Over 50 is a Good Time To Visit Your (adult) Daughter's Closet

From a very young age, girls have donned something from their mother's closet: high heels, hats, sunglasses. Now, according to fashion stylist Sherrie Mathieson, it's time for mothers to invade their (adult) daughter's closets. And in this economy, borrowing clothes may be the only thing you can borrow!

Mathieson says that turning 50 does not mean it's time for "dowdy, box voluminous jackets; pull on pants; gaudy floral blouses; gauze broomstick skirts; and faux ethnic jewelry." Got the picture? And hopefully, you won't find anything like that in your daughter's closet.

In her new book "Steal This Style," Mathieson shows pieces that should be shared and others that should not. But if you're like me and only have sons, you can follow Sherrie's advice below or visit her web site for more tips on dressing with style after 50, 60 and beyond.

"...the point is to look "modern" and ultimately ageless in your style. ...a classic "core"--but with a creative twist and mix. That is "youthful" in spirit, but never inappropriately "young."

Sounds good to me!

http://www.sherriemathieson.com/

Text Messaging TFWW (The Fort Worth Way)

Remember how much you loved to talk on the phone with your BFF* when you were teenager. My BFF and I still talk on the phone a lot, but she travels and sometimes our communication of choice is texting, a required skill when you have your own teens. Coco (CTPTI*) and I love to talk politics, particularly local politics. I think I still have her copy of "All Politics Is Local" by Tip O'Neill. Anyway, living and breathing Fort Worth politics like we do, my BFF and I have come up with our own lingo.

*Best Friends Forever
*Changed to Protect The Innocent

TFWW - The Fort Worth Way

MCC - Mayor and City Council

SB - School Board

BS - Barnett Shale

TAGTIFW - These Are Good Times In Fort Worth (A Mayor Barr favorite)

WWTT - What Were They Thinking

PBS - Political Bull S___ (just in case someone finds that word offensive)

TL - Term Limits

OMG! - Oh My God! (not original, but it works)

CAVE - Citizens Against Virtually Everything (not original, but it works as well)

DUH! - It's just DUH!

The following could work in other political situations.

YWCA - Your Wife Called Again

YMCA - Your Mother Called Again

This is a start and will help when we text and tweet. Please use what you like and click on comments and send me your own political lingo.

Read more about it in the WSJ (Wall Street Journal) Oh, you knew that!http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203674704574328920789548170.html?mod=yhoofront

Longhorn by Johnny Pate

Hair Raising

I had my hair cut yesterday and I feel so much better. Not that I ever feel really bad about my hair. I'm lucky to have thick, easy to style hair, but it does grow quickly and I know how important it is to get a good haircut. See the advice of Michele Benza, MNBF (my new best friend, in case you forgot), "Never Underestimate the Value of a Great Haircut."

My hair has been cut in some variation of "short" for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I recall having my "pixie" cut and styled (what's to style?) by the local barber, Mr. Christie. My mother, of course, went to the beauty shop. Never heard of a salon back then. She went twice a week--on Saturdays to have it "done" and on Wednesdays for a "comb-out." Can you imagine not washing your hair for a week!

I had long hair for a brief time in the late 60's when I was in college (that's not a photo of me) and ponytails adorned with scarves were popular. I managed to get enough growth by Christmas to have something my long-haired friends called a "paintbrush." The only thing that mattered to me was that I could tie a scarf around it. By the end of the school year, my hair was about to my shoulders. It was so heavy that I had to constantly move it around to allow the sweat to evaporate from my neck. I soon opted for a "shag" that everyone thought it was a wig!

Except for Mr. Christie, I can't remember the names of any of the barbers/hairdressers who cut my hair, until Dana. I met Dana in a dance class in Boston. He was in front of me and kept turning around and pointing to my head. Bad dancer, I thought. After class he told me he had a haircut for me. He did, and I loved it. New thought--good hairdresser. After a few visits to the salon where he worked, I went to his apartment to get it cut. Not to worry. I always ran into his friends there--drag queens who seemed to find me as interesting as I found them to be. I took it as a compliment.

So now I live in Fort Worth and Erin cuts my hair at CUT on 8th Avenue. My hair is short, and edgy in a soft way. Short hair is a personal preference for me, but Erin agrees that longer lengths can work for women at any age. And she tells her clients that, especially the women who think age 50 is synonymous with short hair.

Need a fresh cut for Fall? Call Erin at CUT. She has some great offers for new clients. MENTION MY BLOG and Erin will give you a deal you can't refuse. Does a free haircut sound good? Call her at 817.923.8886 for an appointment.

Photos: Bing Images

Harvard Business School Campus Shows Art

The Schwartz Art Collection is displayed throughout the campus to inspire students to think creatively and to incorporate art into their personal and professional lives.


No comment necessary. I think that says it all. To see the collection, go to http://www.hbs.edu/schwartz/

HBS celebrated its 100th birthday last year. For a brief history of the school go to http://www.ehow.com/facts_5234104_history-harvard-business-school.html

Locally, the Charles Tandy statue is now on the TCU campus. Texas Wesleyan University has a variety of sculptures on its grounds. Take a stroll and enjoy the "public art." Both campuses have relatively new spots to grab a cup of coffee or snack--Brown Lupton University Union (The Blu) and Java Joes at TWU.

It's All About Me and My New Best Friend

My new best friend is Michele Benza. She doesn't know me, but if she lived in Fort Worth, we might be friends. She lives near San Francisco. I lived in L. A. and enjoyed visiting San Francisco. She was executive for an upscale Belgian chocolate company. I eat chocolate! Her bio leads me to believe she has 2 sons. I have 2 sons. And when her children went away to school, she decided it was time for a change. Ditto!

I am currently working through my change. Not that change. That's long gone. I'm into the "what am I going to do with the rest of my life," change. Again. But now that my second son starts college at the end of the month, and son #1 graduates from college at the end of the month, it is time for me to do something new. Even my husband is exploring some new ventures. He's mostly doing the same things he has always done. Men should probably not get too far out of their comfort zone.

Back to Michele. I googled my blog, "after 50 with style," to see what others think about the issues that concern me. Couldn't find my blog but luckily found http://www.50fabulous.com/ and "Are You Ready to Step Away From Boring?," comments from Michele about her consultation with her 50-something client. It was a start.

It was better than a start. It led me to her other articles: "Over 50: Less is Best, "Never Underestimate the Impact Value of a Great Haircut," and "Can Women Over 50 Slow Down the Aging Process? You Bet!."

The last article is a list of Michele's anti-aging rules. I keep it next to my bed so I can remind myself of simple ways to make me feel good. I don't want to look young...I just don't want to look old. There is a difference. I can follow her rules rather easily. Rule#8 is "Smile." I can do that. Rule #6, "Groom Your Eyebrows." I've been working on that, but it may be time for professional help. It's hard to "groom" wearing glasses! Rule #1, "Good Posture" reminds me of that annoying but long-term helpful finger-poking from my ballet teacher. No big deal. No bruises. Just good posture.

I'll let you know if Michele ever visits Fort Worth. Not sure when I can get back to San Francisco, so for now we'll just be virtual BFFs. I know she'd like my friend and personal make-up consultant, Jo, who is about to launch her own make-up line. More about that later.

Read more about Michele at http://www.michelebenza.com/ Did I mention she speaks French?

Color Your Wardrobe

Lunched at a neighborhood bistro the other day with my gal-pal Lela (not her real name--must protect the innocent). She looked fabulous. Not the Betty Buckley Broadway Concert star glamorous, but the "over 50" looking good, looking really good! And we were just eating.

We don't meet or talk often so we had a lot of catching up to do. Her family is fine. The dog accompanied her and her husband on a visit to grandma in Florida. And she just got a sweet deal on a new car, in Dallas, of all places! Did I say she looked fabulous?

Lela has recently veered off her career path of 20+ years and has a new job. She loves it. And she looks like she loves it. I couldn't stop complimenting her on her outfit. The color was bright... Nope. Not going to reveal the color. I couldn't do it justice without a photo. Should have used my cell. It made me smile. It was fresh and very flattering. And her new lightened hair color literally topped it off.

I was inspired by Lela's new-found flair with color. (She had confided in me that she was tired of black.) After lunch, I went home and changed out of my dark ensemble. The best I could do was exchange my black pants for something in a shade of white. Yes, there are many shades of white!

Anyway, I have been rummaging around for tips on adding color to my wardrobe. Stumbled on www.50fabulous.com and a contributing stylist who could be my new best friend. I like the way she thinks about women over 50. She was raised in Brussels and lives in the San Francisco area so I will have to translate her style code into Fort Worth-ese. Just kidding. Her style is definitely universal. More about that later.

Thanks Lela!

Laughing Out Loud!

Laughing out loud is healthy. Try it. Don't worry about lines. It's totally worth it!


When I went to lunch today, I noticed an old lady sitting on a park bench sobbing her eyes out. I stopped and asked her what was wrong. She said, "I have a 22 year old husband at home. He makes love to me every morning and then gets up and makes me pancakes, sausage, fresh fruit and freshly ground coffee." I said, "Well, then why are you crying?" She said, "He makes me homemade soup for lunch and my favorite brownies and then makes love to me for half the afternoon. I said, "Well, why are you crying?" She said, "For dinner he makes me a gourmet meal with wine and my favorite dessert and then makes love to me until 2:00 a.m. " I said, "Well, why in the world would you be crying?" She said, "I can't remember where I live!"