poppin’ print

and it’s home again, home again, jiggety jig! london was a whirlwind trip, to say the least. the workshop i attended was energetic, creative, and thoughtful. seven countries were represented — ireland, italy, u.k., japan, germany, france, and yours truly from the u.s.a.. i would share more, but the ideas and concepts discussed are confidential in nature. one reason my instastories and snapchat were few and far between. coty, the third largest beauty company in the world, hosted the two-day workshop. the good news is they are zeroing in on the aging woman. here’s a fun fact: the first signs of aging begins at mid-30’s for caucasians, late 30’s for asians, and mid 40’s for africans. which means i have 20+ years of aging underneath my belt. guess you’d call  me an expert… here’s an excerpt from my introduction:

this all got me to thinking–thinking about the future. the future of aging. let me explain. i’m a baby boomer. we’re a generation that’s not afraid to push the boundaries and i think it’s time to push back on the archaic thoughts on age. let’s start from the simple observation that life is always in motion. every day, week, month, year, and decade moves, changes, grows, and evolves. when we were younger, we were excited for these changes. who didn’t want to trade in their bike for a car? and which of us weren’t ecstatic to exchange our fake IDs for real ones.

and so it should go with each passing decade. twenty to thirty; thirty to forty; forty to fifty. and yes, fifty to sixty. if i‘m about to turn sixty why do i claim i want to be forty again? why am i not anticipating the new that comes with this decade in the same way i embraced my twenties?

sure. there are side effects that come with age. our skin changes, our hair goes gray, our bodies feel the force of gravity. but with the proper attitude age isn’t something to be feared. age should be a badge of honor we proudly wear. i’ve earned these wrinkles and every single strand of gray.

we, as women, need to celebrate both our outward and inward signs of age. let’s obliterate the terms “age appropriate” or what to wear when you’re over forty” or “anti-aging” or “you look good for your age” from our vocabulary. they’re outdated. 

rain greeted me upon my arrival back in georgia — and boy, oh boy, do we need it! although photo sessions are always a challenge once inclement weather arrives. mr. style and i ducked inside to stay warm and dry and were pleasantly surprised by lovely christmas decorations. don’t you think they add a festive spirit? (i think the christmas tree is channeling my topper).

both the shoes and handbag came home with me from london. yes, i managed to squeeze in a little shopping. the workshop was located in covent garden where there’s no lack of retail shops and pubs. but back to today’s ootd. the handbag and shoes are the perfect companions to this printed topper which has an abstract pattern. and is a fab alternative to a coat. gray skinnies and dangly earrings complete this look that’s ready to roll right through the holidays.

labels: denim Ann Taylor; cashmere tee J.Crew; topper c/o J.Jill; handbag Zara; shoes Zara; earrings J.Crew (similar here and here)

thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to stop by Style at a Certain Age! if you don’t want to miss a post, you can sign up to receive a daily email, and you will never miss a thing. i’m also on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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