6 Ways to Wear Pastels for Women Over 50 contains some affiliate links for your convenience. If you purchase a product through my link, I may receive a small commission. I so appreciate every click-through and purchase! Every little bit helps to keep My Side of 50 up and running!
Should women “of a certain age” wear pastels? For those who abide by the old “fashion rules”, the answer will be no. It was thought that pastels were too “juvenile and little girly”. They made you look like a mutton trying to dress like a lamb. But those fashion rules have gone out the window. Today’s post features 6 (mostly) midlife fashion bloggers who will show you their best looks featuring pastels.
6 Ways To Wear Pastels For Women Over 50 | A Style Guide
Wear pastels in a way that compliments your natural coloring.
Blondes look great in pastels. This is Chrissy from Coffee and Curvy.
She is not ANYWHERE near age 50, but I just had to show you how fabulous she looks in this pink bomber jacket. For those of you who live where the weather is still cool, this is a beautiful way to add a little spring to your wardrobe and still keep warm. It’s modern, edgy, and feminine all at the same time.
If you are naturally a brunette or redhead, pastels right up by your face can make you appear washed out. But pair them with a darker color and you will look fabulous!
Nora from Jacket Society does this perfectly! Here she pairs her Lemon Drop Jacket with a navy floral tee.
Wear pastels with black and white
Here Nora pairs her Canary Yellow Tee with the black and white Mondrian Jacket and black skinny jeans. Stunning.
Nora actually designs and sells most of what she wears at jacketsociety.com. All the jackets, tops and jewelry she is wearing in these pictures are for sale at jacketsociety.com. And better yet, she is offering My Side of 50 readers a 10% discount on everything in her store PLUS free US Shipping! ($25 flat rate for international shipping). Just use the code JS10 when you checkout.
Accessorize pastels with neutrals
This is Fonda from Savvy Southern Chic. Fonda has paired her blush pink skirt with 3 great neutrals – a white top, nude sandals and a gray purse. Doesn’t she look so pretty?And I just love that gray purse with this look!
Pair pastels with white
Barbi from Southern Blonde Chic is wearing a very feminine powder blue top with white jeans and pink wedges. One of the keys to wearing pastels over 50 is not having too many other embellishments that would make the look go over the top. Since her top is unstructured and flowy, the structure of her jeans balances the whole look out. She looks so great!
And speaking of the “skinny jeans” that both Nora and Barbi are wearing…you don’t have to be super skinny to wear skinny jeans! All that “skinny jeans” means is that they are more fitted to your body and that they taper to the ankle. I own 2 pairs and I wear a size 14!!! And have a poochy tummy. One of my favorite pairs is the Metro Leggings from Soft Surroundings. Even though they are called “leggings” they are really more like jeans. The Metro Leggings have an elastic waistband, but you would never know it. The tailoring and structure of these jeans are so flattering! They also come in several colors, including white.
Pair pastels with prints
Nancy is the 60’s model from Jodie’s Touch of Style which features 2 other models – Jodie in her 50’s and Charlotte in her 70’s. Her pretty pink sweater looks great over these floral pants. And even though pairing a pastel sweater with florals might SOUND like a bit much, it works, because her pants taper at the ankle. And don’t you love her pink and black pumps? Kinds of adds a bit of an edge to a very feminine outfit.
Wear your pastels on the bottom
And if you just don’t want pastels up by your face, there are so many great pants and jeans in pastel colors these days. Shelly from The Queen In Between is wearing her fun purple pastel jeans with a great floral kimono. She is so on point!
How about you? Will you be incorporating pastels into your wardrobe?
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I absolutely LOVE that pink bomber jacket! I tend to be drawn to more edgy menswear type pieces like this but I love the femininity of the baby pink!
Funny, because I’ve always loved pastels ever since I started dressing myself!! When I look back at what I wore for my school photos—I was always in red when my mom dressed me, and in pink when I got older to dress myself!!
Thanks so much for featuring my step mom!! She’ll be tickled pink (groan…)
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
So pleased to feature Nancy and look forward to the opportunity to share you and Charlotte! I didn’t think pastels suited my coloring, but writing this post showed me ways to make it work!
Thank you so much for this feature!! Love all the looks, especially Shelly’s. We had that same kimono in our shop last year and sold out of them in a day 🙂
Nora
That is such a great kimono. I think I need one. I always love Shelly’s looks and feature her every chance I get!
Great choices! Thanks for featuring my look.
I’m a big fan of pastels and I team them with a darker coloured pair of pants for balance – I also love the sherbert colours – pastel but with a bit of grunt 🙂
I don’t usually wear pastels, but I did buy a peach colored blouse this spring. I am experimenting. I like it with a darker jacket or sweater over it.
Cathy, these are really great tips on wearing pastels. I’m going to check out some of the links.
Lovely ways of wearing pastel, it is good to be able to see the models wearing it. I love the dark with a pastel.
Kathleen
Blogger’s Pit Stop
Love all these looks. Working now to define my style and get out of my painting sweats. Working from home has gotten me into a slump! I look a bit frumpy! Thanks for the tips, love the looks.
I’m one of those who looks washed out in pastels unless they’re paired with the bolder colors. I love the many suggestions you’ve got here that I could use (shoes, purse). If I’m not careful, I get into the rut of always wearing black.