Women over 50--dried up prunes or sexy seniors, or something else?

First, an announcement: The Advice Sisters Bulletin Boards has just launched another topical board: one for Women's Issues. http://advicesisters.net/simplemachinesforum/

Please come by and visit, sign up, and participate. A bulletin board is only as good as the comments it gets. This is a new board (our last one was sabatoged by porno spammers) so we appreciate all the support and feedback we can get to re-energize the discussions, once again. If you have any trouble accessing the boards, signing up, or posting, please contact me at advicesisters (at) advicesisters (dot) net and let me know? Thanks in advance for this.

Recently, I read a post from an inquiring person who wanted to hear from (and I quote) "everyday women over 50 who don't feel as beautiful as they used to and want advice from older women on how, when their looks started to fade, they were able to still feel sexy, beautiful and fabulous...even with wrinkles and all! "

The query went on to say: "Just because guys may not be trying to whistle at you on the street anymore, it doesn't mean you aren't sexy or beautiful..."

My first reaction was "is this a joke?" Then I realized it must have been launched by someone quite young, ho has been trained to believe that at middle age, women simply become "sexless, unappetizing" beings. But interestingly, the responses (and there were quite a few) ranged from "well, thank heavens I'm not old, like near 40, so I don't have to worry about this yet," to: "I'm over 50 and this is a bunch of sterotypical bull," to: "What has age got to do with being sexy or attractive in the first place?"

Although men also have issues with ageism and looking older, the real burden to look "hot" and "young," is placed on women.

What's your take on this? Is someone over 40 or 50 or (yikes!) 60+ automatically bound to beocome a frumpy, eldery, unsexy woman who is only good as a Mom" or "Grandma?" Is this just an old-fashioned notion that sterotypes (and dooms) several generations of women? Is it something else?

I'd really like to keep the discussion going here and on the The Advice Sisters Bulletin Boards because it is an issue every woman faces. If you are under 40, leave your comments and ask questions? Are you fearful of aging? Are you doing things to stop the aging process even if you are well under 30? Is there real life after 50 or 60? If you are over 40, do you feel invisible or unattractive? What has mid-life taught you about the aging process? leave your comments, and please provide some "wisdom" to the young-uns.

Thanks....let's get the conversation, started.

Alison

Bill Blass --Bravo! Fall Fashion Week 2007

Most (if not all) of the models in the Bill Blass show were too young to recognize their struttin' music--a fantastic song from the 1940's: "Sing Sing Sing" by Benny Goodman. This vintage swing song with a driving drum beat, was made undeniably modern in a remix by Johnny Dynell featuring an even heavier drum beat that continued throughout the entire show: "Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom da-boom!" The sound added burlesque irreverence to the feminine Fall 2007 fashions.

As we'd see when the lights came up and a "curtain" featuring the iconic Bill Blass logo parted, Michael Vollbracht's homage to the past and view of Fall 2007 was also a mix of vintage-made-modern, but with a touch of rebellion. A large curtain (with the iconic Bill Blass Logo) parted, and models brashly strode right down the middle of the runway: "Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom da-boom!"

The beat may have been largely"stripper," but these were not trashy clothes. This label is attracting younger women as well as loyal followers who are (now a bit older than when they first fell in love with Bill Blass. We saw beautifully tailored day clothes, elegant, red-carpet-worthy evening gowns, in colors (yes, colors)! Deep green, moss green, gold, cinnamon, olive green, cocoa, indigo blue, champagne, coral...! Of course there was plenty of classic black, too. "Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom da-boom!"




In this photo I took at the end of the show, when the models did their final walks down the runway, pausing to form little groups and then becoming animated (a rarity on runways) and walking backstage together. The clothes are so ladylike, but if you look closer, there's an edge to them. This is not your mother's Bill Blass, but it's still recognizable. There was something very delicate and feminine about the collection--any modern woman would look beautiful in classic basic black cocktail and evening dresses and nicely tailored separates for daytime. There were a few interesting departures from classic, such as a white feathered embroidered cocktail dress that reminded me of a flapper's dress from the 1920's. Another great note: the 50's-style hair, parted on one side and piled up in huge buns by Jimmy Paul for Bumble & Bumble that immediately felt modern 50's to me--a nod to Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock's "The Birds" re-mixed for 2007. I couldn't see the makeup because I wasn't backstage or up close, but the program notes tell me the MAC Cosmetics pro team created this look, so I will get more information for a feature, later on. "Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom da-boom!"

Although there has been a lot of attention paid to furs--whether to wear them or not, furs were in this show and there have been more than ever on the runways (and no PETA protestors in sight). Blass also followed the trend of adding heavy tights (everywhere on the runways).

Furs were from Global Fur Group, Handbags from Carlos Falchi. Shoes, by Bill Blass.

Here is the designer with some of his models at the end of the show. I thought it was interesting that in a few places the notes say "Halston-like" and "Norrell-like. Michael Vollbracht apparently wanted to take inspiration from the past (although he had plenty that was uniquely his) and, as it says in the program notes that he was inspired by Halston and Norrell because: "I fell in love (Norrell's) sequined mermaids years and years ago when I was a very young designer and about Halston: "'because his simple philosophy looks so good in this era of over-designing. " And of Bill Blass: "it is my job to knock him off."

"Boom! Boom! Boom-Boom da-boom!!!!!"

Mini goodie-bags held Bill Blass Eau de Parfum (*watch the Advice Sisters upcoming What Works column for more on this simply divine scent)!