What Not to Wear On a First Date

If you’re anything like me, you’re a fan of the popular TV show “What Not to Wear” and are even starting to mourn after the series finale.

Many modern professional women are so busy with their careers that they never learned how to develop a fashion style when they were in college or graduate school.

Now the challenge is the vast majority of fashion magazines and TV shows only feature women who are under 42 years old, if not still in their 20s.

Where is a mature woman in her 50s and older going to go to get some style and image examples to model herself after?

Even if she wants to look stylish, modern and contemporary, most of the retail stores feature styling best suited to women under 34 years old.

If the only examples you see out there are for women 10 years your junior, how can you learn to dress classy and alluring for a first date?

First of all, both the British and U.S. versions of “What Not to Wear” feature a number of mature women over 45.

The women all had to learn to let go of their young pulchritude and no longer dress as a teenager.

The British team used the phrase, “Mutton dressed as lamb,” to succinctly summarize the problem of mature women dressing too young.

When you’re a youthful-looking woman over 50, it actually ages you to wear a teenage look.

Bubble gum pink may be your favorite color, but after 50 years old, you’re better suited to wear it as an accessory rather than a wardrobe piece.

“With an eye toward sophistication,

you can look great in your prime.”

Yes, some of you can rock some stylish outfits if you are petite and willowy.

The majority of mature women would be better served to aim for outfits that focus on sophistication and style rather than cute or girlie looks. Then her clothes place the emphasis on her face and figure, making her look fabulous and alluring.

The result? Her appearance is classy and sexy. Nothing frumpy and dowdy here!

If you’re a regular reader of my relationship blog, you know that I suggest to women to wear skirts or dresses for a first date.

Emphasizing your femininity with a skirt stresses to your date that you are a confident woman who is comfortable being so in the 21st century.

If you’re looking online and at the stores, you might be feeling a bit frustrated at the selection out there. Many of the dresses are targeting very young women.

The majority of fashion is created with young women under 32 years old in mind. So what about you?

First, take a look at some of the knee-length “mother of the bride” dresses. Many of the modern mothers of today’s brides want to look good, so the bridal industry has come out with dresses and gowns emphasizing a mature woman’s alluring attributes.

No longer are those MOTB dresses shapeless pastel numbers. This is one arena of the fashion industry that is entirely geared toward women over 40, so the proportions, styles and colors are already pulled together to flatter mature women.

With an eye toward sophistication, you can release your bubble gum colors and look great in your mature prime time. Shop in the right departments and you can be a knockout at any age.