Finding right clothes for mature women never easy

‘We don’t want to look like mutton dressed up as lamb’ :

UK: For women of a certain age, finding the right clothes has never been an easy task. But it seems today’s fashion scene is worse than ever at catering to more mature females.

Almost three quarters of mature women think that the high street ignores them, according to a major new survey. They think that the high street ignores them and the clothing on offer is too focused on the young

According to a survey almost three quarters of women over 55 think that the high street ignores them and the clothing on offer is too focused on the young

Seven in ten women in this age group– equivalent to 6.7 million– said advertising aimed at them fell back on ‘ageist stereotypes’ and was not relevant to what they wanted.

Some 42 per cent said they had difficulty finding retailers that sell clothing that is both fashionable and suitable for their age.

As a result, less than half said they actually enjoyed going shopping. Earlier this year, a 75-year-old widow shocked bosses at the Marks and Spencers shareholders’ meeting by accusing the store of ignoring older customers.

Twiggy, 62, has featured in numerous M&S adverts, catering to the more mature woman

She told bosses: ‘Fashion is geared to the young customers and not us. We want to look as nice as we can –not mutton dressed up as lamb.

‘We want to wear pretty dresses. We don’t want to look soggy. But we want to be covered up.

‘Nobody’s going to have a bare midriff at our age – it would look ridiculous. Please can you cater for us.’

With women living longer and many working well into their 60s, clothing tastes among the over-55s have changed substantially, the study suggests. The number of women over 55 who wear jeans has jumped from 26 per cent in 2006 to 35 per cent in 2011.

Most women said their style had changed as they got older, with half avoiding figure-hugging clothes, four in ten covering their legs more and the same number giving up on sleeveless tops.

But interestingly, older women were more experimental with colour. Some 23 per cent of older women said they wore bright colours, compared to just 20 per cent among women of call ages.

And only 15 per cent said they stuck to black because it was slimming- compared to an average of 20 per cent. Daily Mail