Over 40 Style

In my search for comfortable shoes I can wear all day, I've gotten stuck in a rut: loafers or flats with everything. Now, loafers and flats are great---but there are alternatives, especially when I'm reminded of how much better jeans look with a little heel:

Boots by Aigle
Boots by Indigo by Clarks

The British fever continues....here's Pippa Middleton wearing her red London Sole ballet flats, and a few look for less alternatives:

Flats by Nine West
Flats by All Black

A statement necklace, shoes with a twist---a single item is sometimes all you need to refresh a winter wardrobe.

Day Dresses by Lauren Ralph Lauren
Pumps by Franco Sarto

Reese Witherspoon and Whitney Port show how they wear the jeans-tucked-into-boots trend.

Boots by David Tate
Boots by Zigi

Perhaps it's just me, but one way I am definitely 'old school' is in the way I expect immediate gratification when I go shopping. You get in your car, go to the mall and come home with actual shopping bags filled with actual clothes. Just like 20 or 30 years ago. Now you log in, pay...and wait for a brown truck to bring your clothes.

Of course, (obviously!) I love online shopping. The selection is better, I can comparison shop, and in terms of instant gratification, I don't have to wait for pesky things like the store opening it's doors. But sometimes, when the first cool day of Fall unexpectedly appears, and I'm in the mood to wear boots, or tweed, I do wish I could just have a new outfit in the time it takes to drive downtown.

This year, I'm going to try and avoid that by ordering the things I know I'll really want ahead of time, like boots:

More Annie...

Wedge pumps are an ideal shoe for women over 40. There is no denying the leg-lengthening and slimming effect of heels, but oftentimes, I'd just as soon wear flats! Wedge heels solve this problem by being (relatively) comfortable enough to wear all day, and low key enough to tone down a form fitting dress or skinny jeans.

Day Dresses by LOFT
Mules & Clogs by Daniblack

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.

Traditionally, an espadrille is a shoe with a canvas or cloth upper and a sole made of rope, or jute. While the key characteristic of an espadrille---the rope sole---is still there, these shoes come in a variety of heel heights and don't necessarily have a cloth upper.

More Steve Madden...