A 12 Piece Spring Capsule Wardrobe: Over 40 and Stylish

I like to shatter those illusions.

Ageing is inevitable.

It is a natural process that we all get to go through if we are lucky, yet it’s often met with mixed feelings.

We are a society that values youth, and the signs of ageing can sometimes send us into a spiral.

The media plays a significant role in shaping these negative perceptions of beauty and age.

Older women are underrepresented in film, television, and advertising, and when they are present, they’re often portrayed in stereotypical roles that emphasize decline or invisibility.

Like Melissa Joan Hart (90s Sabrina the Teenage Witch) is 47 and her current role in a movie is of a grandmother of a teenager.

Yikes.

No wonder once we hit 40 it feels like we start to become invisible, even though many of us are at the point in our life where we can focus on ourselves, and have a larger amount of disposable income.

We should be the key target market in these women driven industries, yet we get ignored and bombarded with youth.

This lack of diverse, positive representation reinforces negative stereotypes about ageing.

But we are beginning to see a shift, in many ways.

During this past fashion week there were many older women represented on the runways which would have been unheard of even a few years ago.

At the Batsheva show, she used only older women, many of whom she sourced herself on the street and in stores.

Except Molly Ringwald of course who opened her show.

During that show Batsheva debuted her Hag sweater which instantly became the iconic piece of the season.

And I won’t lie, I seriously thought of selling off some favourite pieces of mine just so I could buy it. Sigh, I didn’t of course, but I am definitely having fomo over that.

This means you are probably feeling lost in the direction of where you should be fashion-wise at this age.

And that is totally normal, and to be expected. Especially in a society that favours youth.

As we age, our style evolves.

This evolution is not just about adapting to changes in fashion trends but also about how our personal preferences, body shape, lifestyle, and self-perception change.

In our teens, 20s and 30s, we often chased the latest trends, experimenting with our looks and sometimes prioritizing style over comfort.

As we enter our 40s, 50s, and beyond, a shift occurs.

We start to prioritize comfort, quality, and pieces that truly reflect who we are.

This doesn’t mean we become less stylish—quite the contrary. With age comes confidence and self-awareness that allows us to more accurately express our true selves through our sartorial choices.

But how does this work when you don’t know what the heck to wear, or where to begin?

It’s like this area of limbo where we want to still follow the trends, but not all the trends…unless you are of course Grece Ghanem, but no one is like her, but her.

We want to be fashionable, but not look like we are chasing youth. We want balance and clarity in our wardrobe.

Does this mean we have to say goodbye to our trendy wardrobe? Absolutely not.

This just means that we are going to be more thoughtful when it comes to choosing which trends we want to adopt.

Wearability and versatility become a factor in this decision.

Because one of the most significant changes in how we approach style as we age is the shift towards quality over quantity.

The allure of fast fashion fades, and we start to appreciate the value of well-made garments that stand the test of time.

This shift is not only practical, considering the longevity of high-quality pieces, but it’s also a more sustainable approach to fashion.

So while we may still love our Zara or H&M purchases, we also look to choose pieces that will last. It’s okay to have a mixture.

The goal for building a wardrobe with longevity at this age is to focus on classic pieces, but with modern cuts, and then sprinkle in some vintage, and trends.

When I look at trends each season, the ones that I am drawn to make sense with my style. Once upon a time I would have jumped on something trendy just because it was trendy.

And often it would never be worn because I didn’t actually like it, I just felt like I was supposed to like it.

The trends that I incorporated into this wardrobe have longevity and are easy to wear which is the most important part.

The first is by using trendy colours. The colours brown, burgundy, grey, olive green, red, butter yellow, and cornflower blue were all notable at the spring/summer shows and carried over into the fall and winter.

Oh, and animal print, you can’t forget that one.

Cuts of clothing is the next trend. Like an oversized waistcoat, wide-leg trousers, and jeans with cuffs.

I want to note the these jeans that I included are more suited for taller women. Even with the cuff, they will be long on anyone 5’5″ and shorter (unless you have very long legs).

If you are a women of smaller stature like me, and you still love them like I do, a good seamstress will be able to shorten the length while still maintaining the cuff for you.

Make sure that you explain that you want them to retain the same look, not just shorten them. I also suggest going down one size.

The denim is very soft, and they drape well, but they skew larger. They are meant to be oversized, but going down a size should make them fit as they are designed to.

Now I am going to talk about a couple of aesthetics that are also trends which I also included.

First the utility aesthetic, which I showcase with a classic, yet functional shirt dress that has a strong utilitarian feel.

Bonus points with this shirt dress is that is can be left partially unbuttoned and worn over jeans and trousers for an impactful look.

Layer on some jewellery, and some fun footwear and you have a ton of options from this piece alone.

The second is the sporty chic aesthetic. This integrates sporty pieces into a regular wardrobe to combine them in feminine, chic, and classic ways.

These wide leg track pants are ordered and on their way to my house. When I saw the blue I immediately knew I wanted to add these to my wardrobe.

I also really like that the stripe is a soft white versus the usual stark white. It gives them a different vibe to me.

Then the last few trends that I added are simple like fringe via the fringe jacket. You could also go for a vintage bomber/aviator style jacket instead, as they are also very in right now.

I found both of my vintage versions on Etsy. Here is my fringe 70s, and my 90s aviator.

Then we have large statement earrings, large bags, and mesh shoes.

Would you have been able to pick out all those trends that I included in there if I didn’t tell you? Or do they blend seamlessly into this capsule wardrobe?

Because that is what you want the end result to look like for your wardrobe.

You want everything to look like it fits because it was picked with intention and not out of impulse.

With years of trial and error behind us, ageing brings an intimate knowledge of what works for our bodies and what doesn’t so our impulse shopping should decrease.

This knowledge is empowering. It allows us to navigate stores and trends, picking out only what suits us best.

This isn’t to say that experimentation should end.

On the contrary, as we grow older, we’re more equipped to experiment wisely, knowing how far we can push our boundaries without losing sight of our personal style.

So let your style tell the story of who you are, at every age.

You might also like:
A 12 Piece Spring Capsule Wardrobe to Help You Get Out of Your Neutral Comfort Zone
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A 12 Piece Starter Spring Capsule Wardrobe
A 12 Piece Preppy Spring Capsule Wardrobe
A 12 Piece Minimalist Spring Capsule Wardrobe
A 15 Piece Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy Inspired Spring Capsule Wardrobe

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