9 Untrendy Pieces Every Over 40 Woman Should Have For Spring
Only buying the things we’ll love forever.
Image: Karwai Tang | Getty Images
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by The Candidly Team
For the record, we don’t say “untrendy” like it’s a bad thing. To us, it means timeless clothes we’ll want to wear year upon year, because we know they just sort of naturally exude chicness. Oh and also that they look exceptional on our own, non-model, over-40 bodies.
Every season we all put our heads together and come up with the very specific untrendy pieces we’re wearing constantly because they make us look and feel so very good. They help us to feel styled but in a very natural, lazy way that’s realistic to our comfort-seeking lives.
This spring, we’re pleased to present 9 such pieces. We’re dressing better because of them, and therefore have laid out a case for each of them, along with original photos of course, to prove that untrendy can be exciting … life-changing even.
1. This Accessory That’s So Good It’s Kicking Off Our Whole List
WHAT: Lele Sadoughi Blush Paisley Square Satin Scarf*
Why We Love It: We recently cracked the code on how the hell to wear a silk scarf without looking like our own great-grandmother … and actually, it’s much easier than we thought. This brand makes the kind of perfect scarves we always secretly envied on chic women with skinny necks who seemed to have their lives far more together than ours. But that was all before we knew how to fasten our own scarves to perfection. And now that we do, the sky’s the limit. We tie it over whispery white tees and jeans, big old sweatshirt and poplin skirts, and suddenly all our boring clothes are 87% more styled and more … French. Dieu merci!
Price: $48
2. These Perfect Pleated Trousers For Curvy Gals
WHAT: The Avery Wide-Leg Pleated Trousers by Maeve*
Why We Love It: Most days we wear pants. And that means that most years we spend our money on far too many pairs in hopes they’ll do all the things that make us NOT hate our pants: nip our waist while allowing us to breath, covering our hips without adding volume, skimming our legs while making them appear inches longer. But the best thing we can really do with pants is find that one, perfect-fitting pair that checks all these boxes and buy them in multiple colors. You can even buy the same color and tailor them for like $15 so one pair works with heels and the other with flats. For us, (and the hundreds of you who’ve listened to us and actually bought these pants already), this pair from Anthropologie is the ONE. We own them in black:
We own them in blue:
And now, we’re buying them in white, because every spring outfit will be more “quiet luxury” and complete with the best-fitting white pants hanging in our closets.
They also size in plus and petite.
Price: $148
3. This Very Pretty Polo Sweater
WHAT: J.Crew Relaxed Sweater-Polo In Vintage Wool*
Why We Love It: There need only be a vague hint of chill in the air for us to reach for one of our (probably too many) sweaters, but the fact that this one is a polo with a different color collar makes it a hack for looking like we styled our whole outfit. Half tuck it into any jeans or the above pants, throw on a brown belt, and whoosh, it all looks very classic and intentional and expensive.
We’ll list the non-sale price but it’s actually on sale for much less as we write this (bless J.Crew).
Price: $99.50
4. These Bootcut Jeans That Turn Sad Butts Into Perky Peaches
WHAT: Paige Marlow Skimmer Flare Jean*
Why We Love It: We usually feel our comfiest in wide-leg jeans, our most sophisticated in straight-leg, and probably our most flattered in very stretchy fitted jeans that hoist up our backside. But we forget about boot cut, and the absolute magical way they combine all three of these elements. They make our legs look leaner, our hips look balanced, and our butts look lifted. A good pair has a soft stretch yet firm hold that makes them both comfortable and insanely flattering - like this pair from Paige. Behold the before and after:
Left: Sad old jeans Right: Paige Marlow Skimmer* (gifted)
And here is the almost-as-important frontal view:
Quite honestly, Paige is the only brand we splurge on for jeans because of this effect the fit has on us since we turned 40. You can see a whole article about this full of before and afters HERE.
We’re such fans that they even gave us a code you can use for 15% off: use CANDIDLY15.
Price: $248
5. These Strappy, Heeled Sandals That Don’t Destroy Our Feet
WHAT: Nisolo Stella Go-To Block Heel Sandal*
Why We Love It: We want that commanding, gazelle-like look of a woman in strappy heels, especially when we wear all the skirts and dresses and cropped jeans of spring. This pair is timeless and even prettier in person, but the thicker strap and block heel means we get the kind of comfort , cushioning, and support to realistically even consider putting on a heel before we walk out the door.
They come in the prettiest tan but also black, and we own both, because they’re the only heels we want to wear most days.
Price: $129
7. This Light Spring Jacket That Elevates Everything
WHAT: Paige Michele Jacket*
Why We Love It: Does it make us think of Cindy Mancini being doused with a dark Cab at a high school party? Of course! (By the way, if you’ve not done so recently, look back at her outfits in Can’t Buy Me Love; they were inspired.)
Image: Touchstone Pictures
But this jacket is so much more than a pretty nod to the late 80s. Outerwear that has both clean lines and volume makes our upper bodies and bellies look narrowed. This one is also the precise length that makes us look put-together instead of schlumpy, which longer jackets with lots of space tend to do. The sleeves have that gorgeous detail that kicks every outfit up a notch, but what we really love about them is the fact that we can fully move our arms and layer this jacker over sweaters on chilly nights, and still look so polished and cool … and actually younger (without looking like we’re trying to look younger).
And you can use CANDIDLY15 for 15% off.
Price: $329
7. This Stretchy Midi Skirt That Smooths Like A Glove
WHAT: Z Supply Gail Midi Skirt*
Why We Love It: With clothes, we fluctuate between the philosophy of “you only live once, wear what you want” and “yeah, we’re actually only gonna wear what we don’t feel shitty in.” A fitted skirt is one of those things our heart says yes to while our minds say no. So we were more than just a little excited to discover an elongating, stretchy skirt with so much hold, we actually feel fantastic in it. It’s really gorgeous on curves and doesn’t cling in a flimsy, unattractive way. It just creates these long, sleek lines, so w can wear anything on top, including something super baggy and still look chic. It comes in lots of colors, black being a staple, but we love the faded denim colors for spring and summer.
Price: $68
8. This Foolproof Everyday Dress
WHAT: Paige Adria Dress*
Why We Love It: If you are like us, you might be looking for a gorgeous-fitting, elegant yet unique dress you can just throw on with comfy, strapped sandals (see #5) and sashay out the door knowing you’ve sort of never looked better. Well, we found that in in this dress. It’s fitted enough to be elongating but sort of holds in and skims your waist at the same time, so there’s none of the self-consciousness we feel in a bodycon style but also not so much volume we feel like we lose our silhouette altogether.
It’s an investment because Paige makes the real deal, quality, lifetime pieces, but we do have that code for you to help the cause. Use CANDIDLY15 for 15% off.
Price: $299
9. This Set That Feels Like Butter And Gives You 90s Supermodel Legs
WHAT: Ripley Rader Black Ponte Short Sleeve Top* and Knit Long Wide Leg Pant*
Why We Love It: Every once in a while we stumble upon a kind of magic fabric that holds you in, smooths all your lumps and bumps, feels like butter but has weight to it, and it makes your whole body look sculpted and incredible. We wear this set as a set, because it’s very flattering and breathable so we can wear it through summer, but we also wear the pants with everything and to everything.
Price: $118 for the top, $198 for the pants
Bonus: The Extras
The Elevated Tennis Necklace* The opal adds something sort of magical yet understated to everything we wear.
The Most Elegant 90s Lipstick Shade*: This is the exact shade Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wore that made all her perfect, minimalist looks dizzyingly chic.
The Most Gorgeous Spring/ Summer Scent*: The softest, non-perfumey scent that fresh wildflowers leave on salty skin after an afternoon at the beach.
The Non-Boring Bag*: French blue is the new cerulean. IYKYK.
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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