Why Colors And Prints Are A Midlife Woman’s Best Friends

Fashion Fridays, Kuel Life Thought Leader: Tracy Gold

Let’s get real, when we get to 40, 50, 60 and beyond, we start to lose color in our hair and our skin; our natural color changes.

I’m going to tell you why colors and prints are actually your best friends.

Most women tend to wear black, black, and more black, thinking it’s going to cover everything up. But in reality, black can actually make you look a lot older. It can drain you complexion. Wearing black isn’t wrong, but I’d like to show you some alternatives. 

“The right neutrals will lifts your cheek and under-eye will look lighter.”

Start By Choosing Good Neutrals:

What are good neutrals? When you wear black, it is actually a lot harder on your skin. Alternatives can be navy (this is a really good one!), ivory, white, olive, chocolate, charcoal etc. To see if any of these neutrals work better for you than black, drape a black item of clothing over one shoulder and close to your face and do the same on the other side with an alternative neutral. Take note of the color in your cheeks and the color of your under-eye. The right neutrals will lifts your cheek and under-eye will look lighter. 

Find Your Popping Colors:

You know the colors that every time you wear them, everybody says, “You look amazing today!” If you are still not sure about what your popping colors are or you want to try a new color you aren’t sure about, try this:

1. Start with a color you know works for you. Drape it over one shoulder, close to your face. Take note of the color of your cheeks and your under-eye.
2. Compare it to the color you want to try. Drape that over the other shoulder close to your face. Take note of the color of your cheeks and your under-eye and compare the two.

The colors that make your complexion look rosier and your under-eye lighter are your popping colors.

True Story: I had a client who mostly wore black. When I put a dress on her in a print that was predominantly periwinkle blue it literally, lifted her cheekbones and made her look younger. It is incredible what color can do. 

What if there’s a color you love but you struggle to wear? You can wear any color, you just have to find the right shade. And if you can’t find the right shade, you can wear it in a print mixed with colors that do look good on you.

“As we go through various body changes, it becomes even more imperative that we feel confident in our clothes.”

Wearing Prints:

I love the subject of prints because so many times women are afraid of wearing prints for fear of looking bigger. As we go through various body changes, it becomes even more imperative that we feel confident in our clothes. Prints can be your best friend because it can disguise all the parts that you’re not crazy about and draw attention to the parts that you are. There are a couple of print myths that I’d like to dispel.

1. Once you wear a print, you can’t wear it again without someone noticing. I encourage you to choose prints that suit your personal style. That way, you can wear it for years to come and it becomes your signature look. Who cares if someone recognizes it.
2. I must get the right size of the print. I’ve heard a lot of style advice about wearing print like; ‘If you’re a bigger woman, wear bigger prints, if you’re a smaller woman, wear smaller prints’. I’ve heard it the other way around too! In the 20 years that I’ve been styling women, I can honestly say that it is less about the size of the print and it’s more about the shape of the garment. If you’re wearing something shapeless, regardless of the size of the print, it’s going to make you look bigger. However, if you’re wearing print it in a shapely garment, it can disguises panty lines and parts you aren’t crazy about and can actually make you look slimmer!

To see more on colors and prints, watch this video:

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