this fall topper is a maritime style that suits life in this northern island-city.
Strangely, the fear of being dowdy has receded. I'm reaching the age when I can, with quiet pleasure, wear the sort of clothes I always liked best.
Seems to me that women my age are obsessed about not looking old, but I am beginning to be obsessed with how I will look, old. But then, I've always thought ahead. In my tweens, I couldn't wait to grow up and wear a black lace cocktail dress. Now, I'm not so eager to race through my life, but I do think about what elder attire could be.
Not for me, the lamé leggings and "creative" jacket. I'm going "cas" like the Queen: matlassé jacket, cashmere cardi and tweed skirt, or possibly straight-legged trousers. I'm not alone; Agyness Deyn has said Queen Elizabeth is her fashion inspiration; shown, Deyn on the inaugural cover of Love magazine (2009).
The Queen is known for colour; she has long known that luminous hues draw the eye in a crowd.
When it's time to replace the Eric Bompard cardis I habitually wear, I'll remember how colour revivifys and adds interest.
My long-loved black won't be so appealing in the next decade, and I'm not referring to the traditional connotation of mourning. Black doesn't ennoble the elder woman as much as rich grey, plum, navy or camel.
Queen Elizabeth is known for Hermès carrés worn as headscarves, an effect I have not yet essayed. Certainly, I am keeping my stack. Though some fashionistas will not touch them, I am certain the glowing colours and prints will lift me, especially when worn with a smile as twinkly as Her Majesty's.
I'm developing interest in subtle, colour-flecked tweeds, such as a navy and copper tweed jacket from Brora.
I think too, of my godmother. When she was the Queen's age, she received me in an ecru shirt, fresia pink cashmere v-neck, Donegal tweed fine wool slacks and a strand of big Mikimoto pearls. I always adored her style, and she will be another of my beacons now.
So, I'm going for more colour (even if only navy instead of black), more quality (even if not bespoke, like Her Majesty's), and more longevity, via relatively classic styles, for example, my coat from Dalmad Marine.
In July I turn 67, rounding the corner toward 70, which especially matters when I make a major purchase. A new coat, for example, should last into that decade. Of waterproof wool (similar to loden cloth), durable yet supple, this fall topper is a maritime style that suits life in this northern island-city.
Strangely, the fear of being dowdy has receded. I'm reaching the age when I can, with quiet pleasure, wear the sort of clothes I always liked best.
Comments
LmC
This post prompted me to reply. I am a regular reader of your blog but to date, the only one I reply to is Vivienne Files. However, I couldn't resist today. I think you are right on, lovely colour and a uniform of sorts. My mother is 99 and has a consistent uniform. Her bright white hair worn like Karl Lagerfeld, a belted man's shirt ( either from her long deceased husband or discards from my husband) with collar up, slim same colored pants(made by me), a simple bangle and ballet flats. Plus Iris Apfel glasses. That is my plan if I am so lucky to live so long.
Deb from Vancouver
You will be a willowy version of HRH...she is my height and we are both very ample in the balcony so the cardigans do come across a wee bit mumsy. Nevertheless she has great style and seems to be having a lot of fun theses days...
My wardrobe now sports two Barbour pieces...very English Country. A jacket and a gilet....add the Hermes scarves and pearls and I can be there! Not sure I can pull off the head scarf yet...but who knows in a few years it might change.
Would like to see your Hermes collection...if you care to share.
I not only enjoyed this post but all the wonderful responses of your readers, dear Duchesse.
Kirsten
LmC: I've been thinking about this for a good while, as materfamilias says, it seems to come on in the 60s.
Scotti Vaccaro: It seems what was once the Junior's dept has taken over every area of those stores.
Mme: The sweet spot is the intersection of those fabrics with at least a smidge of style. Since you are in Canada I can say, I find ça va de soie are doing this marvelously. So far they haven't an e-shopping site.
Swissy: And- did you ever think the hip accessory of the summer would be classic Birkenstocks? Sometimes the fashionistas fall hard for something formerly overlooked.
materfamilias: If you go way back in your blog you may find that you, like me, have gradually shifted. Blogs are fascinating documents of us growing older, when you have been writing as long as we have.
Deb: Thank you so much for commenting; as you can see, your mother's uniform is of great interest! And it sounds wonderful. So kind of you to sew for her.
Reminds me of a 90-someting NYC painter who had adopted a similar uniform: black yoga pants, white men's shirt (from discount stores), Converses, stack of silver bracelets. Only that, for everything. I might go the yoga pant route too, if I get that far.
LPC: A caftan, turban, enormous hoops and lashings of kohl? I can't wait to see that!
bomm: I see it more as a distinction between country (or sporting event) look than French vs English. I was recently at the races at Auteuil. The owners and their friends were mostly wearing that conservative style, plenty of tweeds and tailoring. (Though the woman in the figure-hugging off-whited skirted suit and five-inch tomato-red patent stilettos was definitely French.) The French "BCBG" types have always liked to wear English and Scottish clothes; they appreciate quality.
hostess: The head scarf is a kind of frontier, I think, though far less conservative when tied behind the heck, like Audrey Hepburn.
Kirsten: I have conflicted feelings about Kate's personal style, and appreciated your post because it made me think more about it. She occasionally wears mid-priced dresses, and the same dress more than once, which is a good example. It's a daunting thing to be on continual display, and she seems to have abundant composure.
I wear way too much black. You have persuaded me me to start looking for color--even if it is navy--like you say.
Susan: Many elegant older women here wear black, but leavened with colour via a scarf (which we need so much of the year here) or necklace. I think "Up near the face, up near the face" will be my mantra.
On a related topic, a minor bugbear of mine is when I read that "these days as we age, we don't have to look like our mothers did". What do they mean by that? My mother, aunts and grandmothers were all stylish throughout their lives and I will be very pleased if I can emulate them.
Lilibet
I do not want to look frumpy. I (mostly) don't mind looking my age, but I don't want to look like I don't have a clue about style.
The Gold Digger: One of the dictionary definitions (source: Dictionary.com) of "matronly" is "of, characteristic of, or suitable for a matron; staid and dignified in a manner associated with a middle-aged, usually plump, woman."
"Frumpy" is defined by the same source as "(of a woman, clothes, etc) dowdy, drab, or unattractive".
One can be any age and be frumpy, and one can be matronly but not frumpy. The there's "dowdy", and who was the unfortunate Ms Dowd, anyway?
Just the other day I was trying on a pair of pants and wondering whether they made my ass look fat, and I had to snap myself out of it: a) at 58, my ass IS fat (or fatter, anyway); and b) you shouldn't be looking at it anyway, and I shouldn't care what you think.
The excellent Genevieve Darriaux notes that the Brits are unequalled on knits and woolens. How about a matching (or coordinating) sweater and skirt to bridge the gap between British tweeds and French tailoring?
The Hermes scarf works only if your hair has some height to it -- i.e., a "hairdo" like QE2 has. On flat, natural hair it's not a good look. Who knows -- maybe in a few years I'll be ready for a "hairdo" too!
re whether you need high hair to wear a headscarf, see this classic Sartorialist shot:
http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/on-the-street-woman-in-the-scarf-milan/
Wonder what Helen Mirren wears in private life? Btw her autobiography is a good read if you're an admirer.
I look at pictures of my mother back in her younger years, and LOVE the styles. Wish people still dressed like that (the 40s and 50s), except for the comfort factor I guess! As I age, I will definitely skew more toward the Queen rather than Iris Apfel. I love beautiful fabrics, but prefer the more understated styles. I volunteer at Dress for Success, and we have an interesting group of older volunteers, in their 60s and 70s: one does a Diane Keaton style, complete with round glasses, and another does strictly neutrals with bold jewelry. Yet another, in her mid to late 70s (I'm guessing) still works part time at Anthropologie, so she dresses with that vibe. They are inspiring for me to up my game!
It seems to me that simplifying our clothing choices is a natural consequence of getting older. We've had the time to try lots of variations, to refine likes and dislikes. We also tend to be more confident and have less need to conform, which conveys it's own sense of style whatever we wear.
I know it's not the dictionary definition, but to me the word dowdy means defeated looking. I doubt you will ever be that!
Lilibet
We are more than our clothes, although one one hopes that our sartorial choices support our expression of our authentic self, and that inner self is in my opinion our greatest adornment as we age. What first attracted my gaze to the lady in the queue today was her twinkle, her quiet yet commanding, graceful, patient, good humoured presence. I wanted to walk up to her and ask her about herself, she seemed to full of Life Well & Interestingly Lived, but being English, of course I didn't!
One thing that I recall is that she never seems to have coloured her hair, not only now that it is a nice silver, but even when it was a salt-and-pepper many would have seen as "dull".
lagatta: Good point; she has aged as herself, and I also noticed her posture is still very good.
Pseu: Lord Grantham, LOL! Maybe it's cultural; I can't imaging HRH in Eileen Fisher, either.