Tres chic Ines de la Fressange. Photo: Reuters
Former French model and now author Ines de la Fressange is the perfect example of a chic older woman. At 53 she’s recently returned to the catwalk and she’s been nominated Most Stylish Woman in Paris. Way to go, Ines.
Fashion for women-of-a-certain-age is tricky. One doesn’t want to look like a teenager, but the matronly look middle-aged women tended toward 50 or even 30 years ago, isn’t going to cut it for the boomers.
What’s a women to do? Well, Ines says the French lady has it right:
- for starters she’s not worried about getting older, she does so gracefully
- she sticks to the classics and adds trends in accessories
- she sports the right attitude, which would be one of confidence
- she keeps fashion fun
In the 1980s Ines was the CHANEL house model and muse of Karl Lagerfeld. In her book, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide (Flammarion, 2011) Ines shows readers how to build a complete chic look based on seven “brilliant basics.”
- men’s blazer
- trench coat
- navy blue sweater
- tank top
- LBD
- jeans
- leather coat (I don’t agree with this one.)
She suggests not fretting about height and weight, “… everything is a question of proportion and attitude,” Ines recently told BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour. “It’s nice to be tiny, it’s sweet and feminine.” (You said it.)
Vive Ines!
OverDressed for Life 