Fashion Goes to the Museums

It won't surprise you to know that as a blogger on style for women over 50, I spend a good chunk of my time looking at fashion trends, particularly in and around New York, where I live. I also enjoy reading articles and books about fashion in culture and history, since I don't think you can be a fashion observer without thinking at least a little about how fashion influences culture and vice versa. And, on those rare past occasions when a NYC museum has taken a cultural look at fashion, I've run to the exhibit. In the last couple of years, however, fashion-related exhibitions in city have become anything but rare. Now, I know a lot of people think about fashion—what to buy and wear--but this fashion-goes-to-museum trend makes me wonder: Are more people becoming interested in fashion as a cultural study? I'd love to know what you think. To continue reading, click…
Read more »

May Giveaway: HydroChic Activewear

This month's Flattering50 Giveaway is for an activewear garment from HydroChic. As the name suggests, HydroChic specializes in garments for swimming. But the company has over 300 mix-and-match tops and bottoms that are suitable for a wide range of sports and exercise activity.  In fact, in a recent Flatteirng50 post, entitled Product Review: Sports wear and Swimsuit Alternatives, I described my experience testing an HydroChic activewear outfit on the tennis court. I was very satisfied with the outfit's performance.

For this month's Flattering50 Giveaway, HydroChic will give the winner an activewear garment--a top or bottom--of her choice. (Scroll down to enter.)

SWIM, SUN AND HAVE FUN
 I've included a few sample garments in this post, but you can view the entire collection at the HydroChic website. The exercise pants above look perfect for yoga, don't they? And here are a top and bottom that can be worn swimming. (Sorry about the young model. I hope you can imagine the outfit anyway.) The brand's swimwear collection, which is 50+ UV resistant, now includes garments that are Chlorine-resistant for swimming in pools.







ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN
For a chance to win the Giveaway, Flattering50 readers can either enter at... HydroChic's website page OR enter at HydroChic's Facebook page. If you enter the giveaway on the Facebook page, you'll be asked to like HydroChic.

**This contest is open to Flattering50 readers in the United States and Canada.**

By entering the the Giveaway, you'll automatically subscribe to the HydroChic newsletter, offering the latest HydroChic specials and promotions. HydroChic respects the privacy of Flattering50 readers.

The May Giveaway's Deadline is Friday, May 31, 2013 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be notified by HydroChic on the next business day. 

Good luck!

Product Review: A Sports Wear and Swimsuit Alternative

Recently, I was invited to try activewear by HydroChic. HydroChic specializes in garments that are 50+ UV resistant and can be worn swimming. The waters off the Northeast’s coast are a bit too chilly for swimming in April, so I suggested doing a product review of the activewear’s performance on the tennis court—where I get my exercise these days. HydroChic accepted my offer and asked me to choose an outfit from its collection. The clothing line offers over 300 mix-and-match activewear garments for tennis, swimming and other sports and exercise activities. To read my review, click...
Read more »

Surf's Up! What to Pack for a Beach Vacation?

Recently, a Flattering50 reader emailed and asked: "I'm looking for some ideas on what to wear for a beach vacation. Any chance you might do a post on that?" Gladly! Other than college, I've lived in homes on the water or no more than a few blocks away. I adore the seashore! Diane Vreeland called water (for drinking or sitting by) "God's tranquilizer." I couldn't agree more. How do I pack for a beach vacation? The short answer: Simply and comfortably.

A beach vacation is the ultimate rest and relaxation experience. Formality is just plain silly when you're surrounded by sand, surf and salt air. That said, the absence of formality doesn't mean I'm going to throw in the proverbial beach towel on style and just wear anything. I still want to look my best. So...for a beach vacation, I'm going to pack a handful of separates that are easy to mixed and matched, and perfect for day or night. To see what's in my beach bag, click...
Read more »

Walk This Way: A Stylish Cane Needs Our Support

Okay, I admit it: I’ve got a soft spot for entrepreneurs with limited resources, trying to get a creative idea off the ground. I also like to blog about well-designed products. So…for this post, I’m giving a little free press to the young lads at Top and Derby. They’ve designed a stylish walking cane for the young and not-so-young who need a little extra support. I love the cane’s simple, upbeat design with the necessary functionality. Yes, form and function together!

Now that they’ve created this chic cane, the entrepreneurs are trying to raise money to take it to market. They’ve got an Indiegogo campaign (a crowd-funding campaign like Kickstarter), where people like us can show support their dream. The site includes this great video, which explains the cane’s virtues…




There are only 13 days left on the fund-raising campaign, so time, as they say, is of the essence. If like me, you have an elderly parent who’s slowly losing the ability to walk unassisted, you know what a bitter pill having to use a cane can be to swallow. Or, perhaps, you or someone you know has had to use a cane after an accident or surgery. I know if it were me, I’d want to find a stylish cane like the Top and Derby walking cane. I wish the designers lots of success! If you'd like to help the stylish walking cane dream along, click HERE.

Dove Beauty Video Goes Viral

Just in case you aren't in the YouTube loop, there's a video on women and beauty that has gone viral--over 22 million people have watched it to date. The video, entitled Real Beauty Sketches, was produced by the Dove soap people. According to Dove, only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. That's a pretty sobering statistic, albeit not entirely surprising. The question remains, however: How can women think this way? Women know better. Specifically...

• We all know how harmful those Madison Avenue bullies are, making women feel rotten about their appearance. 

• We all know that the advertisers will say anything to sell beauty products. 

• We all know that if someone discovered a product that made noses look like elephant trunks, Madison Ave. would declare: "Nose that look like elephant trunks are beautiful!" 

And yet, some of us--96% of us, if you believe the statistic--continue to accept Madison Avenue's totally fabricated definition of beauty. The sad reality is, the women in the video are all attractive women. Here, see for yourself...




Dove invites you to join the conversation either at YouTube, at their website or on Twitter at #wearebeautiful. If you view the video here, be sure to take a peek at the Dove website. The site has a longer version of the video, plus a gallery of all the sketches of the women. I'd love to know what you think of the project.

Design Your Own Colorblock Pumps

Earlier in the month, I wrote a post about this spring’s show-stopping sandals, focusing on color-blocked and embellished styles. While I was researching my sponsors for product shots I could use to illustrate the trends, I noticed that Nina shoes features Design your own shoe on Ninashoes.com- Endless style, color and sole combinations! Recently, I’ve been looking for the perfect combination of hues in a colorblock style sandal and haven't had any luck. I’ve also noticed that a lot of the colorblock sandals and shoes have crazy 4” or higher heels, which are too high for me. So...when I saw the Design Your Own (D.Y.O.) feature at Nina's, I thought: wow--maybe I could D.Y.O. a pair of colorblock pumps for a summer wedding I'm attending. The D.Y.O. feature is really easy to use and shows you instantly what your design looks like. My first design was the Paladin style above. Once I got started, however, I couldn't stop. To see more of my colorblock designs, click…
Read more »