Defining style is one of those topics best illustrated by example. While it is acknowledged that style and fashion are related, particularly when it comes to women, it is also equally evident that lasting style— true style— has little to do with trends, color, hemlines, age, nationality or society’s definition of beauty.

So what is it, exactly?

Putting a stamp on senior lifestyles and the fashions they inspire is difficult. As is said, "The times, they are a-changing." The good news is that women— and men, too— are increasingly unburdened by the need to conform to a set of rules. That, we think, is a very good thing!

The Essence of Style

Finding your personal style, and defining it, may not be so easy. Although some women seem to be born with a sense of what is right for them, others stumble along the path until they reach a point where they can match "what's out there" in terms of fashion to "what's in here" in terms of personal identity and perception. Writer Jill Chivers notes that it can be condensed to the concept that style emerges when you truly know yourself, and accept the "you" that you really are.

Simple, right?

It can be freeing to choose clothes that express your inner personality rather than selecting an appropriate "uniform" based on your position, your activity or your age. Jenny Joseph's poem, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple," which became the inspiration for the Red Hat Society, expresses that sense of quirky defiance that many women would love to embrace. And, while most senior women do not feel the urge to constantly defy convention, we all have to admit that it is great fun sometimes. It is good for the soul, as well.

Style-Setters

Memorable women have widely variant styles—think of Katherine Hepburn, Coco Chanel, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth, Joan Rivers, Jacqueline Kennedy.

Style is not necessarily elegant or expensive. It can also be outrageous, irreverent, work appropriate or downright comfortable. The message for the modern age is really that former dress codes no longer apply. If, as a senior citizen, you feel well enough and are spry enough to pedal your bike around a park, you can wear pedal pushers, spandex or a neon yellow warmup suit as long as it fits and makes you comfortable. 

If you feel like dressing in blue jeans and boots, that's your prerogative. And, if you are supremely comfortable with cashmere, pearls and high heels, you should certainly make that your dinner outfit. Makeup and hair style is another aspect of personal expression that has little to do with current fashion trends.

The thing to remember about style, according to any number of commentators, including Ari Seth Cohen who has made it his business to document aging style-setters in "Advanced Style," is that it is personal.

Adopting that Personal Style

Effortless Gent, a style guide for men, insists that great style is derived from setting the right priorities. "Great style means not taking oneself, or one's garments" too seriously, and knowing when to break or bend the rules, according to the advice given, and that is just as pertinent for women as it is for men.

Just as it is impossible to define and categorize senior lifestyles, there may be no serious rules governing senior fashion today. Achieving the perfect expression of your personal style, though, can be an achievable goal. It is a way to convey to the world what you are really all about, and has little to do with what you wear. And here at Deupree, we believe that the most important accessory is a smile!