We all know a great hand bag, shoes or jewellery can make or break an outfit. The perfect piece adds texture, colour or shape to really pull your outfit together like a picture perfect runway piece. You want to feel amazing when you wear these pieces, don’t you, but if you are not updating or changing your pieces, you could be stuck in the age of … old age!
The wrong accessory can make the most gorgeous outfit look careless and unhinged. But that is not the worst damage the wrong accessories can do. They can actually make you look Older and Older is not a look any gal is going for when she gets dressed. There’s no energy, no vitality, nothing fresh and exciting when you think of old. So take a deep breath and let’s see if you are guilty as charged.
Ever felt like the oldest in the room? Looking and feeling older will destroy your confidence and ruin your look. There is nothing wrong with aging. Yes, the best fashion items are ageless, elegant and timeless. Some accessories are silly fads that come in for a seaon and rarely suit everyone. In fact, if you’re not careful you might look like you are trying too hard.
But before you decide to avoid fashion trends all together and behave like your age, here are a few tips you might want to remember and still feel 10 years younger.
Very Very Heavy earrings
No matter what your age, very very heavy earrings are going to pull on your ears. After a certain age, the loss of collagen and elasticity can cause your cute ear lobes to sag when you add rock heavy earrings. You don’t need to stay away from long earrings, just the very heavy ones. It makes sense to stay away from very heavy earrings full stop. An accident, a baby or a quick change of clothes is all you need to end up with a torn lobe.
Since earlobes are notorious for showing your age, wearing very cute light ones will stop the marks from showing at all. You will get the same elegant effect and without the headache of heavy earrings pulling on your neck and head.
Jewellery Match & Set
Just like furnishing out a room, matching jewellery sets can be a little too much. Yes, it was the fashion but like all fashion, its moved on. If you’ve got a great jewellery set and you love the style, wear the pieces separately. Creating focus around one piece will make your outfit look amazing.
Another idea is to mix your pieces with up to date pieces in different metals. This is modern and on trend. If your pieces are precious but the styles are out of date, you need to rethink the pieces.
You can reset these into something you will love to wear. If you have lots of small pieces that you never wear, sell them for their gold or stone value and take the money and run! Bespoke pieces are expensive to make and often not worth the trouble, so think seriously before spending a small fortune to save small pieces.
All The Wrong Metals
Mixing your metals was a faux pas last century. It signalled you couldn’t make up your mind which one you liked or even worse, you couldn’t afford a matching set. Now choosing the wrong metal tones can be a major offense for a different reason. It can age you by decades.
While rose gold, gold, silver or brass are a personal choice, use your skin tone as a guide to which one suits you, or it will add years to your look.
The wrong metal tone can exaggerate skin uneveness, redness or dark circles.
If cool colour tones look best on you, then silver is your metal colour. If you have a warmer complexion, go for gold. If you love silver but it looks all wrong on you, then mix your gold colours and get the best of both worlds.
Brooch Love
Most people think brooches are aging. Brooches are not aging, its how you wear them that is telling. Do it right and you don’t have to pack away your mother’s or grandmother’s brooches. Instead you can enjoy them and make your outfits scream gorgeous, unique and confident.
Its all about contrasts. A very young woman wearing a brooch on her lapel will appear classic and stylish. An older woman with a brooch on her lapel will appear dated.
Use that gorgeous piece as a button instead to to fasten your cardigan. It will still be on display but in a trendy, less grandmotherly way.
Pearls
Like brooches, there’s no need to stop buying pearls or hiding them away. Switch them up so they look modern and contemporary. Get them restrung (you should that every couple of years anyway), invest in a great clasp and you can even add a few precious stones to really change the look.
You can add an edge, leather, or semi precious stones to update your pearls. Think outside the box.You can also change the look of your pearls by adding modern contrasts with pendants or metal necklaces as the same length to add a cool pop to your look.
Glasses
How old are your reading glasses? You should change the style of your reading glasses every 2-3 years and choose something a little more up to date.
Nothing makes you look older than a broken “geeky” pair of off the shelf drugstore reading glasses. With so many inexpensive brands of reading glasses in the market and a little health insurance you can get a hip pair of frames at very little cost.
Vintage clothing
Vintage inspired clothing is great. Vintage clothing should not be in your closet.
The fabric might be amazing, but the cut of clothing has changed and everyone will know as soon as you wear it. It’ll be obvious they are decades old and you’re aging yourself by wearing them.
Over-The-Top Nails
Manicures are one of life’s tiny pleasures, but you may want to tone it down if you hands are showing their age. Too much attention on your hands is something you want to avoid.
Claw-shape nails leave your hands and you looking older. Use the extra time to go for a run or walk instead, and save your money.
Gold Hoop Earrings
If you own or wear big gold hoops from the ’90s and early 2000s its time to stop. The designs are slightly dated and will only call attention to your age. You can still wear hoop earrings but look for finer, more modern versions. Trade up!
Whatever you do, do it to look good but even more than that, feel great about yourself. Its the best anti-aging tonic you will ever find.