Fashion Advice for the "older" Woman

First off, purchase (I think one should say "invest in") a good drapey dress or top in a color you like from Eileen Fisher. You're done. You can wear this item when you'd like to be comfortable, yet dressed up. If you are feeling frisky (yet spry) you can wear colorful leggings with your old comfortable flats.

Now you can keep on wearing those often washed comfortable shorts and pants with basic shirts and you'll never go wrong. This is when you'd wear tee shirts from that long ago trip to the Galapagos or from your son's car racing ventures.

The big decision is about pants lengths. If you like shorts, and we all do in this hot climate, you have to decide if comfort prevails over vanity. I am referring to the varicose veins, various spots and the dreaded wrinkled knees. If you must go for something longer you'll have to decide between the capri length our moms favored (with the elastic waist, remember?), or jeans and cargo pants. Don't forget how comfortable skirts are, especially the maxis.

I read a couple of weeks ago in the style section of the NYT that this summer's true foot fashion statement is Birkenstocks, preferably the Arizona. They were wearing them in the Hamptons. Well, I must be ahead of the curve because I have been wearing them at least since Woodstock.

So, in a nutshell, that is it.

The Arizonas and the ancient cargo pants and tee shirt worked well today in the 94 degree heat as I supervised the installation of a new irrigation system for our community garden. The Mexican guys who did the work were cheerful and efficient and I think we never noticed each others' fashion. We talked about what kinds of peppers  and tomatoes were to be planted and about our kids and grandkids. We mopped our faces. I love having the chance to chat in Spanish.

After they had finished I went home to shower and jumped into a navy maxi skirt (Walmart) with a blue tee shirt (LLBean). The shirt was only lightly muddied from carrying in flats of collards to be planted in the garden. But the third graders I read to every day never noticed. They were fixated on the amazing Roald Dahl story we were reading.