Putting on the Style

Putting on the Style – Annie Den Haan 
In the first of a new series Annie tells us how we can be stylish without breaking the Bank!

Three Surprising Ways Midlife Women Can Wear Autumn/Fall Trends

This season’s fashion trends are disrupted for real midlife women

Every Fall/Autumn one of my older sisters would bring home the latest Vogue fall fashion issue. The magazine was at least 3 inches thick, a veritable fashion Bible for rewriting and inspiring the latest trends and fashionable looks for the season. Vogue’s September issue dictated every western women’s fashion aesthetic that year.

Flipping through the contents of the magazine, I’d spend hours drooling over all the cool looks sourced from the latest runway shows in Paris, London, Milan and New York. I devoured each issue from front to back, completely re-invigorated with a renewed love for fashion. I’d carefully plan my list of fashion ‘must haves’ based on my budget as well as how and where I would wear them.

Fashion is the costume we put on for the dress rehearsal for our lives. We get inspired by a dress to wear for that new job, or for meeting that special man, or that perfect ensemble that sets us up for all the places we’d love to visit. Today’s fashion, however, is dismal at best, especially for midlife women.

What’s currently offered on the runways no longer makes sense for women today. Clothes are rapidly overproduced in cheap quality for mass consumption. There’s a boring sameness that persists with multiple companies making garments that very much look alike for efficiency’s sake and for the sake of higher and higher profit margins.

That’s one reason why I no longer follow fashion rules. I’ve learned the hard way that following the rules has kept me on a never ending cycle of getting rid of clothes I love – only to fill my closet again with the latest trends. To this day, I still regret getting rid of that dreamy velvet dirndl skirt with the beautiful brocade corset. And don’t get me started about the mid length linen wrap skirt I exited from my wardrobe in the 90’s! It’s hard to find the same aesthetic, quality and style again.

This year’s Autumn/Fall season is supposed to be all about embracing the bold and the unique and letting your individuality shine. It’s all about unconventional choices and unexpected pairings. Now that I’ve become my own fashion rebel, I realize that I’m actually right on trend. And I’d like to inspire you to dance to the beat of your own heart this year by thinking outside the box with these top 3 surprising ways you can wear fall fashion trends in 2023.

1). Everything Old is Always New

Did you love a certain style you wore in the past? Remember that the fashion industry is always recycling or ‘upcycling’ old styles in new ways. So before you get rid of something you love that might look out of date, ask yourself how you can wear it in fresh new ways.

For instance, I love this beautiful green wool boucle coat I scooped at a vintage shop for next to nothing. I love to pair it with my favourite sparkly skirt, an electric blue cashmere sweater or an ivory turtleneck and shorts. I feel classy, elegant and unique in an “ancestral” sort of way. Don’t be afraid to wear clothes that make you look ‘like a certain age.’ Find new ways to rock them out and you will be surprised at how much you love the look!

2). Make Your Own Rules

Almost all ‘fashion rules’ are completely dated. The rules were designed to keep women constantly second guessing themselves. Who says you can’t wear sequins after 40? Or during the day??

My best advice on breaking the rules? If you love wearing sequins, for instance, and don’t want to wait until the Christmas holidays to rock them out, find ways to wear them during the day!

I love the unexpected combination of a sequin skirt with a leather vest. Most stylists would say that it’s too much shine in one outfit but you can tell from my body language that I feel great in it!

3). Colour Outside the Lines

Fashion expectations are supposed to be blown this year with unexpected colour palettes and unconventional choices. Don’t be afraid to experiment and step outside of your comfort zone. Fashion is all about expressing who you truly are from the inside out. Be fearless with your fashion choices, wear it with confidence and you will be surprised at how good you feel!

This is an outfit I wore a lot in 2019. I love the pairing of this electric blue cashmere sweater with a burgundy wool cape (and sequin skirt).

Fashion is all about the joy of expressing who you truly are. This is a contagious feeling that spills over into every single area of your life. You can’t help but be magnetic to every person you meet!

If you haven’t shopped for clothes in awhile, it has become next to impossible to find beautiful, well-made clothes at prices we can afford. Thanks to inflation, decreased production, and the rising costs to keep workers, these factors keep driving up the cost of clothing.

Ultimate Thrifting Party

That’s why I’m hosting an Ultimate Thrifting Party. You’ll know how to score beautiful, high quality used clothing for next to nothing. These are thrifting secrets you won’t find ANYWHERE on the internet.

I’m offering a special $10.00 discount to Midlife Butterflies. Here is the link with the promo code to register your spot:

www.eventbrite.ca/e/672710915457/?discount=MidlifeButterflies

Talk to you then!

Love Annie

About Annie Den Hann:
Annie is a Self-Expression Stylist who empowers career and businesswomen 50+ to find their SuperHero Cape so they can embody their Truest Selves with a style to match.

Annie’s sparkly pants helped her overcome her incurable cancer diagnosis in 2013.

After living on a religious commune 30 years ago, the former founder of Victoria Shopping Tours, knows that style can be a powerful vehicle for personal expression.

Annie relates first hand to women who dress to keep themselves invisible out of fear
of displeasing others.

If you want to know how to Find Your SuperHero Cape Having to Renew Your
Whole Wardrobe, click here: https://calendly.com/superherocapessession/30
Or send Annie  an email at: [email protected]

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