How to dress for your age

Dressing appropriately for your age and still staying on trend is a delicate balancing act. For many women, looking put-together and stylish is an important part of self-image, but how do you strike that balance between looking smart and sophisticated, and not dressing like your teenaged daughter? We checked in with Karen Kwinter, Canadian Living magazine's style editor-at-large, for tips and tricks to help you dress beautifully at any age.

CanadianLiving.com: What are some of the most common mistakes that women make when it comes to choosing age-appropriate clothing?
Karen Kwinter: The most common mistake is dressing too young. With our youth-obsessed culture, many fashion trends, from their very inception, are geared toward youthful, lean bodies. These styles usually don't translate well for older women. A few women make the mistake of dressing much older than their chronological age in an effort to look appropriate or cover figure flaws and insecurities.

CL.com: What are the solutions to these mistakes?
KK: The solution is to do a bit of body and soul searching to determine your own comfort level within a range of fashion choices. First, be realistic about the
image you want to project and the shape of your body. Always go for the middle
ground as you age and never for any extremes in fit, colour or trends. All ages
look good in classic styles and neutral colours and the best way to add extreme styles and colours are in small doses like accessories.

CL.com: What are some of the guidelines for dressing in your 20s and 30s?
KK: 20s - Anything goes! This is the decade to have fun and go for the gusto. Find your style now and  you will be able to adapt it as you age.

30s - Lifestyle changes like marriage, career and motherhood will mean that
your wardrobe will change as well. Women in their 30s are still pretty open, with an 'anything goes' attitude when it comes to fashion, but will be a little more restricted based on their day-to-day wardrobe needs.

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