Wedding Guest Attire: Hold the Hosiery?

I'm sure you're aware that nylon hosiery went out of style sometime last year and is showing no sign of coming back into fashion favor. If you wore opaque tights all winter, you were still a hip old lady. But now that spring is here (officially, though not physically around here!), women over 50 are supposed to resist the temptation to pull on nylon hose. So...I wasn't surprised when a Flattering50 reader emailed me and wrote:

I have an evening wedding to go to the last day of May. Now let me ask a question that definitely separates my generation from my kids': What about hose? Is it totally 70s to wear hose? I'm quite fair and pretty sure my legs were never intended to be seen. What to do that doesn't date me? My husband and I are very close to the same height, so I don't usually do much of a heel. If I go with a longer length and a lower heel, then that feels frumpy to me and I prefer to feel "dressed" for such an occasion. I want to look sharp because there will be family pictures.

First off, sweet reader, you're not alone! My over 50 girlfriends and I are grappling with the very same question this spring. Recently, a friend reminded me of a Hercule Poirot Mystery Classic in which the detective solved the crime by looking at the bare knees of the criminal and realizing she wasn't the young thing she pretended to be. "Ouch!!!" said my friend. Ouch, indeed. That said, I'm a big believer that one of the perks of being over 50 is that I don't have to be a fashion slave, if I don't want to. I have options. I've come up with a few, but would love to hear what other over 50 women are doing these days. For a few leg options, click...
Read more »

Style Over 50: Slacks and the Evening Wedding

Recently, a Flattering50 reader emailed me and wrote: “I'm going to a NY spring evening wedding. And my legs are pale, fat and blotchy. Are there fancy pants that would be appropriate? Can I still wear tights?” Thanks for the great questions! Since the first question focuses on “fancy pants,” I’m going to assume the upcoming wedding is a relatively formal affair and not, say, a clam bake wedding at the beach. And since the words "black tie optional" weren't used, I'll assume the wedding isn't one of those. With that in mind, my short answer is: Yes, you can wear fancy pants to an evening wedding.

These days, I wouldn’t say “anything goes” at an evening wedding, but there is a lot of style “wiggle room.” You’ll find guests at evening weddings in New York dressed in a wide variety of cocktail dresses, both skirt suits and pant suits, and, yes, even slacks. For a few ideas about wearing pants to a wedding, click “Read More” below. And scroll down for a thought or two on wearing tights to a wedding.
Read more »