8 Style Trends You Think Are Too Young For You But Are, In Fact, Perfect For Over-40 Women
Nothing scary. We swear.
Images: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+
by The Candidly Team
After years (ahem decades) of doing “work” on our self-esteem, we’re finally feeling less self-conscious about how we dress.
Well … at least, in some ways.
And we can now see the sad irony that back when we were young enough to carelessly say carpe diem to trends, we were probably at our most self-conscious.
But there’s a bit of a caveat that comes with our newfound confidence. And that is that we’re scared as hell of looking like we’re tryyyying to look younger. Yes, we still want to dress cute. And chic. And attractive. And vibrant. And OURSELVES. But we’re also just a teeny-weeny bit, irrationally afraid of coming off like this:
Obviously, this is a deeply dumb concern for most of us. For starters, anyone can wear whatever they feel like, but more importantly, most of us over 40 don’t have an ounce of interest in dressing like we’re 16. Nevertheless, we don’t need to overcompensate by shutting the door to styles and trends and pieces of clothing we like just because we decide we’re too old.
The truth is, there are many au courant styles out there that are so good, so flattering, so problem-solving for women well over 40 that deserve their day in the sun. And here are 9 of the best of them. All good. None scary.
Image: The Breakup | Universal Pictures
1. KiND OF CROPPED TOPs
Right, so we don't mean early 2000s crop tops that were cut just below your boobs and paired with low slung jeans that made the boniest of hip bones look like love handles. We're talking about a short(er) length top that hits at the top of your now thankfully high-waisted bottoms.
This length looks arguably better than the extra band of fabric on most shirts that we either have to awkwardly tuck or layer over the bumpy tops of our pants. Both can create bulges we don't necessarily love and actually make our midsections look thicker, whereas tops that hit just above the hips have the effect of nipping our waist and making our legs look longer.
440Me Essential Cashmere Silk Short Sleeve Polo
A cashmere polo is already a trend-defying staple and a very lazy way to look classic and chic. This one hits at juuust the right flattering spot at the waistband, so our legs look longer.
Price: $178
Mongolian Cashmere Cropped Crew Cardigan
Where a lot of cardis can be cozy but kind of look schlumpy and swallow us up, this one keeps us looking styled and like we still have an actual shape. Once you get over the softness (you won’t), you’ll appreciate how exceptionally good it looks with every bottom you already own. The black is a staple but we also have it in our cart in varsity red. Also, the price is wild given it’s 100% cashmere.
Price: $90
Everlane The Silky Cotton Way-Short Shirt
We’ve talked at length about this shirt internally. Written about it publicly. For anyone who doesn’t love wearing tight things up top or showcasing their bellies, this button-down is game-changing. Buttoned up, it gives us lots of space to breath, and left open, it’s a crisp layering piece, as you can observe here on another real human.
In both cases, we look put together and like we actually pay attention to tailoring.
Price: $98
Image: Nobody Wants This | Netflix
2. OFF-SHOULDER THINGS
Showing a hint of skin in strategic spots makes it so the looser, cozier clothes we feel most comfortable wearing look more styled and alluring without having to resort to the wild cut-outs designed exclusively for 22-year-old size 2s.
A slightly off-shoulder but otherwise oversized and slouchy sweater looks chic (dare we say sexy) over skinny jeans, fitted skirts, or literal leggings. And we still get to feel "covered up." And an off-shoulder style, be it on a dress or sirt, makes us look more dressed up, so it's an easy way to add a little edge when going out … but in an elegant sort of way.
Abercrombie Long-Sleeve Asymmetrical Wrap Bodysuit
The epitome of what a going-out top should be, as demonstrated by Kristen Bell in Nobody Wants This (pictured above). In fact, her exact bodysuit was indeed from Abercrombie.
Price: $35
Free People One To Beat Pullover
If this is giving Flashdance vibes, we’ve done our jobs. We’re a little obsessed with this oversized sweatshirt, because it’s deeply cozy and you can opt to pull the shoulder on or off depending on your mood. Pair it with melty leggings for an evening in or pour it on over a silky slip skirt on days you’re feeling your puffiest, and you have a perfect cozy-chic, dress-up uniform. It also comes in a sea of cute colors. Size down though, because it is spacious.
Price: $78
Free People One To Beat Onesie
We were already SOLD on a cute-fitting, wide-leg onesie made entirely of sweatshirt material but the fact that the neckline makes us look alluring instead of like the pigs we truly are is just a whole lotta icing on the cake. Comes in more colors than we’re allowing ourselves to buy.
Price: $98
Image: From Scratch | Netflix
3. MARY JANES
It's actually pretty hard to find a shoe as versatile as a Mary Jane. It works with everything from cropped jeans to full maxi skirts. Plus, it's amazing how a single strap elevates your whole outfit much more than a basic flat or pump, which can sometimes read businessy or boring.
Margaux The Demi Jane
These have that graceful Audrey Hepburn shape that make us look as styled as if we were wearing heels. But without the foot pain.
* Gifted
The color selection is dizzying, but we, of course, wear them on repeat in black.
Price: $295
Nisolo Luna Heeled Mary Jane
The grown-up Mary Jane and a perfect party shoe They’re a chic shape, but the steady, supportive block heel is really the star, because we’re not hating our lives the entire time we’re wearing them. They also come in black:
* Gifted
Both colors are wildly on sale at the moment.
Price: $77.40
Image: Sex and the City | HBO
4. JEAN JACKETS
A denim jacket makes us look and feel young(er) in a way that feels easy and unforced. The fact that they have a tailored cut makes it so they're infallibly flattering even if we were to layer one over a mumu. They match everything, barring the exact same color jeans, and have a low-key way of turning the rest of our clothes into a “look.”
They're also one of those rare pieces that can dress things up or down, but, in a funny way, they can do both at the same time. Throw one on over a silky slip dress with white sneaks, and you have something you could just as naturally wear to the market as you would on a date night. Swap your blazer for a jean jacket at the end of the day, and your work uniform becomes a going-out outfit. It’s all just so effortless.
Quince 100% Organic Cotton Denim Jacket
Classic cu. Classic color. And it costs just $50. We have a whole article on jean jackets where you can pick your personal fave, but this one is a perfect choice.
Price: $50
Universal Standard Kelsey Denim Jacket
This one is also very, very flattering. In fact, we wrote a love letter to it because it has that cool, casual, crisp, 90s Calvin Klein ad look but it also has stretch so our arms can move. And the size range is A-MAZING.
Price: $188
Image: The Better Sister | Amazon Prime
5. WIDE-LEG JEANS
Don't be afraid to lean in to wide-leg jeans. They're wildly comfortable and extremely flattering on thicker thighs and pear shapes. The key thing is that they have stretch and are form-fitting in the right places. Wear them to balance tighter things up-top like a smooth, fitted tee or a tissue-soft turtleneck. That way we don't just lose our shape altogether and instead get that in-n-out silhouette we all have to varying degrees but are oft stumped on how to accentuate.
Quince Bella Stretch Wide Leg Jeans
Hang out with us long enough, and we will bring up these jeans. We’ve written entire dedicated, completely unsponsored articles about them, because as far as wide-leg jeans go, these blew us away on every level of stretch, smoothness, and shape. And they cost $50!
* Gifted
Price: $50
Paige Anessa 31" Wide Leg Jean
We’ve written odes to these jeans. They are, without question, the most flattering jeans we have ever put on our curvy, non-model bodies, and we’ve yet to find a body that they don’t look incredible on.
Here’s one of us in them now:
* Gifted
They’re the only jeans that have been worth this price tag, which is admittedly not cheap. But the brand was kind enough to give us a code to share with you.
Use CANDIDLY15 to get 15% off.
Price: $249
Image: The Watcher | Netflix
6. LUGSOLES
Chunky shoes are a shining example of something we wore in the 90s that, despite being reclaimed by 19-year-olds of today, remain an ideal option for us. They’re not only comfy and supportive but they balance out our outfits, so we don't look top heavy or like our shoes were just a clumsy afterthought. Wear them with your drapiest, wide-leg pants when flats would just get lost or with cropped jeans when more slender styles make for awkward proportions.
Quince Italian Leather Lug Sole Loafer
As much as a lug-sole loafer has become a trend of late, it’s also a sort of ageless shoe you will turn to ALL. THE. TIME. It works with every pair of pants we own. But we’re partial to putting them on with a shirt or sweater dress which makes us feel sort of smart and fashiony. This pair is unbelievable in terms of comfort. Like a tennis shoe. And while it comes in black, of course, the white has a way of elevating all our neutral outfits that we quite enjoy.
* Gifted
Price: $90
Dr. marten’s 2976 Quad Platform Chelsea Boot
We’re all about pampering our feet. It makes us sound old, but guess what, our feet are old. And fatigued. But they do not look it in these shoes. And neither do our legs, or really the rest of us. These shoes make everything more gorgeous and lengthened. We wrote all about this HERE and included lots of photos to prove how they work with any outfit.
Price: $210
Image: Running Point | Netflix
7. SHORT SKIRTS
Shorter skirts and dresses can be highly flattering on curves and again, make our legs look longer. They're especially good for apple shapes or those of us who tend to like to wear things a little looser but still want to look styled as opposed to just seeming like we threw on a sack.
Most shorter styles can be worn with tights and tall boots, so we're not technically showing a ton of skin. But, if you’re up for it, you can also embrace the leggy look and add a comfy block heel (see above), which beautifully balances out more flowy fitting pieces (the below sweater dress, for example).
Pomander Place Vivianne Dress
The cozy sweater dress we’re always searching for. Because it’s not long, it looks chic instead of frumpy. It comes in 4 perfect autumnal colors and is perfection with tights and tall boots. Sizes up to XXL as well.
Price: $128
J.Crew Pencil knee-length skirt in Italian bi-stretch wool blend
This skirt molds us into those clean lines we dream of when we pull on a dreaded pencil skirt. But unlike the others, we feel not at all bulgy and like we can still breath. Wear it with any of the slouchy or skimming sweaters on this list, and you will look eye-catchingly good.
Price: $98
Image: WeCrashed | Apple TV+
8. PUFF SLEEVES
They don't have to be Seinfeldian. Puff sleeves can be subtle, slightly voluminous, and therefore, soooooo flattering on arms. The wee-bit billowy effect has a way of making our waists look narrower. Pair a puff-sleeve tee or button-down with skinny jeans or a pencil skirt to create the prettiest proportions, where we don't feel like everything we're wearing is skintight. Or you can tuck it into a draping high-waisted pant to create a loose, yet-tailored look, where everything is comfortable without coming off too baggy.
Pomander Place Black Long Sleeve Livia Puff Sleeve Top
Adding a little volume to a ribbed tee gives us really nice, narrowing lines. Not that we need narrowing, but we also don’t want shirts that add bulk and are hard to tuck. This one is just 10 out of 10 on our arms and bellies, whether left in or out.
Price: $39
Sézane Rim Shirt
And for that lacy look that turns clothes into outfits, this shirt is a dream.
Price: $135
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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