International Women’s Forum Luncheon: Chic at 50, 60, 70+

Prime Women is all about redefining the over 50 woman, and a part of redefining her is in how she looks. We don’t think or act like our mothers or the women of her generation. Just as our teen and adult lives did not mirror our mothers, neither do our lives as we past 50. So why should the way we dress be any different?  Looking chic at 50, 60, 70+ is something we’ve come to know to be attainable. This was never more evident than at a recent luncheon I attended for new members of the International Women’s Forum.

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Dressing chic isn’t about following rules – at any age – but certainly not at 50. By that age, we’ve learned that lots of the fashion rules we grew up with (remember no white after Labor Day?) are no longer followed. The women pictured here at the International Women’s Forum luncheon all have a timeless sense of style that has no doubt served them well over the years. They’ve learned looking fashionable and chic isn’t about wearing the “latest” styles either but more about what looks good on them.

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With fashion week just closing in New York City, and Milan, London, and Paris yet to come, one must question why fashion designers aren’t more focused on us? Rarely do you see a model 50 or older walking the cat walk, nor do you see many advertisements that would clearly be targeted to our age group.

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A recent article in the National Association of Baby Boomer Women  gave 5 reasons why designers should be excited to design for women over 50: 1) There’s a very large number of us. According to the U.S. Census, there are 77 Million Baby-Boomers. 2) We are healthy and wealthy and more active than any previous generation. 3) We can afford it. Our age group has far more disposable income than the young women they seem to cater to. 4) Many of us are buying for the family; spouses, children, grandchildren and our parents. 5) We love to shop online. Though our age group has been slower to online shopping than younger women, we are now buying as much online as any age group.

As Karen Mathis says in the above mentioned article, “designers need to remember who brought them to the fashion party.” Perhaps we should submit photos of the women from the International Women’s Forum as potential models for their next show. We not only know how to wear them but we can actually afford them!