Older women bend the rules and dress for fun
February 14, 2015 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
“It still looks very modern and very young,� Pawlivsky said. “It’s forward-thinking.�
“We’re not all slobs in Edmonton,� Adamson said. “It makes you feel better.�
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Gloria Barrigan isn’t afraid to show off her legs in mini-skirts, even though some fuddy duddies insist seniors should lower their hems.
She wears sleeveless dresses in spite of her inevitably aging upper arms. (Some people call those flabby bits bat wings. Barrigan? “Wiggle room.�)
And as for her wee belly in slender dresses?
“That’s not a tummy. That’s delicious,� says the petite five-foot-three 70-year-old mother, wife, gadabout and business owner of Night Owl Designer Lingerie in downtown Manulife Place.
Fashion rules for the 65-plus group are meant to be bent.
Think about the beauty of Helen Mirren, a “dame� at 69, Meryl Streep at 65, 71-year-old Catherine Deneuve modelling for Louis Vuitton in 2013, or Jacky O’Shaughnessy, a greying model of 62 and a new old face for American Apparel.
“Sometimes, you have to go out of bounds,� Barrigan says of older women embracing fashion. “I’ll keep within the boundaries, but make that little step out.�
Such as covering up with a well-cut sweater with a flirty peplum bottom and ruffled neckline, but flashing soft décolletage under a black camisole.
Or how about a simple black A-line skirt, short enough to show off tights with lace running up the thighs?
Sequins, rhinestones, platform stilettos and sheer fabrics: Bring it.
“If you think you can pull it off, then do it,� Barrigan advises. “To me, 70 is the new 45, not the 50s or the 60s. I’m very energized all the time. I don’t feel 70.�
She goes out for dinner every night with her husband and spends much of the winter in Hawaii, says longtime friend and sales associate at Night Owl, Saxon Wolf, Barrigan’s junior by one decade. Barrigan largely shops downtown to support local businesses such as Holt Renfrew, Kissara and Blu’s.
She never leaves home without lipstick and mascara. Purple-painted toenails peek out from strappy high heels.
“She likes fun fashion,� Wolf says. “If anyone can wear hot pink, it’s her.�
And Barrigan, like women who regularly shop at Night Owl lingerie — including those in their 90s, Wolf adds — likes to dress from the inside out, carefully choosing lovely undergarments and lace camisoles upon which to work their wardrobe.
But jeans? They’re not Barrigan’s thing. Denim is simply too restricting and uncomfortable, she says. Instead, she frequently opts for black leggings that might be finished with girlie bows.
Even her fitted, sequin-covered black-and-white dress is stretchy.
“I like glamour, but I like it to be comfortable,� she says.
jsinnema@edmontonjournal.com
