30 Days to 10 years younger--10 minute tips. Tip 9: Loop on a scarf

You do realize that big square silk twill print scarves (read: the classic Hermès carré) are out of style and very lady-who-lunches, right? Which means that even if you've coveted one of these iconic scarves for years, this is not the year to buy one.

Mind you, this is not to knock Hermes scarves. I love them. I own some. But they're not the current look. So for the moment, mine are staying in their iconic orange boxes, except for when I take them out and gloat over them like Gollum with his ring.

In case you haven't noticed, the current scarf look is:

• long and narrow, while the classic Hermes is square
• textured, while Hermes is smooth
• interestingly woven, where Hermes is a tight even twill
• gauzy, while Hermes is opaque
• arty/bohemian, while Hermes is traditional and bourgeois

These long, gauzy scarves are not only young and hip, they'll cover your neck, which, if you're over 40, might not be your best feature. So. Somewhere in your collection of scarves you should have something long enough to wrap around your neck a couple of times.

If you don't, I'd advise you to get one. In fact, get two. One for all of your winter clothes, and one to bring you into spring. Say, a dark to medium toned one with an interesting texture, and a livelier one featuring a lovely color or two, maybe some metallic fiber in the weave, some sheerness, some interesting trim--in short, something novel.

The great part of this suggestion is that picking up a couple of scarves really will take you ten minutes. These scarves are available all over the place, from Barney's to the guy with a pushcart on the sidewalk selling scarves for ten dollars.

Right now I'm wearing the heck out of a purple scarf with silver lame threads that I bought for my daughter. It cost $20. It reminds me of this Tara Matthews $550 number from Net-a-porter.

Yes, that's $550. See? If you want to go nuts, you can buy a scarf that's even more expensive than an Hermes--which will just show the people at Hermes, won't it?

Just for fun, let's have a look at some insanely expensive scarves. It'll give you a feel for the best that's out there.

Barney's is showing some beautiful double-layered silk chiffon scarves. They're also massive--52 inches square--with gorgeous prints.



This is the Swash 26 "Fruits de Mer" scarf. At $410, it'll have Hermes sitting up and paying attention. This little thumbnail doesn't do it justice, so click here to see the print up close.


Another Barney's scarf I love is this multi-shade scarf in a palette of neutrals. This kind of print would be a fantastic way to get through the last couple of months of dreary slush--a wonderfuly transitional piece, because of its lightness and texture. Handmade in Nepal for Arman Diradourian, it's $225.


Saks has Alexander McQueen's purple leopard print chiffon scarf.

I don't really need to say anything here, do I?

After all,

purple
leopard print
chiffon

pretty much says it all.

Unfortunately, it costs $380.

So. Onwards.


Banana Republic has this wool/silk ombre scarf in a gorgeous shade of green for $59.50. It also comes in shades of yellow and a nice neutral putty shade.














Bluefly has everything from $189 silks from Diane Von Furstenburg to this interesting silver chevron knit fringe scarf from Sayami for $27.







Anthropologie has a great selection of scarves, and, for a piquant change of pace, their prices are better than I thought they'd be.


The "Shadowed Vine" scarf on the left is $28. I love how they show it on top of the ruffled, textured blouse.



Their "Sky Rockets" scarf on the right is $38. I love the pink mixed with coral. It also comes in purple.


Now that you've seen some high-end scarves currently in stores for spring, you have an idea of what to look for at the affordable store of your choice. The Gap, Old Navy, and Target all have scarves, not to mention the huge selection availabe at T. J. Maxx, Marshall's, and Nordstrom Rack. Not to mention the kiosks at the airport, and the aforementioned guy with a cart on the sidewalk.

Trust me--there's a scarf out there you can afford. Just don't make it a printed silk square.

Because no matter how classic, ladies-who-lunch, French, or Grace Kelly you might think you look in it ...








You'll probably just end up looking like an old queen.









Elsewhere:

Audi of Fashion for Nerds uploaded a video on how to tie long scarves. To see it, click here.

Bloggers discussing Hermes scarves include Meg Fairfax Fielding at Pigtown Design and Natural History of Passementerie.

30 Days to 10 years younger--10 minute tips. Tip 7: Rethink your jewelry

Jewelry isn't just adornment. When you look at a woman's jewelry, you're seeing who she is. And it's not just her socio-economic status. A woman's jewelry is where her age and hipness intersect. While jewelry can't literally make you look younger, it can certainly make you look very less than hip.

This is not the look to emulate.

Admittedly, this is a state portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. But think about it. Do you wear jewelry as if you were posing for an official portrait?

What follows is my advice on what not to do with your jewelry.

1. Don't wear jewelry like medals. Our jewelry tells the world what stage of life we're at. Religious medallions, the starter studs you get when you first pierce your ears, your high school and college rings, your engagement ring, wedding ring, baby presents and anniversary gifts all tell people where you are in life. Think about it--people can probably guess your age within about half a decade simply from the jewelry you wear.

The answer? Remember jewelry's primary purpose as adornment. If a piece doesn't work with your outfit, don't wear it.

2. Don't wear too much. I'm no minimalist. Far from it. But I slip in and out of various social groups, some with younger and some with older women. One thing I notice about the older women is the sheer quantity of jewelry they wear.

I see one group of women every week, and many of them are in their 60s. I often see them wearing three obviously real, expensive yellow gold bracelets on one wrist, an expensive watch and another bracelet on the other wrist, plus rings, earrings, and maybe a pin or a necklace.

This looks uncoordinated and a bit insecure. Remember, elegance is refusal.

3. Don't flaunt your wealth. OK, maybe wealth isn't the right word. But when you reach mid-life, you tend to have accumulated some Important Pieces. And hey, good for you if you have. Enjoy. But don't wear them all at once. Say you've got an 11-carat diamond engagement ring. How about wearing a couple of long strands of gold chain studded with crystals instead of a Serious Necklace?

4. Don't confuse style with price. In case you haven't noticed, right now jewelry is all about cascades of semi-precious stones, brown diamonds, and crystal. It's pearls mixed with tulle and chain. It's glass beads and charms on long, long chains, fringe necklaces, and statement necklaces as big as a baby's bib.

It's not classic, expensive pieces. It's not diamond ear studs, 18-inch pearl necklaces, and Cartier tank watches. These are great basics, but they're unexciting, and they're not current. If that's the only kind of jewelry you're wearing, chances are you look ossified.

5. Have fun. Branch out and find something frivolous to wear. If you don't know what's current, check out ShopBop for inspiration. You might have some candidates in your jewelry box. And of course, if you bead or wield a glue gun, you're in luck.


Elsewhere:

For a look at Forever XXI's amazing, dirt cheap jewelry, (the ring below is $6.80!) click here.

Check out Nordstrom's costume jewelry, sorted by price with the lowest first, here.

Anthropologie and Banana Republic have great stuff--pricey, but watch for sales.

The Beauty Boomer Manifesto

Hello, invisible internet friends!

I have a confession to make. I'm older than you are.

I'm 53, and at 53, I have to work twice as hard and spend twice the money and time to look half as good as I did when I was 27. Well, I have two options; I can continue to fight the good fight, or I can give up.

I plan to keep fighting.

I plan to keep fighting because I feel better about myself when I do. I plan to keep fighting because it makes my husband and children feel better about me. Most important, I plan to keep fighting because it shows the world that I'm still in the game. My glory days are not over; they're just beginning.

Like it or not, people judge you by your looks--and they do it all the time.

One of the things they judge is your age. Another is your perceived level of hipness.

Here's the deal: age and hipness do not have to co-relate. Perceived age is the combination of the impression made by your size, silhouette, complexion, coloring, grooming, clothes, accessories, and makeup. Some of these things can be easily fixed. Others you have to live with. But hipness? Looking in the know? Can easily be tweaked. And that makes you come across as younger.

It takes work. You have to leave your comfort zone. Because let's face it; your comfort zone is frumpy. It's the same hair style for 20 years. It's the overcoat you bought in 1995 that still has plenty of wear in it. It's glasses from 2004.

And frumpiness sneaks up on you. Like age, a lack of hipness doesn't happen overnight. You get busy with other things, and you gradually lose touch. You look up and the 90s--the decade you were hoping to catch up on because babies and graduate school made you miss most of them--are already being revived.

Now, I may be a recovering frump, but at least I've developed some taste and discrimination over the years. Forty years of reading fashion magazines tends to have that effect. In this blog, I'm planning on sharing what I've learned.

I also want to find out what you've learned. What has worked; what hasn't. Some of you posted comments back when I first starting moving in this direction. I've got several posts in draft that are dealing with these issues, so please keep the comments coming!

Elsewhere:

Poppy at BlogHer BeautyHacks:

Shimmery Makeup: Not Just for Teens

Nail Polish Trends for Spring, 2010

Upcoming:

I. The Five Cs of keeping your look fresh:

1. Cull
2. Coordinate
3. Cost -- How to prioritize
4. Change
5. Compromise -- When a fashion from your past is resurrected

II. 30/10--a month-long series of posts--10 minutes to looking younger.

1. Find a MLBB lippie
2. Update your eyebrows
3. Establish a beauty triage
4. Curl your lashes
5. Perk up the girls
6. Exfoliate
7. Rethink your jewelry
8. Make friends with concealer
9. Loop on a scarf
10. Lighten up, Francis
11. Make new friends
12. But keep the old
13. Wear a camisole
14. Wear blusher
15. Bump up your nails
16. Rethink your hair products
17. Be a brownie
18. Grow
19. Be true to yourself
20. Think like a decorator
21. Back away from black
22. Blot, don't powder
23. Find a younger mentor
24. Be all wet
25. Break some rules
26. Bags are the new shoes
27. The legs are the last to go
28. Move on
29. Use your rear-view mirror
30. Play

Glasses are the new hat

We've all heard variations on the theme of "[blank] is the New Black." Eventually every shade in the spectrum will be called into play because fashion types can't make up their minds: "Brown is the new ... " no, wait ... make that "Pink is the new ..." no wait .... And because all things come to those who stand and wait, eventually, our ears are gladdened by the inevitable ever-so-clever self-referential "Black is the new Black."

Well, whoop de do, fashion types. I have news for you. Glasses are the new black. Or at least, glasses are the new hat.

You see, in old movies--I'm talking movies of the 30s, 40s, and 50s--you know, old--hats were huge. Ladies' hats, that is. Why, in Another Thin Man the witty dialogue was derived from a single source: the repetition of the line "Gee, that's a screwy hat." This peerless jest was delivered by a variety of characters, always in reference to the same hat. It resembled a wide-brimmed off-center unicorn's horn. Yes, it was screwy, but damn, that hat had some serious fun. In a single evening it went to a prize fight and into the jockey's locker room at the local track, and which of us could say the same?

Well, nobody wears hats anymore. Not even Myrna Loy. Oh, maybe we do when it's cold, or when we're pretending to be English, i.e., going to a garden party or an afternoon wedding, or when we want to lie out in the sun with a trashy novel. But basically, hats are not happening.

But remember the hat-centric time when the unhappy housewife would be advised to run out and buy herself a new hat? It seems there was a time, pre-Paxil, when a new hat worked as well or better than a couple of dry martinis as regards preserving the harried housewife's supply of seratonin.

And what does the average housewife got to be depressed about these days? The usual stuff that always bothered us, and one of those things is the ageing process. Which, you will remember, comes accompanied with changes in one's vision. Presbyopia, to be exact.

Well, call me Pollyanna, but why not look at the bright side of going blind? Why not take advantage of this God-given reason to buy yourself some mega-kewl glasses? Skip Lasik, shelve the contact lenses, and have some fun with the fact that you can't read the phone book any more. Take me, for example. I've been having some serious fun with presbyopia ever since I discovered that I couldn't read newspaper headlines, let alone the small print.

My latest pair of glasses, which inspired me to write this in the first place, is purple. And cat's-eyed. On top of that, they're only purple on the outside; the inside of the frames is teal green. Yes, they sound weird, but trust me. They are FABULOUS. The shape flatters my face, the color flatters my complexion, and basically, they're as good as a face lift, except not nearly as expensive and way less painful.

Plus, since along with my new frames I also got a new prescription, I have this dazzling new clarity of vision. It's practically surreal. If you ever sat through the opening sequence of David Lynch's Blue Velvet, you know what life is looking like to me these days.

So back to the subject of hats. Until such time as they come back, glasses are the nearest substitute for something you wear near your face that can give you a whole new look. If you wear glasses and they're over two years' old, they are too old. Go out and buy yourself a new pair right now. Get a pair in a cool shape. Get an emphatic color, too. Gold or silver wire rims are for grannies, baby.

Trust me on this. You take a no-longer-particularly-youthful face and park a pair of cutting edge fashion-forward glasses on its nose, and all of a sudden, things start to happen. Your look now says "I am so not a middle-aged American housewife. I am a European woman of a certain age, cheri." Parking garage attendents and UPS guys will start flirting with you big time.

OK, this might strike some as shallow. But presbyopia is nature's way of letting us know that we're old and wise enough to enjoy a few frivolous pleasures.