What I wish I'd known at thirty-five...

@Jeshoots

My book club is the craziest thing-no one reads the book!

It is strictly non-fiction (that’s a rule but reading the book isn’t!) which explains the madness somewhat as it makes it easy to read a chapter here and there and still be united by the essence of a book club.

At this month’s club, after a catch up on life and a few glasses of wine (let’s face it, that is the real substance of most book clubs) with much shock, we actually started discussing a chapter in Norah Ephron’s, “I feel bad about my neck”

In the chapter entitled - “What I wish I’d known”, number eleven on her list is;

“Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five”

It got me thinking that at thirty-five, I wish that I’d known how to dress for my body shape and how to disguise those things that I dislike about my body whilst highlighting the good bits…

I am nostalgic for the younger me. When looking at photos from 10 years ago, I remind myself to be grateful for how I look right now because I know that in just 3 years time, I will hanker after that smoother, youthful looking face and neck that I used to despair over. However, I don’t like my legs and I didn't like them at thirty-five or at twenty-five either for that matter. I don’t look back at photos and think they were any better then, than they are now. But I have learned to dress them and be very, very grateful for them.

Discovering and dressing to your body shape, will not only make you look as if you've dropped a dress size, but it will make you feel more energised and self confident.

Dressing to your body shape is about 3 key things:

Highlighting and accentuating the good bits

Diminishing and disguising the ‘not so good’

And bringing your body back into proportion using clothes.

Ask yourself:

What is/are my favourite thing(s) about my body?

Am I making the most of those?

And conversely:

Which bit(s) do I not like so much?

Am I buying clothes that conceal those effectively?

Then:

Am I wearing clothes that showcase my best features whilst flattering my overall body shape?

Why do I look great in that ‘fail-safe’ outfit?

Why does that item, left hanging unworn in my wardrobe, not work?

Knowing the answer to these questions, makes shopping and dressing a pleasure and will save you time and money, because you will only buy clothes that suit you and that you’ll actually wear- regularly.

One of the most common things to do is hide under baggy clothes, which can result in creating a bigger silhouette and potentially hide your fabulousness at the same time.

I admit an ageing neck is hard to disguise unless you are a pear shape and/or suit roll necks and don't suffer from hot flushes (another blog altogether). Let’s face it, your neck starts deteriorating at exactly the same time the flushes set in - harsh! Equally you do not want to draw attention to the area you are trying to hide as Diane Keaton did in “the book club”. I spent the entire movie trying to get a glimpse of her without a roll neck or scarf (I didn’t succeed). However a fabulous pair of shoes, a clever hair cut or divine earrings, will divert the eye away from the neck area. That, plus a level of acceptance, that along with hands, necks are a tell tale ageing sign and all part of life’s rich journey.

So I’d tell my thirty-five year old self:

What to wear and what not to wear for my body shape and to embrace my good bits and to celebrate those everyday, at every age.

What would you tell your younger self?