A gorgeous friend’s daughter asked her when she was going to pack up her penchant for jeans. She was in her early 50s at the time. Her response, “never, so bite me,” was priceless. She is pushing 70 now and still wears denim with panache, owning her signature casual style.
I recall seeing photographs of her dining in exotic port cities around the world, such as Monte Carlo and Cape Town, sporting her blue jeans, a white silk shirt, a blazer, gold hoop earrings, and pretty sandals or espadrilles. She looked sensational.
Her secret? It’s how you wear it. Looking chic, yet nonchalantly comfortable, is a skill. We should all embrace that.
My darling late mom, long gone and still missed, was pretty but always modest. However, she believed in using a mirror offering the most flattering light before going out. She’d look at her reflection, pinch her cheeks lightly to enhance her rosy complexion, lift an eyebrow, and blow herself a kiss after applying her favourite rose-coloured lipstick and perfume! My dad thought it adorable.
I was fascinated by this action as a little girl but over the years, I obviously became accustomed to it and started copying her from about the age of ten, before I wore lipstick.
Years later, I got to interview the gorgeous, and equally modest, Jaqueline Bisset, who shared her secret of looking fabulous. She also believed if you saw yourself in flattering light prior to going out to face the world, you felt better about yourself! She said if you were feeling pretty, you would smile and shine wherever you went. She certainly did and still does.
So, back to denim, feeling good, and creating our own style. I’ve worked on some ideas to suit any body type and hope it inspires you not to ditch your denim because of ageing. Wearing what we love boosts our morale and let’s face it, feminine confidence is sexy.
‘Eek,’ I hear, ‘sexy at our age?’ We are not over and no, we don’t have to flaunt sexuality by showing too much skin, leg, and cleavage, or, said with rolling eyes, lurking around lasciviously…
Simply feeling confident and realising we are still desirable, immaterial of what others try to convince us of, is alluring. It’s in our attitude, the way we carry ourselves, and the way we strut or glide in our jeans. Think Sophia Loren.
Double denim was taboo when I was much younger. We wore one item of denim and mixed it with linen, wool, or silk, depending on the occasion and season. Now, I see different shades of denim in the mix, from soft blue jeans to shirts and blazers, pulling the look together with one focal accessory, comprising a fabulous belt, jewellery, or a scarf.
I am now pairing denim with denim, boldly, with corduroy shirts, cashmere knits, denim shirts, long cosy cardigans, blazers, silk shirts, leather, and coats. Playing with colour, such as adding pastels to navy or light blue denim, is fun and it gets the creative styling juices flowing.
Going on a cruise? Gather your denim stash. Don’t forget your blazer.
Layering denim, or any fabric, can become tricky when the shirt or knitwear is bulky. Wearing a coat over a denim shirt, for example, works best if the shirt sleeves are not too wide, and the coat sleeves are generous.
As a first layer under the denim shirt, I wear a sleeveless top as it prevents the arms from bulking up, whilst it is comfortable in a heated indoor location when the coat or jacket is removed.
The trick is to shop our wardrobes, play with styling, mixing, and matching what we have.
Once we’ve assessed our closet, looking at style ideas and trends we favour, it becomes easier to decide on new items that take our fancy. This is kinder to the budget, whilst our wardrobes are not groaning under the weight of more unnecessary garments.
Having said that, I must add, with a twinkle, life is short, so if you can afford it, love it, and know you’ll wear it, go for it, you sexy thing. I’ll not spill the beans, wink-wink… retail therapy should never be underestimated if we do it wisely.
Some of the many advantages of styling with denim include wearing a shirt loosely over the waist if we don’t want to draw attention to our torso or tying a long shirt loosely at the waist instead of wearing a belt. Another option, when wearing a fitted first layer under a big shirt, we could simply cross the front hem of the shirt over by not buttoning it, and tucking it into the front of our jeans, sporting a belt to emphasise the waist if we feel comfortable.
The options are endless for versatile styling. If anyone dares suggest we are too old for our jeans, my retort would be to smile sweetly, and ask if they thought I was too sexy for my jeans… I’d then take a swig of delicious bubbles and flounce off towards a likeminded soul, hie!