How to Create Your Signature Midlife Style and Exude Confidence

The key to exude confidence when you create your signature midlife style isn’t following all of the latest fashion trends but reflecting who you truly are. But what if you don’t know what your style is? You can develop your unique style by choosing your Outfit Equation, creating a mood board, and experimenting fashion and finding your statement piece.

After a new look? Update your style and bring fresh energy to your midlife. If you want to create your signature style or want to use your existing wardrobe with confidence, keep reading.

Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them. —Marc Jacobs

Now is the time to re-evaluate our wardrobes and our outfits as we start to say goodbye to the chunky jumpers and layers we have all been hiding under.  Again, this year with the Pandemic slowly being beaten by the vaccine rollout, we can start to think about getting dressed properly again and not just from the waist up!

Putting together an outfit can be a daunting task and can make us all just reach for the tried and tested formula that we are used to and feel safe and comfortable in.  But it is really worth the effort to try something different and to have fun and experiment. Using an Outfit Equation it is easy to begin and once you have the hang of it, getting dressed in the mornings will become a pleasure rather than a chore.

Choose your Outfit Equation

This is a great way of sorting out lots of ways to wear different combinations.  This can also become a “uniform” if you want it to.  Lots of stylish women have a uniform that they stick to over and over. Giovanna Battaglia – one of my style icons – has a uniform of T-shirts and maxi, colourful pleated skirts.  Anna Wintour wears sunglasses, printed maxi dresses and chunky boots as a norm. Jennnifer Anniston is a T-shirt and jeans girl, usually topped with a beanie hat.  These are their signature looks and the ones they will go to as a default. 

To create your Outfit Equation, think about what you feel the most like “you” in.  What makes you feel confident and sassy?  When you have an idea of this, you can then adapt it for any occasion.  

For instance, I  have a couple of Outfit Equations for my style.  

One is the maxi skirt and T-shirt formula. I can adapt this for casual wear, with flat shoes, maybe a slogan T-shirt and a cardigan.  If I wanted to make this look a corporate look, I would wear a dark T-shirt, with a jacket over the top, heeled shoes and a statement necklace.  For the evening, I might wear a crisp white T-shirt with a long, taffeta, skirt, sparkly slingback shoes and statement jewelry.  

My other go-to Outfit Equation is ¾ length trousers and a white shirt.  For a casual look this might be ¾ length jeans and I would swop the shirt for a sloppy v-neck jumper, with trainers.  For a meeting, I would wear ¾ length trousers, a white shirt, long necklace, a jacket and a pair of high heels.  For the evening, maybe a pair of black ¾ length tuxedo trousers, a tux jacket, white silk shirt and a pair of statement heels.  

Find the Statement piece  

Start with your statement piece – a great pair of shoes, or a statement piece of jewelry for instance and using the Outfit Equation that you feel comfortable and confident in, start to build your outfit around this.

To work out your own Outfit Equation, consider the following:

1. What are you already wearing?  Chances are you already have an Outfit Formula that is tried and tested and is your go-to.  Start to analyse what this is. Try documenting your looks for a couple of weeks and then look back through and see what it is you have been wearing and what has made you feel good about yourself.
2. Which styles reflect who you really are.  What do you put on and think “yes, this is me!”  What kind of silhouette do you feel the most at home in?
3. Got your list – then let’s get started.  Start pulling out items from your wardrobe that will make up these formulas.  Look out for gaps that you might need to fill with new items.  Be creative and try not to always go for the same silhouette.  For instance, using the skirt and T-shirt example from before, instead of always going for a pleated midi skirt, mix it up with a pencil midi skirt, or an A-line skirt.
4. If you need more inspiration try looking through Pinterest and making a board of any ideas that jump out at you, or looks you really like.

Once you start to get the hang of Outfit Equations, you will start to see that you only need a few clothes in your wardrobe to make up numerous outfits.  You will also get clarity on what items you need to buy to fill in the gaps. This will mean less impulse buying and less overwhelm when you are gazing into your wardrobe trying to find something to wear – you’re welcome!