Last year a British study called the “Invisible Woman” showed that a whopping 80 percent of women over the age of 50 believe society no longer notices them.
Fashion and styles are not geared for sexy, vibrant, active 50-year-olds. Magazines devoted to style for mature women are few and far between. In fact, according to the study, 70% of women over the age of 50 feel ignored by the fashion industry.
It’s hard to believe that the Baby Boomer demographic – the largest cohort in history – is being summarily cast aside by fashion designers. Surely someone wants to design chic and stylish fashions for mature women? Fashions, by the way, that don’t include elastic waistbands, stretchy pants and oversized boxy t-shirts! That aren’t head-to-toe dusty rose or baby blue??
Sigh. Sometimes I feel like an Eskimo elder set adrift on an ice floe to die. I may be over 50 chronologically, but inside I still feel 30. My outer self and inner self are having a hard time reconciling the way I’m now viewed.
Society, listen up. We’re active! We’re connected! We are at the peak of our earning potentials!
To my fellow Boomers: don’t settle. And, don’t be invisible. You’ve come a long way, baby, and there are still miles to go.
Read the article in the Daily Mail
I am amazed that I am at a time in my life where I have more disposable income than ever and am able to spend it on myself without feeling guilty and there isn’t a fashion designer in the world that wants to take my money! AND, I am loyal so if I found someone that did great clothes for a mature perspective I would probably spend the next 20 or 30 years (hopefully) buying from them. I don’t need to have head to toe of every trend but someone that was clever enough to interpret the trends in a manner that would suit my demographic would be fantastic to find.
Women of a Mature Perspective unite! 🙂
Cheers,
Laura
Hi Laura, my sentiments exactly! I do find there are many designers who produce a good range of clothing – for young and mature – however, no one specifically styles for mature women. My fave current designers are Elie Tahari, Ralph Lauren, Diane von Furstenberg…sometimes I find Jones New York, Calvin Klein and Michael Kors to have great fashion too. In Canada, I love the Bay as a great source of designer labels at reasonable prices. In the US, my favourite store is Saks (+ off 5th, their outlet). You can also try Chicos – some great stuff you can order online. It would just be great to see ads and magazine features that show styling for us Baby Boomers.