Fifty(something) Shades of Grey

Mr Looking Our Best has always had a thing for Emmylou Harris.  
He only has to hear the opening strains of Boulder to Birmingham to become all misty eyed then waxing lyrical on the meaning of the song (the demise of Gram Parsons at Joshua Tree National Monument in 1973, apparently). These sentimental reminiscences are the cue for the younger inmates at LOB Towers to don their headphones and edge towards the door. But there is no denying the talent of Emmylou (65) and a career spanning 40 years with 25 albums, 12 Grammys, and now a new record with Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon, released this month. Our Em sure can belt out a tune, but it’s not for her way to rock a country ballad, but her way to rock a fab grey mane that puts her in the picture in this week’s post. 

Alas, LOB and her fifty-something pals don’t look (or sound) remotely like the wondrous Emmylou. We are instinctively wary of letting our barnets gradually evolve into something resembling a Brillo pad. It would be like we have given up, and now referring to clothes as ‘outfits’ and having coffee in supermarket restaurants.  
But, hello...?  
According to some of the glossy style magazines, the once dreaded grey is the new honey blonde/fiery red/sultry brunette. Young 'uns like Kelly Osbourne  
 
and Pixie Geldof, have already taken up the look,  bless 'em.  Technically, the actual trend is for white blonde hair, with toners shading it from platinum to silver. Kristen McMenamy is one of the best known older fashion models (47) whose ethereal look very much stems from her trademark silver hair. (Catch images of her here as the Chanel bride for 2011, as chosen by that even older silver fox Karl Lagerfeld)
 
Going grey is nature's way of complementing skin which lightens in tone as we age, and so a paler hair colour can complement that gradual progression to a paler complexion. Very dark hair can look really harsh against older skin, which is why a former brunette may make the transition to blonde later in life with a natural grace. The vanilla and beige blonde shades are flattering to paler skin, while any dreaded brassy tones can be toned down with one of the professional purple shampoo/conditioning combos, such as Clairol’s Shimmer Lights, or Joico Color Endure (available from selected salons or online). Also for fading blondes, but especially reccomended for white or grey hair, is Aveda’s Blue Malva shampoo and conditioner. Online endorsements say the bluish-purple formulation brightens grey hair to a silvery shine. 

There are positives to letting hair go grey or white naturally, as attested by  Anne Kreamer in her book Going Gray (published Little, Brown & Company). The author found that colouring her hair actually made her look older, so she decided to grow out her grey, and has no regrets.The book examines the cultural pressures and self-images that connect to dyeing hair, especially for mid-lifers (and that includes the menfolk and their Grecian 2000). Kreamer writes that fewer than 10 percent of American women coloured their hair in the 1950s, compared with up to 75 percent today. 
While worrying about hair colour sounds like vanity, in our youth orientated society growing out the grey affects anyone concerned about age discrimination and how that may impact in terms of workplace opportunity. There's also the little matter of trying to tell your hair colourist that you want to let nature take it's course.  Your salon may not be all that thrilled at your cancelling those expensive 6 weekly re-touches, so perhaps don't expect advice, much less, enthusiasm.

To combat the fear of going back to our roots, and negative connotations of signing up to  the ‘blue-rinse brigade’, LOB is here to bolster confidence with an image of blog subject favourite Helen Mirren

who fully embraces her starry silvery strands – and even dyes them pink when the fancy takes her.  For the rest of us, the dilemma remains – should we just fade to grey? LOB could sure write a mournful ole country ballad just thinking about it ….


Credits:  Emmylou Harris photo by Mark Humphrey/Associated Press 
Kelly Osbourne phot by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 2012
Helen Mirren photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com 

 

It's Never Goodbye to (Norma) Jeans ...

 

What's been happening in the big fashion world since Looking Our Best last took to Blogger back in August 2011?   Sparkly things, peplums, assymetric hems, onesies - not much there to whet the sartorial appetite of the stylish femme d'un certain age, methinks.  

Femme d'un certain age?  For any bewildered young fashionista who has accidentally strayed onto this blog, LOB (Looking Our Best) must re-state the minimum entry requirements - namely, if  cut-off shorts over faux suspender tights is your idea of the height of style,  then off with you  back to Forever 21  – there are thousands of fashion blogs out there in cyber space catering for you little darlings. LOB's blog is  for us elegant grown-ups who may be long past Miss Selfridge - but not quite ready for the elastic waistband hinterland of M & S Classics, either. 

There are enduring pieces of clothing, however, that transcend all ages, sizes, gender and trends - and no matter where you are are reading this, dear follower, look around and you will see evidence of these hardy perennials everywhere. Denim jeans remain a stalwart in any wardrobe, and have grown up in tandem through the decades with us baby-boomers. This also gives LOB an excuse to post  images of one of the most iconic stars ever to squeeze herself into a pair of Levis. Marilyn Monroe famously wore  denim jeans in her last completed picture, The Misfits, (1961),  scripted by her then husband, Arthur Miller, and directed by John Huston. 

These shots show that us wimmin can still look good in jeans,  even when blessed with a large rear extension. (Okay, okay, we don't all look like goddesses, and such a high-waisted style would have echoes of the dreaded 'Mom' jeans if worn by the rest of us). Marilyn was stuck with mens' jeans back in the day, so she would have loved Levis  modern Bold Curve range, designed for women with a small waist to hip ratio. Chain stores now too have got into the act with much more diversity in jeans styles and shape to accommodate all the womanly fruity variations, i.e. what we fifty-somethings refer to as pear-shaped or apple-shaped. (We will gloss over any 'elder lemon' references, thank you).   There are myriad websites out there with advice on how to choose denims to flatter http://www.typef.com/jeans-and-body-shape/.  Plus, the magic of elastane woven with denim gives modern jeans' designs that all important s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and a  degree of contour control. LOB is of the apple variety, and so to compensate the thickening waist and disappearing rear with a more Beyonce-like derriere,  finds Gap's Curvy jeans with back pockets flaps give the illusion of enhanced curve. Also spotted this week by LOB (in the current Debenhams sale) are these J by Jasper Conran jeans

   
  
(reduced to €50)  called Stretch and Lift. They are really flattering on the less than pert, with a wider than usual waistband and more detailed stitching, while the stretchiness heads off  attempts by the bum to sag southwards. Meanwhile, to keep the inspiration going (and to justify that headline), here's another pic of Marilyn, back when she was goddess-in-waiting Norma Jean, wearing her denims like a real star.  See, jeans really are timeless ...

Just spottted. It's the 1980s. Again

Looking Our Best has it on good style authority that the decade that put the nasty in Dynasty is one of the retro trends this Autumn. Tsk. It’s enough to make us feel old.

LOB vividly remembers the fashion horror of those neon hued, big shoulder padded days,  and greets news of a revival pretty much the same way that a Ryanair cabin crew member might on hearing that Gerard Depardieu has booked another flight to Dublin. One strong look from the early 1980s that baby boomers will recall is leopard print, mainly in sweaters, shirts and jackets and teamed with leather skirts or ski pants (yes, unfortunately).  Although LOB has always been of the opinion that leopard print looks best on the leopard itself, she concedes that it has abiding appeal for many of her stylish sisters.  To avoid referencing Corrie’s Bet Lynch, the trick is to restrict the autumn wardrobe to just one or two pieces. LOB’s prowl through the new season’s collections has spotted variations on the big cat trend that are flattering for grown-ups, such as this leopard print wrap dress from Hobbs (€100 approx) pictured above.  Alternatively, these L.K. Bennett sling backs

could be just the thing for stalking in while also updating a favourite LBD. (Although the hefty price tag - €255 approx will have you needing to sit down again).   The Hepburn bag by Aspinall is equally gasp inducing in price but rather, er,  purr-fect.

So, 80s leopard print? Maybe. Leg-warmers? No way. Not even if they keep the chilblains at bay...

Ultra Stylish Person of the month   .... 

Looking Our Best is acutely aware that citing Helen Mirren as a stylish role model for women of a certain age is now a right royal cliché. Especially in the tabloids, bless ‘em, where they love proclaiming her with headlines of dubious complimentary worth such as ‘oh look, she can still wear a swimsuit even though she’s got a bus pass’. Alright you red tops, lets be ‘aving you – as DCI Jane Tennison might say. Because the Prime Suspect star and woman who played The Queen with even more imperious majesty than Liz the second herself, is a grown up USP for much more than being able to get in and out of a swimming pool at age 66. Rumour has it that when she makes one of her frequent and dazzling appearances on the red carpet, she’s not necessarily advertising a five-figure sum gown for some designer, either.  On one occasion, when the zip broke on her couture get-up, she reputedly wore a £7 thrift shop dress kept on standby.  "I love second-hand shops," she has been quoted, adding,
"Or I make my own clothes because I've never found the kinds of things I liked. My mother taught me how to work a sleeve." Truly, when it comes to looking a million dollars on a tight budget, there is nothing like a Dame ...

Words of the style wise .... 

Speaking of 80s fashion, and women who can still rock a leopard print jacket, LOB can’t wait to have a read of The World According to Joan. In a new book, the inimitable Joan Collins (78),  has decided to reveal her style and beauty secrets to a breathless nation with all the accepted grouchiness that is one of the joys of ageing.  Whatever of the big shoulder pads, our Joanie has no time for big waistbands, with the alarming warning that the overweight “are digging their graves with their own teeth." Eeow.

Pulled over by the fashion police ...

LOB is loving the re-run of Danish thriller The Killing (Forbrydelsen) nightly on BBC4, just ahead of the new series. We now know whodunnit, while Sofie Grabol, who plays unflappable leading investigator Sarah Lund, has also explained the mysterious appeal of her rather homely woolly jumper – an unlikely fashion trend.  “Everybody wanted that sweater," she told The Observer. "The company in the Faroe Islands couldn't keep up. We had a costume meeting and I saw that sweater and thought: 'That's it!” The reason it's so perfect is because it tells so many stories. It tells of a person who doesn't use her sexuality – that's a big point. Lund's so sure of herself she doesn't have to wear a suit. She's at peace with herself." Just the thing to stay warm while running through that bleak, November landscape.