Retirement Fashion Chic: Or, I Know You are Old But Do You Have To Look Like Crap?

 

When you retire and don't have  to be anywhere at any time, it takes effort just getting dressed every day.  You, Baby Boomer, believe it or not, you have gotten old.  You have packed on some pounds. You have wrinkles.

All of those things make it easy to wander around looking like crap. Why bother? you may ask.  Who is going to see me, except Hubby, and he doesn't count.  You just give up on yourself.

But I maintain that it is important to "act as if..." 

You may not have an 8-5 job anymore or meetings at your child's school or even a big social life, but that is the crucial word.  Life.  You have a life and it is important.  It is important to look good to feel good (did I say that or was it Billy Crystal?).

Even when you are retired, your life is still important.  YOU are still important, so you need to LOOK important.

You don't want to be caught dead going to Safeway in pajama bottoms and furry Skechers that look like bedroom slippers. You don't want to wear a robe all day.  Even for quick errands, it is important to look presentable. You never know who you will meet.  And you know what, Hubby does count, especially if you want him to stay interested in you.

"Acting as if..." means forgetting all of that dogma about age, retirement, fat and realizing you are still fabulous.  Or at least, act as if you are. It's all in your head.

So I am going to give you some on trend fashion ideas and tips for all shapes, sizes and ages to get you out of that bathrobe, out of those sweats, out of those sensible shoes and out of those baggy jeans and sweaters and into something ---FABULOUS!

(And for you guys out there who might be reading this, we know you don't  really care how you look anymore, but the same goes for you.  We have noticed that you have let yourselves go a bit too, and that you no longer look like George Clooney).


If you go to the gym, don't just throw on sweats and a t-shirt with an embarrassing slogan on it like "Blink if you want me" or "Drunkin' Grown-ups."  Invest in some cool matching outfits like this Nike combo.  Don't hide your curves.  Be glad you still have some.





In cooler weather, black leggings and a long top will take you all over town and a nice scarf covers up a multitude of sins.




But this spring it's all about color. 

Just because we are old, doesn't mean we can't stand out.  Women over 50 may be invisible to the general public, but you will catch some attention in a shocking pink jacket and printed jeans. 

Roll up those sleeves and add a pocket patch and you can go everywhere from running errands to Happy Hour.

Switch up the same look with some leather and an artfully tied scarf.
 

A good white jacket will go with everything from spring through the summer. 


And dark denim trousers with a little flair looks good on everyone.

And don't be afraid to wear white.

Curvy women sometimes shy away from white, but if you keep it simple and monochromatic, there is no reason why you can't wear white. 

Oversize shoes are also slimming.

And who cares if you are 65? 

If you want to wear some great big fun sunglasses, then go for it!

For dressier occasions, a floral print pencil skirt looks great with boots. 

We curvy gals can wear florals on the bottom, just don't overdo it. 

Make the skirt the focal point and then tone it down with black.

Add a colorful necklace to highlight your face.

 

 

For dressy occasions, you can't beat the LBD. 

And a denim jacket and a fancy low-riding belt gives it some edge.

 

 

 

Or how about a fake flower, big earrings and showing a little shoulder?

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don't be afraid to get your Stevie Nicks on.  If she can still do it, so can you.

 

 

 

 

 

Likewise, who says we can't wear skinnies and gladiator sandals? 

 

**We don't want to invest a lot of money in trends that will be over by next year, so look into Forever 21 and H & M for some fun pieces like these striped skinnies. The prices are amazing (Leggings for less than $7.00, tops for $12, etc.). If you are embarrassed to be shopping there, and the sales clerks say something, just tell them at checkout your items are for your granddaughter.  That's what I do and I don't even have a granddaughter.  They have plus sizes too!

 

Note the leopard bag.  Animal print is always in style in any season.

 

Leopard print is the new black.  I have decreed it so.

 

 

 

 

And if your décolletage is not too crepey (no, I didn't say "creepy"), don't be afraid to show a little.

 

 

Don't forget a bit of make-up either. 

 

Some nicely waxed and trimmed eyebrows, mascara and lippy brighten your face - and big earrings are just plain fun!

 

I am not even going to get into the whole thing about coloring one's hair, but let's just say, I am not sure what my real color is anymore.  But whatever it is or was, it's not going to be gray.  But I know letting one's hair turn gray or white can be a political issue, so I am not going there.  I just choose to be blonde, because you know what they say..."Blondes have more..."  Well, you know.

 

 

And, finally, a great hat keeps those age spots from showing up.

 

 

Well, there you have it. 

 

Just some of my ideas and tips, but it's really all up to you.

 

Keeping up appearances keeps up your appearance. 

Don't let age or a few extra pounds be excuses to not look

 

FABULOUS!

See you Friday for
"My Favorite Concert and Rock & Roll Movies (and they are not the ones you would think)!"

 

Thanks for reading!

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The Word a Day Project

In my ever burgeoning quest to conquer the lurking demons of retirement (boredom, social isolation, time wasting, getting fat, etc.), I have added improving my vocabulary to the list of other projects and activities I have begun, such as getting the wine-guzzling poodle into rehab, learning how to twerk, not wearing my pajamas all day and early happy hours.

I have always enjoyed using the English language properly and improving my vocabulary.  I also have particular pet peeves about grammar and the use of certain words, for example "lay" and "lie."  You LAY an object down, you LIE yourself down.  For example, you LAY an egg on the counter, but you do NOT go lay down (yourself).  So you would not teach your dog to LAY down, you teach your dog to LIE down.  Anyway, I could rant about that forever, but I won't.

Let's get to the vocabulary issue.

To get myself started, I bought one of those little desk calendars with a word for each day. 

Every day, I go to my desk and rip off the page from the day before to behold my new word.  Once I have beheld it and digested it, I then try to form a sentence using the new word, applying it to my current life, because what is the point of this if I am not actually going to use the word to amaze my friends with my incredible vocabulary? 

What is really cool about this little calendar is the additional information about the origins of the word provided on the back of each sheet e.g. I knew what the word "cobalt" meant, but I didn't know it drew its name from German folklore and denoted a usually helpful household elf, which made me think of Hubby. 

Anyway, later it was applied to a variety of less helpful goblins inhabiting the fields and mountains which in turn was applied by German miners to the ores containing cobalt which they considered worthless thinking the mountain goblins had spoiled the silver ores.  TMI?

I must brag that I knew many of the daily words already, but here are some of the ones I have learned since the beginning of the year with an accompanying sentence I have devised in order to help me use the new word.

Vulnerary
   def: used for or useful in healing wounds.

"Wine is a vulnerary."  (You can have mental wounds!)



Thole
   def: endure
  
"I was tholing the baseball game so as to not spoil Hubby's fun (a little vulnerary wine helped)."



Vituperate
   def: to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to use harsh condemnatory language.

"I had to vituperate the wine-guzzling poodle when he staggered down the stairs and became drunkenly abusive."

Galley-west
   def: into destruction or confusion

"I was knocked galley-west when my Macy's bill arrived."
(I shouldn't have bought those gold high top platform sneakers).

Habiliment
   def: Clothes; the dress characteristics of an occupation or occasion

"I came dressed to the nines in the habiliment of a rock star, but they still didn't believe I was Paul McCartney's back-up singer when I tried to get backstage.  Why?"

Hibernaculum
   def: a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal (or an insect or reptile)

"Or a hibernaculum could be a good place for a passed out drunken poodle. He looks dormant to me."

Catchpole
  def: a sheriff's deputy; especially one who makes arrests for failure to pay debt
  
Fun fact:  derives from a word that literally means "chicken chaser," because chasing down someone who owes you money is as difficult as catching a chicken running around a barnyard. Ain't that the truth (pardon my bad grammar)?

"When I took a hard look at our finances upon my retirement, I not only let out a big scream but was seeing a catchpole in my future."



Foozle
   def: to manage or play awkwardly; bungle

"Sometimes I think I am foozling my retirement."




Hendiadys
   def: a figure of speech in which two words connected by a conjunction are used to express a single notion that would normally be expressed by an adjective and a substantive, such as grace and favor instead of gracious favor.

"If I am not careful I will be shopping for clothes in the big and fat section of  the store, which is a hendiadys for big fatty."



Tantara
   def: the blare of a trumpet or horn

"When Hubby lets the dogs out in the morning,  it sounds like a tantara downstairs when I am trying to sleep (and it's only 9:30am...or later)!"
Having to get up early to be somewhere has become a distant memory.


I have to say that I probably won't use very many of those words, but I will at least know what they mean if I run across them. 

Just one more step in my goal of self-improvement.



Since we are talking about words, in addition to sharing these new words with you, I would also like to share some

Words I hate.

moist

turd

snot

panties

smear

brassiere

dude (especially when applied to a female and especially "old dude," if applied to me)

Those words are not allowed to be spoken in my presence (I have my reasons).

Thank you.

Learned any new words lately? 

If so, share them in a sentence.

What words do you hate?

See you Friday for

"Lifetime Movies:  A Baby Boomer's Appreciation"
(I had been warning you I was going to do this)

and The Week in Reviews

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My Retirement Journey - Six Months Later

“Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all.”  - Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go." 

Thanks, Dr. Seuss.  That's what I thought was going to happen when I retired. 


It has almost been exactly six months since I retired (I retired July 1, 2013), so I wanted to assess how it's going since I first wrote about it one week after retiring in my blog "Retirement: First Week in Review and What I've Learned So Far." 

Before I retired,  I did a bunch of research and learned I was supposed to have purpose, structure, and community to have a successful retirement, so I set about making that all happen. 

Here was my plan:
 
Every day I would jump out of bed eager to begin my new life of retirement.  I would structure my day by reading, meditating and going to the gym followed by other fabulous activities. 

I would take zumba classes, have regular hours volunteering at the senior center, teach the dogs new tricks, take horse-back riding lessons, cook, lose weight, visit my children, travel, play chess, play the piano, join a chorus, redecorate, take golf and tennis lessons, get involved in politics, and take classes.  I would do my makeup and hair and dress up nicely and get out there in the community and make a difference, just as I felt I had done while working.
 
Six months later, it's not quite working out that way. 

This is the reality:
 
7:00am                    Zzzzzz

8:00am                    Zzzzzz

9:00am                    Zzzzzz

9:30am (or somewhere in the vicinity)  I get out of bed

10:00am                  Drink tea and read the paper followed by "The View"

11:00am                  Work on blog and other computer stuff

Noon                        Have lunch

1:00pm                     Meditate (maybe), Go to gym (maybe), followed by
                                 errands (maybe)

3:00pm                     Get cleaned up (maybe)

4:00pm                     Happy Hour with Hubby (he works at home 7-4)

5:00pm                     Make dinner

6:00pm                     Eat dinner

7:00pm                     DVD or TV

And what about all of those activities I had listed?

Take Zumba classes? 
Yes, I bought the special shoes and everything, but didn't like having to get up early and my dance moves sucked

Volunteer at the Senior Center?  Nope

Teach the dogs new tricks?  Are you kidding?

Take horse-back riding lessons?  Nope.  I started to worry about falling off

Cook? 
Yes, but my experimenting has resulted in Hubby getting mad at me for making so much food.

Lose weight?  Nope

Visit my children?  Yes, but I've realized they have their own lives, so frequent visits and long stays from Mom aren't on the agenda

Travel? 
Hubby is not retired so we are restricted by time and money

Play chess?  Nope

Play the piano?  Nope

Join a chorus?  Nope

Redecorate?  Nope

Take golf and tennis lessons?  Nope

Get involved in politics?  Nope

Take classes?  Nope

Get dressed up everyday? 
Nope.  Some days I don't even get out of my pajamas

Get out in the community and make a difference?  Not yet



I am actually joking a bit here.  Well, half joking anyway.  I am doing it to make a point.

“When you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.” 

- Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go."  

I retired a year earlier than my full retirement age, so my peers will most likely be retiring this year or later.  The point I want to make and the lesson I have learned these last six months is that retirement is not just an extension of what you have been doing for the past 40 years.  It's an opportunity for a new life - a do-over, if you will.

Yes, it's true, I haven't accomplished that much in terms of learning new skills or losing 20 pounds or running for Mayor  - yet - but the last six months have given me that time to reflect, time I didn't really have when I was problem solving other people's problems or putting out those pesky work fires and then trying to fit in all of my personal stuff like going to the gym, spending quality time with my family and friends and running the household. 


“You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”  
- Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go."  


Lest you think I am a total loser, I enjoy writing my blog and the blogging community, meditating, going to the movies and going on long walks with Hubby. 

I belong to a book group, and I have been appointed to the local Council on Aging, so I look forward to making a difference working with that group and advocating for seniors. So I feel there is community and purpose to all of that.

As for structure, here is actually what my daily routine looks like now:

Monday -   Write Tuesday and Friday blogs
                  Exercise at home
                  Meditate

I started with Oprah's 21 Day Challenge and have since gotten into some of Deepak Chopra's other series of meditations and find them very healing and comforting.

Tuesday - Tweak and publish Tuesday blog
                 Meditate
                 Go to the gym
                 Go to a movie
                (Senior discount on Tuesdays - catch my reviews in my Friday blog)

I have rediscovered my love of going to movies.  There is actually a sort of meditation involved with sitting in the darkened theatre, especially at matinees during the week, when I have the theatre practically to myself.

Wednesday - Special Project Day
                      Get some of those pesky projects that have been hanging over
                      my head done such as cleaning out kitchen cabinets, washing
                      curtains, etc.

Thursday -     Gym, Errands

Friday -          Fabulous Friday 

After tweaking and publishing my Friday blog and exercising, get dressed up so I don't look like the slob I look like the rest of the week.  Go out for Happy Hour with Hubby.

Saturday -       Sexy Saturday
I will let you figure that one out.

Sunday -           Day of rest 
"Let the day take me away." Anything that strikes my fancy

“You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. but mostly they're darked.
But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?”

- Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go." 

I met someone recently who had retired a year and a half ago and we were talking about what retirement felt like. 

She said, "It has taken me this long to realize that this is my life now." 

A simple statement, but I found it very profound. 

 "This IS my life now." 

And like starting one's own business, it is up to me for good or ill to make it successful.   

So now I have that list of things I want to pursue that I can add to my days at any time. 

Six months from now my routine might look very different.  My purpose changed.

But, you know what?  If it doesn't, I am not going to stress about it.  I am enjoying this time with myself.


“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”   - Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go." 

Thanks, Dr. Seuss! 

How is your retirement going?

 

See you Friday for my list of
the
Best TV Food Shows
and my
Week in Reviews.

 

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

 

 

 
 
 

A Baby Boomer's Christmas Eve Memories

 

It's Christmas Eve and we are spending it alone. 

That's life, as my sister would say.

When you get old and your children have their own lives, this happens.

Growing up, Christmas Eve was always special. 

My family opened presents on Christmas Eve, Santa came the next day and we spent Christmas Day either at my grandparents house or they came to ours for the big Christmas feast.  I never realized we did it this way, because it's the way they do it in Scandinavia, Germany and other European countries.  Since my mother was Swedish, it makes sense.

So when I had my own family, I followed that same plan. When you start on Christmas Eve, it drags the holiday out in a delightful way. Why crowd Christmas day with all of the fun?

But now our children have their own families and will have their own traditions, and we are navigating that time of our lives when we need to get used to that.

But we have our happy memories.

My first Christmas.

My 5th Christmas.
(Animal fur didn't seem to be an issue in the 50's)

My 7th Christmas and Echo the Dog's first.

(Motorcycle jackets were big for 12 year old boys, I guess. I am surprised my mother let him wear it in the picture)

Childhood memories include the tree falling down every year, sleeping with my brother as we awaited the arrival of Santa (not sure how that hastened his arrival), homemade Parker House rolls, snow falling on Christmas Eve, worrying Santa would leave a lump of coal in my stocking (a threat my mother used) and my Mother's delicious pies.

Somewhere across the world in Turkey my Hubby-to-be was celebrating Christmas too.

My son's first Christmas.

My son's second Christmas.
(The tree was in the playpen for its own protection).

First Christmas with Hubby.

  

First Christmas for our daughter



The carol-playing bell-ringing Santa from Grammy that played carols and rang his bell over and over and over and over...fun gift for the son, not so much for the parents. 

He disappeared mysteriously.

 

All the grandchildren received Blaze the Horse from Granddaddy.

 

  

 

As they grew, so many more memories:

Visit from Aunt Posy (my sister) with Twinkle the cat.

 

Traditional Christmas Eve dinner:  Pizza

Traditional Christmas Eve activities:

• Singing Christmas carols in the car while riding around looking at Christmas lights and the kids whining about when it would be over so we could open presents
• Presents - 10 each and we all had to watch as each one was opened so it would go on and on
• Reading about the birth of baby Jesus, followed by "Twas the Night Before Christmas."  Kids yawning.
• Bedtime for the kids - never easy
• Party time for the parents, thus making putting up basketball hoops and putting bicycles together all the harder.

Christmas Eve 2012

We are all older now and on different paths. 

But, hopefully, our happy memories hold us close.

Now us old folks are making some new happy memories!

 Mildred

 Frederic

 Tarquin

Happy Holidays Everyone. 

See you Friday!

Thanks for reading!

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