"How Not To Act Old"

I don't know how I've missed this hilarious series until now: writer Pamela Redmond Satran has excerpted her book, How Not To Act Old, in More magazine. There are chapters on How Not To Act Old At Work ("Don't bring the donuts"), At the Beach ("Quit slathering suntan lotion on everyone within reach"), On a Diet, on Facebook ("Don't really tell us what you're doing"), and more. So, so funny.

I want to share a couple of the How Not To Act Old With Your Phone tips with my faithful readers, because they made me laugh out loud, and (cough, cough) recognize myself!

source

• Don’t be unable to find your cell phone because you put it away in a different place every time.
• Don’t hold your phone at arm’s length—so you can read the numbers—and then dial very, very slowly, with your index finger. (Soooo me.)
• Don’t hurry off the phone because you’re afraid of running up your bill. You have 800 hundred minutes a month, and you’ve used only 63.
• Do not set your ringtone to the Sex and the City theme or the old phone tone (brrring brrring).

And a couple of tidbits from How Not to Act Old With Your Hair, none of them serious advice from me. Do whatever you love with your hair, before and after you get "old". Ariane, at 45+, is a goddess with her buzzcut, and 40+ Vix is divine in her waist-length 'do.

Ariane's buzz is amazing . . .

And Vix has incredible long hair.

• Don't chop it off. If you love short hair, fab, but too often Evil Young Hairdressers — and even Evil Not-So-Young Ones — try to make every woman over 40 cut off all her hair.  I say chop it all off if you want! But do it with verve. 
• Don't cling to the style that worked for you twenty years ago. Here’s the mistake: Deciding how to wear your hair based on that amazing picture taken of you 20 years ago. This I generally agree with, although some 'dos are classic and for life, hello Christie Brinkley. 
• Don't be afraid of hair adventures. Agree, agree . . . what's the worst that could happen?

Happy Thursday and enjoy your life today,

I Will Wear It Anyway and Wear It Out!

Do you do this: Fall in love with something because it's beautiful, speaks to your heart, represents a part of you that's been unexpressed? Or something you've just wanted to have in your closet, or have seen in a magazine and coveted?

And then you find it, buy it, and never, ever wear it? Please say yes, so I don't feel so alone.

This doesn't happen to me often. I am a practical shopper for the most part, with an idea of how I like to look. I have my favorite shapes and colors and a price range I can live with. When I vary my style I usually do it gradually, like adding color to a neutral outfit, or changing up my jewelry from "statement" to discreet.

But I have fallen in love with and succumbed to exceptional pieces too. I found an ivory linen 1940's dress in a vintage store several years ago. Crisp and flawless despite its age. It fit and looked divine. I never wore it, not once, and finally donated it to my favorite thrift store, Molly Mutt.

It was similar to this darling dress, but in linen.

Why didn't I wear this little treasure? It was a little bit itchy, I had to hold my stomach in, it was pristine and I feared spilling on it, and it would need expensive dry cleaning every wear. Still, I wish I'd worn it, let my stomach hang out, spilled something on it, and felt fabulous.

I am going to try to wear things that I fall in love with, even if they are not always "practical". I'll apply a 90/10 guideline (cannot take the analyst out of the woman): at least 10% of the time, put on something beloved but impractical and see how it goes. Like the great suede cowboy hat I fell for in San Francisco, or my grandmother's pearls.

Yes, I bought a gorgeous hat like this one, and never wear it. That's gonna change.

If I wear it anyway, might I surprise myself? How about you:  Do you have treasures you fell hard for then never wore? Would you give them a chance, or are they better admired from afar? No wrong answers of course, fashion is fun.

Have a lovely day,

Visible Monday #101: Lovely Rita, Where Would I Be Without You?

Welcome to Visible Monday #101! If you want to participate, it's so easy: just go to the bottom of this post for the easy how-to.

Karina makes the best dresses. She just does. They fit beautifully, the prints and colors are gorgeous, they move with you and flatter like crazy. And this lovely Rita came home from NYC rolled in a corner of my suitcase. I took it out, hung it up and it was ready to wear. Ahhh, thank you Karina, for making getting dressed so effortless.

The emerald camisole is by Adea, a company that also specializes in superior comfort. Love the wooden bracelet I picked up at Bella's Etsy shop! And I added capri leggings for fun. ツ

Skinny the Cat: "Your self-indulgent photo sessions bore me. Food!"

Subscribe to the Karina Newsletter here to get behind-the-scenes style secrets, videos, and discounts! And use the code GIBP30 for $30 off any full-price Karina dress.

Now, let's see what you're wearing, Visible Women!!

The guidelines to participate in the Visible Monday Link-Up are so simple!

1. Whoever wants to can join in! Just compose a post that includes any outfit, accessory, piece of jewelry, hairstyle, cosmetic or other adornment that makes you feel more confident, alive and visible that day.
2. Include a link to Not Dead Yet Style somewhere in your post. Please leave a comment, too, so we know you had a good time.
3. Go to the bottom of this post and click on this cute little link:

In the "Next Step", you crop the pic (easy tool) you want to display, and you're done!

Oh hey! Not Dead Yet Style has a Facebook page now! Please check it out when you have a moment: Facebook Page.

How To Brighten Any Look: Marigold Scarf by Camilla Olsen

Orange you happy to see so much orange and coral this season? (sorry!) Nothing rhymes with "orange" except "orange" - remember that from elementary school? I was sure something did, compulsive little Hermione Granger that I was. But I never came up with one. Porridge? George?

Anyway, the kind people at Camilla Olson sent me one of their yummy scarves to review, and they choose this fabulous color for me. It's "Marigold" in their catalog, and the color is so vibrant. The fabric is delicious too: 100% silk, custom printed in Camilla's California textile studio. No two scarves are exactly alike.

Silk chiffon scarf with hand rolled hem. All the silk scarves are hand printed using an eco-friendly
print process, says Camilla.

Check out her site for Camilla's story, her lovely designs, and her mission statement. She donates a portion of every sale to Women's Health @ Stanford, and 15% of online scarf sales are donated to the University of Maryland Scholarship supporting entrepreneurship in women. So, beautiful clothing, and doing good things, too. I like that.

And they sent me this nifty little scarf-guide to help me through the week. I did wear Sunday on Friday, though  シ

I hope you'll join us for Visible Monday #101! We start celebrating on Sunday evening and party all the way through Monday. All are welcome.

Have a wonderful weekend!

What I Wore: Loose and Easy

Not describing my morals here, ahem. My outfit is loose and light and easy to wear for my casual workplace.

Some days you want to be able to breathe out all the way, eat a veggie calzone for lunch and surrender the waist. And still look presentable. Today was one of those days, so I chose my black knit peg trousers (ASOS), long cotton tunic (Marketplace India) and comfortable White Mountain sandals. A thrifted pendant and a bit of mascara and lip gloss. Yeah, I'm easy ☺

Pockets . . . for leftover calzone??

I can think better when I am comfortable all over.

Have a happy Thursday all,

How Americans Really View Aging: Really?

I saw this article in the HuffPost yesterday and knew I'd have an opinion about it. First, I'm a trained social scientist, and I need to know a lot more about how this poll was conducted (there are no links in the article to the original research, just notes that it was conducted by Allure Magazine, PlasticSurgery.org, and BuildMyBod).

Second, I'm a middle aged woman and I got the sads/mads about how youth-fixated we are. The men surveyed said female beauty peaks at age 29, women said at age 31. Both genders agreed women are most sexy at age 30. Oh, rubbish.

See the entire graphic here. And feel free to disagree.

If the respondents were all age 18-35, then I accept that this is their youthful opinion. They have limited exposure to and experience with midlife role models. If this is the collective opinion of Americans of all ages, woe to us! My "peak" was almost 30 years ago? I've been on the steady path to decrepitude for 30 years?

Here's my response to the survey questions, and I'd love to hear yours in the comments:

• Women's beauty peaks at: any given day, when she's feeling smart, strong and loved. Oh for sure, my skin was smoother and my waist smaller when I was 30 but that wasn't my "peak".

• When is a woman most sexy?: same answer, when she feels smart, strong and loved. Or is listening to a great Springsteen song, or dancing in the dark, or laughing.

Have a wonderful, zesty day and stay fabulous,

Visible Monday #100: One Hundred Weeks of Visibility!

Welcome to Visible Monday #100: Celebrating one hundred weeks of fabulous Visible Women! I appreciate all of you and savor this weekly party so much. I've met dozens of fabulous bloggers of all ages, and I hope you have made new friends too. Here's to the next 100, long may we run!

Today I'm wearing a simple outfit with interesting lines. The trousers are courtesy of Soft Surroundings. This U.S. based company offers clothing and linens with three ratings: "so soft," "heavenly soft," and "ultimate soft". What's not to love? These are the Harlow pants, and they look/feel luxurious. They're flowy and classic with a bit of the new palazzo revival. I recommend you check out Soft Surroundings' site, the offerings are varied and delightful!

The silky top is from Ann Taylor LOFT, the outlet store (kind of similar). It was a great find at under $15, as it goes with all my solids, washes and dries in a minute, and has the open neckline I love. A dash of color comes from a skinny belt and bangle.

These slouchy trousers are comfortable as a skirt, and with pockets!

Simple and Visible for our centennial issue of VM. ☺

Now, let's see what you're wearing, Visible Women!!

The guidelines to participate in the Visible Monday Link-Up are so simple!

1. Whoever wants to can join in! Just compose a post that includes any outfit, accessory, piece of jewelry, hairstyle, cosmetic or other adornment that makes you feel more confident, alive and visible that day. Please be kind and leave a comment below so we know you had a good time.
2. Include a link to Not Dead Yet Style somewhere in your post.
3. Go to the bottom of this post and click on this cute little link:

In the "Next Step", you crop the pic (easy tool) you want to display, and you're done!

Oh hey! Not Dead Yet Style has a Facebook page now! Please check it out when you have a moment: Facebook Page.