I cannot wait for you to meet Judy! I know you’ll love her as much as I do. First of all, you have a lot in common. Like Judy, you’re also beautiful, fun, and trying to look your best every day, regardless of your age and stage.
Sure, Judy’s enviable height (5’8″!) and hourglass shape give her a few advantages, but like any woman, she still needs to know how to dress her body to bring out its best. And that’s what we get into in today’s video.
Some of these strategies are specific to an hourglass body type, but the majority of them have to do with dressing in a contemporary and flattering way, and these can be applied to any wardrobe. You’ll see how a few tweaks can update and transform an outfit, and how a couple of well-chosen modern pieces can boost your wardrobe and style.
Introducing Judy
Judy is a 72-year-old Canadian beauty who is 5’8″ and an hourglass, or Style Dial Red, body type. A few years ago, she lost 40 pounds and has kept it off. She has grown twin children, grandchildren, and an active lifestyle. Before she retired, she wore sharp polished matched suits every day, but now her lifestyle is a little more casual.
Judy’s Favorite Outfits
Here’s Judy in a couple of her favorite outfits.
Judy’s Problem Outfits
Here are a few outfits that Judy struggles with, and my feedback.
Lace Tunic: While a beautiful color, this tunic is entirely too long and a little baggy on Judy. I suggest hemming it to her Fashion Fit Formula length and pulling up the sleeves.
Pale Pink Cowlneck: Lovely color, but the neckline is a little off on Judy and it’s too long. I would tuck or hem this top, and open up the neckline a bit more.
Pink and Cream Lounge Set: This set is casual and great for lounging, and the colors suit Judy well. I would pull up the waistband on the sweatshirt to hit at her actual waist, and add a necklace or something if she feels it is too plain.
Black Jumpsuit: I love the fit, neckline, and waist definition of this jumpsuit, but felt like it needed to be hemmed. The length is neither cropped nor full length and that throws off the flattery of this look.
Before & Afters
Some of the outfits that Judy sent me required very simple stying strategies to take them from okay to amazing. And here’s the biggest takeaway for you.
Tuck, hem, belt, or otherwise shorten your shirt. Almost every time, it’s a more flattering option.
NM
And now for the before and afters.
Floral Tunic Before & After
This pretty summery top suited Judy’s color palette and personality, but the length was wrong and looked dated. A simple tuck solved the problem.
Wine Moto Before & After
The blouse seems a bit too busy for this moto jacket, although a tuck would definitely and sticking the front ruffles under the jacket would both help make this work better. However, with a simple tee, the moto jacket becomes the star of a polished and modern outfit.
White Button-Down Before & After
The classic white button-down is a wardrobe essential, and untucked, it would look nice paired with some slim pants or leggings, but with these wider pants there is too much volume overall. Tucking in just one side of the blouse is such a fun and modern way to add flattery to this look.
Printed Tee Before & Afters
This white printed tee is a bit dated, but can be made more modern with some contemporary styling. Here are variations on looks with this same top. Here they are with my notes.
New Purchases
Since Judy is in Canada, I made some suggestions for her wardrobe from Reitmans. Here are some of the pieces we love.
- This purple v-neck sweater is such a great length and an updated style.
- Love this hot pink long blazer on Judy!
- This collared sweater is trendy and flattering.
- Faux leather pants and a dark sweater. Love this combo!
- Faux leather pants and dark sweater with puffer coat.
- White button-down with the leather pants
Which of these illustrations did you find the most helpful? And which can you use in your own wardrobe? Let me know in the comments!
Nada Manley says
THank you Lola! I am so glad you found this helpful!
Nada Manley says
Thanks for the comments Bonnie!
Bonnie Boyd says
The first outfit I really liked was the white vneck tee, moto jacket, and pants; although I loved the ruffle print blouse and would have worn a vest with it. I liked all of your selections at the bottom of these pictures, except that I think the last photo needed something- the black leather pants seemed to overwhelm the outfit.
Lola says
Nada, thanks for this post. Since I’m close to Judy’s age, coloring and also an hourglass I found so much applies to my own struggles. I too shy away from tucking in because I’m self conscious about my tummy. But these photos prove that showing my shape is much more important to a pulled together look.
I especially loved all of the outfits featuring the same tee.
I’m a hesitant to wear faux leather at my age, but Judy nailed it.