Over 40 Style

I'm going to look at this picture whenever I think that looking casual means an excuse to look sloppy, and being over 40 (or in Sharon Stone's case, over 50) means I can no longer walk with a strut...

Shorts by J.Crew
Boots by Me Too

I can't believe Uma Thurman is 41! It doesn't seem that long ago when she was playing a young girl in "Dangerous Liasons".

Anyway, if you look beyond her six-foot tall, blond-goddess fabulousness, and the fact that she is wearing thousands of dollars worth of Chanel---well, this outfit is simple, really. Take a Chanel-style cardigan (a knit with contrast piping and gold buttons) over a black sweater dress and wear it with strappy sandals. It's a conservative, upscale look, perfect for business dinners or the theater.

Day Dresses by J. Jill
Cardigans by Topshop

Red dresses were popular at this year's Emmy's, showing how flattering the color can be for many women. Try this red-carpet look for day:

More Calvin Klein...

Fawson

$100.00$49.98 at Aldo

An update from a basic black pump, this shade of taupe goes with difficult-to-match colors, like the green print worn by Lauren Conrad, above.

I like the idea of snakeskin prints as an alternative to the usual feline: tiger, cougar and leopard prints. It's newer, and for anyone over 40, it's a little less obvious than the cougar-wearing-cougar connection that some smartass will inevitably bring up. :-)

Anyway, speaking of cougars...here's Courtney Cox, star of "Cougartown" and a cougar by anyone's standards wearing a Lanvin snakeprint dress. I couldn't believe I found a retailer still selling the same dress, but I've posted it here in case there is a size 12 out there who is going to a premiere. The next dress, from Topshop is not a look for less, but it has that forgiving trapeze shape, and a snakeskin print for about a thousand dollars less.

Day Dresses by Topshop
Day Dresses by Lanvin

(Current Elliott jacket, Bottega Venetta bag)

Cameron Diaz uses color to update a weekend date outfit. Try jeans in a pastel color, and pair it with a neutral jacket for a lets-meet-for-coffee date.

Tanks by Ralph Lauren
Sandals by Tory Burch

Flare Denim by Juicy Couture
Boots by Ash

Want to make the look your own? Combine a cropped tweed jacket, a gray bow blouse, flared jeans, and pointy-toe heels:

More Rock & Republic...