Mature Fashion: Changing Roles(seasonal)

Windy March day working on patio

Hello Fashionistas and Stylinistas;

Well, it is the time of year for a major change in my roles; I go back to my part time seasonal job at the patio store, hopefully selling lots of outdoor furniture and accessories.  I believe that El Nino is over for this season.

As mentioned in my post of  March 2nd, the base wardrobe I traditionally wear at home will serve this role also.  The handling, moving, light housekeeping, etc. is very little different than what I do at my own home, and I will wear pretty much the same clothing and accessories.  I do take additional shoes to work and certain accessories to transition from certain tasks, much in the same way I do at home if I have an errand to run, and I usually would change the shoe or accessory such as scarf, gloves, or coat.

I do look forward to returning to work; the one thing I miss is the people interaction.  I love working with my customers, completing the sales, gaining knowledge about the new products, and generally still feeling a part of the work force.  If, and, and when I am no longer working at the patio store (been there eight years as a part time employee), I will probably still want to do something else that involves a lot of people interaction.

I have completed most of the posts I had planned for this blogsite; from time to time I will have a new addition, but for the most part, what I have to say about the various roles we play and the appropriate costumes we need for our 'theatrical' wardrobes is already in the posts. This information of how best to flatter ourselves when wearing them based on design elements, our body types, and our style preferences is only fluid if we change our shape, choose or expand our styles (as well as our waistline), and the same information would be used to evolve our personal style.

I plan to continue posting to "rockmyages.blogspot.com" as a journaling exercise for myself as well as sharing of information with my readers.  I will let my readers know when I do post to this blogsite as well. I hope the information I have posted since the beginning of the blog has been helpful to you.  I know it has helped me refine my own style in many ways...........

Happy Styling........................Geneva..................Rockmyages@aol.com

Mature Fashion: St. Patrick's Costume

..And Top o' the morning, stylinistas.........

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I have succumbed to a little 'costuming'!! I know, I know, almost every stylist I have read discourages holiday themed attire as being 'frumpy' and screamingly 'matron'.  I am aware of this, but once again, I find I must disagree that a mature woman cannot be stylish if she chooses to have 'a wee bit o' fun' with her wardrobe.

Before I go further, let me say that I do agree that such attire can underscore a woman's unsophisticated appearance, but I think it is an example of the 'chicken/egg' paradox.  If a woman is generally dressed in 'frumpy' style,  then she will strengthen the perception. However, if she puts a bit of thought into her 'costume'. I believe she can project style as well as amusement; a little 'whimsy' can only add to her stylish appearance.  I wonder how many of you agree?

In any event, I am dressed today for that wee bit of fun. I will also be going out to a casual dinner tonight with a friend after performing a little project this afternoon..  The jeans and overshirt are in an olive grey tone.  The rugby style translucent under shirt is a medium dark Kelly green and cream stripe, all topped with a grass green/orange/cream infinity scarf. Somewhat hidden are greyish ballet slippers with a dull metallic finish.  The ensemble is finished with a slightly studded bracelet, metallic silver handbag, and a quilted olive green jacket in the same tone as the pants and shirt.  I chose the orange/kelly green scarf because I have Irish heritage on both sides of the Irish fence and for just a touch of "pop". Additional Kelly green or orange would be a bit too 'costumy' for my personal taste.  I also believe the unexpected olive green is a more sophisticated combination and more suited to my age and body type than the louder green or orange.  

Today, my role is mostly social with a necessity for practical clothing that can stand up to a bit of wear and tear.  I hope you are having fun with the costume for your role on this St. Patrick's 2016, whether it be for a party, celebration with grand children, or just a corned beef and cabbage dinner at home!!

......................Genev.........................Rockmyages@aol.com

Mature Fashion: Rocking Cosmetics

Good Morning All;

In earlier posts it has been mentioned the importance of make-up in styling for a particular role in our play of lifestyle. A Fashion stylinista has to consider the whole package when putting together a complete look for herself. That means the garments she wears, the hairstyle she chooses, and the desired cosmetic application.  Rocking cosmetics is all about make-up that allows rocking ones age while at the same time being appropriate for the role we are filling at the time.

In this post I am not displaying pictures of myself as examples of make-up ideas because there are so many beauty bloggers who I think can do a much better job than I can.  I have mentioned them before in previous posts.  Twominutetips-a v-log series conducted by Sharon Danley accessed on YouTube offers superior advice on both make-up and styling (I never miss a new release). Tricia Cusden, also on YouTube, and Sharon Capehart are all excellent sources for the how-to of application and examples of make-up application and advice. My post merely re-inforces the necessity of addressing the importance make-up plays in personal styling.  In any event, all beauty sources recognize the fact that for the mature woman, the following beauty practices must occur to "rock our age". (unfortunately, the very young woman can ignore most of this and still look terrific-for a while).

Most women over 25 cannot look very good with thick plastered looking make-up.  The older a woman gets, the more important it is for her to give the appearance of flawless skin.  A more mature woman must have a look that radiates youth and good health; the skin must look smooth and even, the make-up foundation color must be flattering and provide a pleasing color. The skin must glow  and project the blush that suggests good health. A more mature woman must know how to contour the face shape to diminish sag and  provide highlights to give the face a "lift".

A woman over 40 must take special care to give the appearance of youthful eyes. Unfortunately, most of us over that age have some issues with sagging lids, red-eye problems, and the ubiquitous advent of wrinkles.  Fortunately, most of us can still look terrific, but it does take a bit of know-how.

It is also essential to realize the importance of framing the face(eyebrow definition and contouring).  Even young women who have too pale or poorly groomed eyebrows cannot look their best without paying attention to this detail; one which many women do not address.  As we age, our eyebrows fade and may thin.  Skin all over the face begins to sag as we may lose some fat in the face and gravity takes its toll.  Fortunately, both of these occurrences can be mitigated a bit by cosmetics.  Learning how to take advantage of framing the face is necessary to look our best.  I especially recommend Sharon's videos for the how-tos. (I recommend her especially because she does not push any particular product, just application.  Tricia's application steps are also good, but she also is selling a product and some of the application may be product driven).

Plumping the lips is also necessary to give the appearance of youth.  As we grow older, our lips usually thin a bit and lose color and definition.  All of this is aggravated by the wrinkles that may occur around our lips.  Some of us ex-smokers have more than our share of these fine lines that make an even lipstick application somewhat difficult.  In any event, if an older woman wants to project any type of youthful and healthy impression, it is vital to develop a regimen of cosmetic application to the lips.

All of the above is primarily directed at projecting health and vitality.  The type of make-up one would apply needs to be appropriate to the role.  The make-up that one wears to an upscale social event is usually not the same that one would apply when performing house-hold roles.  As the costume designer for our play, each of us would define the requirements for the costume we choose, but to 'rock it', is is essential to make the distinctions and make a conscious choice.  Personally, I prepare my face in the early morning with the base for any cosmetic application I expect to occur during the day.  I rarely wear any more make-up than I think is necessary during the day because of skin sensitivities that I have to deal with. I do use a more elaborate range of cosmetics for social and important business roles, usually in the arena of eye make-up.  My base guide line is no application of eye shadow unless I am wearing heels (of course!, there are exceptions, but it is unlikely you will see me in eye-shadow if I am wearing sport shoes)

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

Mature Fashion: Spring/Summer at "The Shop"

Transitional winter to fall-jeans, cashmere cardigan
cotton shirt, chain belts, and soft desert ankle boots

Greetings, Stylinistas and Fashionistas;

Fortunately, I already have my stylebook prepared for this Spring/Summer/Fall season at a furniture store in San Jose (CA). We have had such lovely weather here lately that I expect to be called back to work very soon. (It is supposed to rain heavily this coming weekend, however, I suspect that may be the last serious rainfall for the year.  Of course, we really need as much rain as we can get to restore our water reserves but it is also time for "Spring to spring". I have to take special note because as a salesperson who will be working many hours during the next few months, I have to have a wardrobe that will fit several different requirements.

The 'costume' much match the role; this is a patio store that sells outdoor furniture.  As a sales person, it is sometimes necessary to move metal chairs, glass tables, patio umbrellas, etc.  Much of the furniture and accessories may be displayed out of doors in rather harsh weather conditions, etc.and it is necessary to wear garments that can take that kind of possible wear and tear.

Although we are very competitive on pricing, etc., this store would be considered a 'high end' retailer who handles quality brand name merchandise such as Tropitone, Brown Jordan, etc.  This means that as sales personnel we interact daily with persons who expect not only a broad base of product knowledge, but the confidence they are dealing with professional people who understand and exhibit the norms of the business world.  It is necessary for me to dress appropriately for my role.  Considering this is my eighth season in working for them, I have many reasons to know my employers appreciate my attention to an appropriate dress code.

Fortunately for me, the wardrobe for this role is very similar to my 'at home' role(s). I have posted some of the looks I will be wearing on 'Rockmyrunwaay' where you can see several of the 'costumes' I will be wearing for Spring/Summer 2016. I do have some other combinations I have created from looking at the Spring couture shows and Pre-Fall 2016. I am also double checking that I have all the accessories, etc. I want for the emerging season.

I have mentioned a few times that I have learned so much from preparing these blogs to demonstrate to readers some basic styling tools for consistent update of our wardrobe.  One of the most valuable things I have discovered for myself is a better way to create a stylebook that is more effective than the process I have been using for several seasons. I have printed out several inspiration photos from some of the fashion shows that represent new combinations of clothing that exists in my wardrobe.  This is much less time consuming than taking pictures of all my own combinations.  I just make notes on the photos.  I have not completed all my personal stylings for fall yet, but I am well on the way.