Age

Not ditching my denims!

/ edebock / 6 Comments

LogoAccording to a recent and obviously very controversial study, I should have stopped wearing jeans 12 years ago!

British courier service, CollectPlus, put together a survey that revealed that by age 53, people should stop wearing their denims. Even Catherine Woolfe, Marketing Director at CollectPlus, was startled by the results. “It’s surprising to see our research reveals that many people think jeans are the reserve of the younger generation,” she said.

My initial response to the news was astonishment! Jeans are an absolute staple of my wardrobe and I can’t ever imagine the day coming when I would stop wearing them.

I’m definitely not the only one! Here’s Susan Street from Susanafter60 in hers,

Susan Street, Susanover60

Jennifer Connolly of A Well Styled Life wearing hers,

Jennifer Connolly, A Well Styled Life

and Alyson Walsh of That’s Not My Age wearing her jeans.

Alyson Walsh, That's Not My Age

All three fashion bloggers are over the age of 53 and I think they look darn good!

So why does CollectPlus suggest that we should stop wearing jeans at 53? Apparently, the stress that people experience while shopping for jeans becomes too intense for us by that age! Really? That’s the best they could come up with? What does a parcel delivery service know about fashion anyway? Or about conducting valid research?

What do you think? Are jeans one of your wardrobe essentials? At what age would you stop wearing them?

Retirement dressing

/ edebock / 3 Comments

logoIt’s hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since Richard and I walked out of our respective classrooms and entered a new phase of life called retirement! That meant I no longer needed a working wardrobe. I spent most of my career teaching elementary school, so my workwear wasn’t as formal as some women’s, but I was a professional and it was important to dress like one. Now I no longer needed to, so what should I wear?

To me, retirement meant a new and exciting life was opening up in front of me. I didn’t feel old and I certainly didn’t want to look frumpy! I didn’t need a working wardrobe, but I wasn’t happy to spend the rest of my life wearing the shapeless t-shirts and sweatshirts that I’d once worn during my out of school hours. I began to take a greater interest in fashion and now I would call my retirement style dressy casual.

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Yesterday, we were reminded that age is creeping up on us. We’ve been fortunate to be able to stay on the excellent Alberta teacher’s benefit plan for the first ten years of our retirement, but next fall I turn 65, the magic age at which we must transfer to the retired teacher’s plan. That’s why we were in Edmonton yesterday to meet with a representative of the retired teacher’s association. Here’s what I chose to wear:

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It was the first day this spring that it was warm enough to be out and about without a jacket. A light sweater in pink, one of this season’s most popular colours, was a perfect topper for the Cleo Top from cabi’s last season. Worn with dark wash jeans from Old Navy, this is what retirement wear looks like to me.

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Chokers are back!

/ edebock / 5 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3

Last week’s 70s girl post got me thinking about another favourite style from that era that has returned in recent months. Chokers are back! Or did they ever really go away? They were popular in the 70s, again in the 90s, and now they’re being seen yet again.

One of my favourite chokers of the 70s was a cameo on a wide velvet ribbon. Another was a leather cord with wooden beads. Those were pretty typical of the era and looked good with the flowing tops and dresses of the day.

The choker of the 90s often had an edgier, gothic look. I think my daughter was in junior high when she wore one that looked exactly like a shiny black dog collar. I’d post a picture, but I suspect she’d hate me for it!

Today’s chokers are more reminiscent of the 70s. Here are a few examples:

While I’m definitely not a proponent of age related fashion rules, it’s my personal opinion that chokers usually look best on the young. Because the skin on our necks is thinner than elsewhere, it tends to loosen and wrinkle earlier. As a result, our necks may look older than the rest of our bodies. Why draw attention to that?

On the other hand, I recently found this one in my jewelry box and I’ve decided to wear it again. Made of pewter and gold plate, it was a gift from a good friend back in the late 70s. It’s a bit longer than most chokers and it’s shape tends to draw the eye down, away from my 63 year old neck. IMG_20160825_171601778

Do you have any favourite fashions from days gone by? Would you wear them today?

Fountain of youth

/ edebock / 2 Comments

I think I’ve discovered the fountain of youth! Everyday as I walk across the university campus to school and back, I’m surrounded by literally thousands of students moving from class to class. They exude such energy that I am invigorated by simply being in their presence.

The 12 to 15 minute walk is a fitness program in and of itself and should also help us retain our youthfulness. We begin by descending 67 stairs from our fifth storey apartment to the ground level (there’s no elevator) then walk across the north campus to busy Huanghe Road. Crossing the pedestrian overpass to the south campus involves 35 steps up and another 35 down the other side followed by 6 more stairs down to the south gate. After walking across the south campus to our building, we climb another 48 stairs to the third floor where our office and some of our classrooms are located. Four times a week, I continue on up to the sixth floor where I teach my university classes. That involves climbing 72 more stairs! We often make this trip to school and back twice in the same day. I’m definitely thankful for the time I spent on the treadmill before we came to China and expect to be even more fit by the time we leave!

As a young person, I always thought my teachers looked old but the students here invariably guess that we’re much younger than we really are. Until they hear that we have several grandchildren, they always think that I must be in my 40s or perhaps my early 50s. How can I not love these kids?

I’m no better at guessing the ages of people here but I do know that people our age in China grew up in the aftermath of war and under the repressive regime of Chairman Mao. Life has not been easy for them and apparently it shows on their faces. Perhaps those who appear to be elderly are only my age.

According to the most recent estimates that I could find online (2012), life expectancy in China is approximately 6.5 years less than in Canada and until fairly recently the discrepancy was much greater. At present, a Canadian man can expect to live almost 79 years while a Chinese man’s life expectancy is a little less than 73. Women in Canada have a life expectancy of slightly over 84 years while a Chinese woman can expect to live until shortly after her 77th birthday. Perhaps the fountain of youth is really the country in which we live. How fortunate we are to be Canadian!

In spite of the facts and figures, however, I still like to think that my present feelings of youthfulness are the result of soaking up energy from the students who surround me. They are my fountain of youth!