Mature Fashion: The Role of Hair Style

Just washed hair

      Drying hair with product added

Greetings, 


We have discussed face shapes in previous posts and how a haircut can be  important in flattering a particular face shape,  but a hair style does more. Styled and groomed hair provides a look of confident self-assurance and competency. Feeling good about the way our hair looks makes us feel attractive.

We all know the expression "a good hair day"; a statement that tells whoever is listening that we feel good about the way we look.  Have you ever seen someone actually cry because they felt they had a poor haircut?  I have seen it, and accompanied by rage.  Most of would feel that much emotion would be a little 'over the top', but most of us would empathize.

Our fixation with our hair is rooted in our ancient history. For thousands of years beautiful and styled hair was a status symbol; the oldest carved statue of braided hair on a woman is dated over 25 thousand years ago. Elaborately styled hair worn like a crown has always projected a regal and queenly appearance and elegant life styles.

Additionally, according to Dr. Vivian Diller, Phd in an article for Psychology Today, humans instinctively view babies born with thick hair as heartier than those born with little or none.  Luscious thick hair is often equated with female sexuality. We all view thinning or losing of hair as a sign of ill health or advancing older age. According to this same article, hair is the third most noticeable physical feature after height and weight.

Okay, all of this may be more than you ever wanted to know about ones hair, but the purpose of mentioning these facts is to stress how very important it is to find and maintain a hairstyle that makes us feel great about ourselves.  It also serves the purpose of reminding us that they style of our hair, just like our clothing, needs to be changed up to suit the role we are playing.

All too many older woman wear exactly the same hairstyle for whatever it is they are doing, sometimes year after year. Appropriate styles for our varying roles need to be explored.  Some hair stylists believe that most women need only three different  'go to' styles for the various roles they play, but they all believe mature women in general keep the same hair styles way past the time they should be updated. According to a stylist who wishes to remain anonymous, a woman needs one style for casual day to day relaxation, another for a more professional polished look, and a more formal type for "dress up".  Each of these styles should be updated at least every five years to not look "dated".

My hair is a challenge to me.  I have been working on developing a smoothly polished style that I can maintain with my frequently bleached dry and thinning hair without incurring a styling bill equal to the national debt and that does not require me to spend hours a week at a salon.  I have a particular problem with sensitive skin that prevents me from using many of the hair products that work for others.  I still am working on it...........

........................................Geneva...................Rockmyages@aol.com

 

Mature Fashion: More on Capsules

Greetings this morning of our bi-polar weather! I really mean it; the sun is shining brightly and it is raining and chilly (?)

Really, the weather is simply driving one crazy here in the Bay area.  We had record breaking warm weather for this time of year (low 80s in some places). The temperature is expected to drop to the very low 40s tonite (depending upon which announcer predicts the weather!).

Although I am working on my closet collections for Fall 2016, I am making the time to discuss capsule dressing in more detail.

Several retail type blogs are offering "capsules" of clothing that are represented as items that when mixed and matched, etc. will provide the wearer with out the door outfits sufficient to cover most or all of their wardrobe needs. I understand a few of you have been disappointed that what wsas offered was not complete, etc.  I have also noticed that most of these 'capsules' seem to be missing the point of what Capsule Dressing is meant to be, and the purpose it is meant to serve.

The idea of a color capsule is based on one of the most fundamental concepts of successful styling; the first concept being that every garment in the capsule needs to fit a woman's body perfectly, no matter what her role.  The second fundamental deals with the color itself; it must be flattering to the wearer.  The third concept is the 'statement' the wearer is wishing to make, i.e., who she is, and the last is the suitability of the entire look and the chosen garments for the role that is being played. The purpose of a capsule is to manage a wardrobe that will ensure each of these fundamentals are met within any woman's budget and storage space.  It is NOT to require a woman to buy a complete new wardrobe every fashion season. Most of the items I have seen in the retail capsules are more appropriately called accessory capsules.

A Color capsule is the type of capsule most stylists think of first.  In today's more relaxed fashion world, one could use another element on which to base a personal wardrobe capsule.  The element could be fabric, such as in a vintage St. John collection where you may have several colors that work together, but the garments are all of the same knit texture; for denim lovers, the material could be be denims of several shades and different styles, etc. but the fabric is always denim.  Whatever works for you, the point being to have cohesive garments that can be mixed and matched interchangeably, stand the test of time, and serve the needs of all the roles we are expected to play.  Color is only the most common because color is the element that should flatter the wearer and the classic garments should be fairly easy to obtain; the reason most color capsules are in neutral shades.  

You can visit "Rockmyrunwaay.blogspot.com for an example of a completed (almost) color capsule. The last two posts show outfits styled from this core capsule; the pictures in the upper left hand corner of this post show my timeless grey jeweled neck cashmere sweater worn with an old pair of matching trousers (Goodwill purchase for this fashion trend) shortened for the fresh cropped pants worn this fall and paired with suede ankle boots (ancient also), a faux fur striped jacket (also old) and a new (inexpensive tarjay) Indiana Jones floppy hat and the classic fur trimmed grey leather gloves that I have had forever.  I perked the look with the turquoise Kors purse and Navajo squash blossom necklace for a modern color combination and a touch of the Boho.  I also added a silky white sport long sleeved mock turtleneck top for a fresh look to old garments. Both me and my budget are happy...

..............................Geneva............Rockmyages@aol.com

Mature Fashion: Capsule Collection Mania

Greetings, Both Fashionistas and Stylinistas:

As you are aware if you have been reading this blog, I have been posting a lot about different ways to organize a wardrobe that cover all the roles in our lives, is versatile, and that can be easily managed within any budget or time constraints; ; I am also a big fan of the "capsule concept" and of "uniforms".  Unfortunately, I have not had the time to do much web crawling to keep up with the same subjects, and I am very disappointed with much that I see.

Once again, I find that either the author is advocating replacing an entire wardrobe every season or fail to see the disadvantages of most of the illustrated choices. Each of the "capsules" contained trendy fashions for foundation pieces, colors that are so current they will be out of fashion by next season, and dated elements for almost every single piece; there was no "timelessness" about it. Based on the visual screen imagery, most of these garments could not hold up for many repeated wearings without being replaced during the same season!  

The ability to acquire high quality timeless garments that are so versatile they can be worn season after season, if necessary is elemental to describing wardrobe role capsules.  What those garments must be depends entirely upon the role.  How they can be mixed and matched depends upon the wearers personal fashion style and her ability to re-imagine her wardrobe each fashion season.  She will pull in existing accessories and elements and wear garments in ways that give her wardrobe a fresh, new approach.  She will surely wish to add a touch or two of "trend" each season, but that should be all she needs to do.

Of course, a woman can go out every season and create a capsule of mix and match clothing for a single season.  Unfortunately, most of us can only afford one or two replacements for worn garments and add only one or two "fashionable" items.  Most of us cannot afford 20 or 30 new "capsule" items that are going to be suitable for a single fashion season.

Capsules will change with time as we grow older and our body or taste changes. Maintaining a high quality wardrobe takes a bit of financial planning for most of us. I fear that many of the posts I have been reading are simply inducements to buy more clothing rather than assisting the consumer in wardrobe planning.

As I mentioned early on in my postings, this blog is primarily for my own benefit; posting makes me keep in top of the things I need to do to keep me on track to "rockmyage" fashion wise.  I do like sharing, and hope that most of the tips I provide are beneficial to those who are interested.  I receive no financial compensation whatsoever, and have no desire to persuade any reader to live a different lifestyle than they prefer.  I, do, however, wish to engage with those who have the same interests and to whom authentic personal style matters....I hope you are one of them.

................Geneva.................Rockmyages@aol.com