You may have heard of beauty tweakments – but why not take the idea to the next level and try some fashion tweakments too?
Beauty tweakments are non-surgical cosmetic procedures like Botox or chemical peels, that can help rejuvenate the skin, and fashion tweakments are subtle changes to what you wear that can breathe new life into your style – particularly in midlife when it may have stagnated a little.
Fashion stylists stress that tweakments to what you wear are often cheap or even free, and while they can be as easy as just rolling up your sleeves, they can really make a positive difference to your appearance.
Personal stylist Susie Hasler runs Styled By Susie, a consultancy specialising in styling women on a high-street budget whose body shapes have changed.
She tells the Press Association: “A lot of things can happen with midlife, like perimenopause and body changes, and those things can really impact how women build their clothes.
“They don’t always intentionally style their outfits, so they can get into a rut with their style and reach for easy pieces like jeans and a t-shirt, but end up feeling bored of it because it’s got no personality.”
And personal brand stylist Clare Chambers points out, women may experience a slight loss of identity in midlife, perhaps realising they can’t wear the clothes they used to, but are still going to the same shops.
“They become repeat offenders, buying the same kind of garment, going to the same brand – it’s all familiarity,” she observes.
“Women can lose their way, become unsure about what they need to be buying, and get stuck completely.”
And she adds: “I’m not big on body shape and saying you can only wear this if you’re this shape – that’s a bit old hat. But what we do want when we’re in our 40s or 50s is start to really highlight parts of our body.”
Here are the tweakments midlife women can make to breathe new life into their style…
1. Follow the three-part checkpoint
Chambers says there are three checks women need to make to really bring an outfit together.
Firstly, clothing needs structure, and she explains: “It could be a blazer, a jacket, a tailored pair of trousers, but there needs to be structure in the outfit.”
Secondly, there should be contrast. “That doesn’t necessarily need to be colour,” says Chambers. “It can be things like combining something casual with something formal, for instance a pair of tailored trousers teamed with a t-shirt creates contrast, because we’ve got casual and formal. Or it could be textures, for instance, denim with satin.”
The third check, she says, is making sure there’s a focal point – something like a belt, or a cool pair of shoes. “But equally, if all the outfit’s neutral, it could be a bold splash of colour,” she suggests.
“Those three are the first things that can instantaneously elevate a woman’s outfit.”
Very Michelle Keegan Belted Wide Leg Trouser in Light Khaki, £40
2. Tuck or tie tops
Hasler says if women tie or tuck tops differently, perhaps by doing a front tuck into jeans or wide-leg trousers, it will give an outfit much more shape.
“We always want to create the illusion that the top part of the torso is shorter than the legs, so by tucking your top you’re going to create that illusion. If you have a shirt or a blouse, you can unbutton the last couple of buttons and tie it at the waist instead if you don’t feel comfortable tucking.
“Tying a shirt is going to also cover the tummy a bit more.”
Bonmarche Autonomy Check Shirt, £20; Autonomy Stripe Detail Wide Leg Jeans, £25
3. Push-up sleeves
Simply pushing up the sleeves on a blazer, jacket or shirt can help the waist look smaller, and Chambers explains: “When you push up the sleeves, given that clothes tend to be so voluminous nowadays, it really helps to anchor the waist point.
“So whether a woman has a defined waist or she’s straight through her torso, that optical illusion created by pushing up the sleeves gives the impression of being more cinched in at the waist.”
New Look Light Yellow Linen Blend Blazer, £47.99
4. Update footwear
Swapping your trainers or other footwear can really freshen up your outfit, Hasler promises.
“So throw out your tatty old trainers and maybe refresh them with leopard print or colourful trainers to inject new life into your simple jeans outfit,” she suggests.
Gola for Scamp & Dude Navy Cheetah Tornado Trainers, £95
5. Try a French tuck
An oversized, masculine shirt is a key wardrobe staple, says Chambers, who notes: “What we’re seeing a lot of women do, particularly older women, is leaving the shirt untucked, but tucking in the front one side, so what we’re calling a French tuck.
“That makes such a difference, because it’s stylising the item without over-complicating it.”
Cotton Traders Oversized Long Sleeve Striped Oxford Shirt, £38
6. Add an extra element
Always add a third piece to your basic outfit, suggests Hasler – so wearing a blazer, necktie or necklace with jeans and a t-shirt, or a leather belt with a dress or cardigan to provide a little shape in summer.
“Adding the third piece is going to create the setting of a finished and complete outfit,” she says.
Accessorize Wide Woven Belt Black, £18
7. Wear different tones of the same colour
Wearing one colour in different tones is an “absolute 2020s outfit-defining look”, stresses Chambers.
“Tonal dressing instantly gives us a current edge to our style, just by switching from wearing different colours and prints.”
Bonmarche Faux Suede Jacket, £24.50 (was £35); Faux Suede Skirt, £16.80 (was £24); Saint Tropez Graphic T-Shirt £11.20 (was £16)
8. Change your jeans shape
Chambers suggests going for wide or at least straight-leg jeans.
“It’s an instant ageing look if you’re still stuck wearing skinny jeans,” she stresses. “You need to get out of them, whether you like it or not.”
New Look Dark Blue Wash Low Rise Super Wide Leg Jeans, £32.99
