Neutrals and I Need Your Help
Today I have an outfit that I love, plus I’d love to get your answers to a few questions. As much as I enjoy wearing color, neutrals have my heart. They’re timeless and easy to coordinate plus they’re less memorable than brighter colors which make them more versatile.
This faux suede moto jacket has been a best seller on AWSL for many months, with good reason. It comes in several flattering neutrals, it’s incredibly luxe and soft, and the price is amazing.
This fawn color coordinates with so many other colors. It feels as versatile as black…but a lot more flattering for many of us. It comes in sizes 00-18, I’m wearing a 6-8. Leather and faux moto jackets have a hard look to them, which I avoid, but this super soft, ultra-suede dials back the edginess because it lacks shine.
These are super-soft cords from Banana Republic which have a straight leg and high rise. I like the way the fuller leg helps add balance to my shape. I’m sure skinny pants will be back before we know it, but I’m not anxious to wear them anytime soon. How about you?
The surplice-wrap blouse has a shirt tail back you can wear out, or tuck in. It has a lightly draped front with a snap at the V which keeps it from gaping open, always a plus for me. The front is the perfect length to wear over your waistband which shows some waist definition but conceals your tummy. It comes in several patterns, regular and petite, sizes XXS-XXL. I am wearing a regular in small. The subtle lug sole combat style booties are from last year, similar here, and here, and here.
Now, here’s where I need your help-
Please feel free to answer in the comments, which I feel proud to say is a safe, nurturing environment for us to chat. If you’d like to be more private, simply respond to the email and tell me that way.
Why do you follow my blog? What it is about A Well Styled Life that you enjoy most? How does it differ from other blogs you follow?
Several of you have mentioned that you’ve given up reading other blogs, but continue to read mine. Why? I am honored, but I have never asked why and I would love to know.
I would love to know your fashion and lifestyle goals and how I might help you achieve them.
Could you also please share what country you’re from.
Thank you for being here and helping to make this community what it is.
xox
Started following you several years ago when I needed a fashion boost. We shop at many of the same stores and have similar tastes. I’m petite which can be a shopping/styling challenge. I’ve tried quite a few things based on your suggestions, especially Dressing Room Diaries! It’s my fav!
I love your blog because you give good useful information beside looking great. I love that you shared using mr clean sponges for cleaning white tennis shoes. Also you shared how to stretch your shoes with shoe spray and wearing socks in them to make them larger. That is what a lot of us didnt know. I also love to see the fashion news, skin news, health news and etc. So glad I found your blog. Thank you,
Jennifer, I follow you every day simply because I enjoy your blog so much. I can relate to you age-wise, style-wise, and just life wise. I enjoy the outfits you pick out and how you make some subtle adjustments and they are so much better. I get so many great ideas from you.
I also enjoy your writing and your comments and concerns about life, aging, wrinkles, etc. (all of which I can relate to)
Keep up the good work and thank you for starting my day off right.
Marian
I’ve followed you for several years now and I will continue! It’s because you are REAL. You don’t just show perfection, you take the time to show what works, what doesn’t, and why. Your styles are wearable and affordable for the real world. Our body types are completely different, but I still learn from you and the clothes you choose. We do have similar hair! I appreciate your experience, honesty, and experimentations. Thank you and keep going!
The clothes you feature are appropriate for my stage of life. I turned 70 in June and I decide earlier this year I was not going to be frumpy at 70. Your clothing items are at the right price point for me and you use accessible vendors. You give me great ideas about how to style my outfits. I also enjoy your advice on beauty and health products. Enjoy having coffee with you every morning.
1) I live in the East Bay, so our clothing choices for weather are comparable
2) You publish often so I can enjoy almost every day
3) The prices of the clothing you pull are in my range
4) You seem like a woman I would know
5) Your style is relatable
Sorry, lists are my thing
My sister and I both read your blog because we like your style so much! It is very much what we want and strive for ourselves; casual, fashionable, but practical. Although I like to wear a bit more color than you do (my sister disagrees with me!). You seem to live the same life style that we do in a region with similar weather as we rarely see something we don’t have occasion to wear regularly. It doesn’t hurt at all that your size and body shape are very much like our own with broad shoulders and straight thinner hair. So we pretty much know how an item will look on us by seeing it on you. Your outfits give us a lot to think about for our own style and are fun to watch. We also appreciate that you budget seems to be in our “Neighborhood” too. No clicking on a link and finding a $180 tee shirt (This happened to me recently and I keep shaking my head and asking why!). I’ve really enjoyed your recent restyling of items on “Would you wear it” posts. It gives me a lot more to consider when looking at the item that isn’t styled the way I would. We live in Washington (the state not the city).
I am from Toronto, Canada. Your blog is so refreshing. I feel like I’m following a friend. Not in a creepy way. 😉 I have a very similar sense of style except I wear more color. I too have very thin hair. I enjoy your tutorials on hair, skin and makeup. I finally found a tinted sunscreen that I can wear through your suggestions. Love Australian gold.
Thank you for being you!
Nicki
I like your style plus you are petite, and have fine hair like my own. You seem like someone I would like.
Your blog has a variety of subjects; yes it is mainly style, but you share your beauty problems and solutions, your travels, your health concerns and really to a certain extent your life with us. You don’t use foul language. Swear words will turn me off from a blog faster than anything. You also don’t use a lot of cutesy terms, such as “anyhoo.” You are willing to consider the comments of those who respond to your blog. You value their opinions. You usually are discussing things I’m interested in and in a pleasant and fun way. You don’t condemn those who disagree with you, but you have put in their place those who are extremely rude to you or others who comment.
I usually read your blog as I eat my breakfast and it is like having breakfast with a friend. My only problem is that I can’t give you a hug at the end of breakfast.
USA. I read your blog daily for multiple reasons:
I’m 72 and retired with a similar style sense.
You wear clothes that are “ageless”, yet in current style.
Our hair texture is similar. I would never have found HB Thickening Treatment of my own.
You are generous with creative clothes “hacks” that I would not have thought of.
Your blogs are short and stay on point. You do not ramble on and on.
You save me so much time from searching for the perfect (fill-in-the-blank).
You think outside the box and inspire your readers to do the same.
You are careful to include less pricier options when you can.
Your blogs are well-written and illustrated.
Elle, I agree with you, especially on the HB hair care system. It’s great, and I too never would have found it on my own.
Diane from Canada I relate to you. You keep it simple try new things put your own spin on things and have fun with it. I’m 5’1” enjoy your comments on what looks good and what to stay away from and current fashion styles It’s like having a personal stylist. My favourite is dressing room diaries. My fashion goal is to pair down my closet with only items I love to wear keep it simple. I’m retired and we love to travel so another goal is to pack light . I tend to go with neutral colours and like to keep up with current styles that suit my age. You are very much relatable.
You write so smoothly about the health, style, and everyday topics that interest me; I really have learned so much from you. I appreciate so much all of your hard work for all of us. I love your blog because your style is what I like for my age. Not too trendy, but very classic.The Dressing room diary is especially helpful. I’m from Ohio and have been following your blog for several years.
Dear Jennifer, like zu follow your blog, as you shop in my price range, give advise for cosmetic = skin/hair. Your dressing room diaries are always highlights for me ( hope, to travel soon zu Florida to shop with Talbot/Chicos!) and also sometimes when you give infos about nice places, you visit – love to read! You really do a great job for your readers! Dankeschön –
Angela
I stumbled on your blog when I was looking for inspiration to rebuild my style after I retired. I started following quite a few bloggers at that time, but only a few stuck. One of those was you. Like many of your other readers, I like you focus on fashion and find you knowledgeable, honest and relatable. I like that you are open to other opinions besides your own. Although our body types and coloring could not be more different (I am moderately tall with long legs, short torso with a thick middle, thick hair and autumn coloring), your practical tips for how to style different pieces seem universal, which has helped me to understand how to rework some items in my own wardrobe that didn’t seem that flattering before. I particularly love DRDs. You shop at many of the stores I frequent, and I have added a number of pieces to my wardrobe (perhaps a few too many!) that I wouldn’t have considered until seeing you try them on and style them in different ways. You have saved me a lot of leg work! Also, I like how your writing is friendly and conversational while still remaining focused and succinct. I enjoy the community you have built and look forward to reading the readers comments as well as the post. Finally, your website is organized and easy to read. I don’t mind ads (and realize they are necessary) but constantly having to close pop-up ads or turn off videos is so distracting, and that is never a problem on your site. You tick all the boxes, Jennifer. Keep up the good work!
Jennifer – I’m one of your readers and am a long time Chicago resident. I’ve never left a comment, but have read your blog since 2018 when the prospect of turning 60 in a few years jolted me into recognizing that the fashion thinking that had carried me through my 40s was no longer working for my 50s and I started trying to reimagine what the “next phase” of my fashion life would look like. I love clothes, fashion, iconic fashions, and have sewed my own clothes for years, resulting in a mix of purchased and self-made things. Despite thinking and dreaming about “perfect” clothes (for basically my whole life!) I rarely felt well put together. I dipped into fashion magazines, but always felt that what was portrayed was often not in line with real life (not to mention everyone seemed pounds thinner and decades younger). I found myself with a semi-working wardrobe: I had my professional office “uniform” nailed down, but couldn’t translate it into weekend wear and didn’t know how to expand it to include things for occasional dressy events. My husband and I were also traveling, pre-covid, and several times I found myself in Europe wondering what I’d been thinking when I’d carefully packed for a trip and still found myself unhappy with everything I’d brought with me. And did I mention gaining and losing weight a few times in all this as well? So, at that 2019 turning point I felt like “this is it” – I’ll either finally figure things out or I’ll grow old always feeling dissatisfied! That’s when I found your blog! I love your style and how you find creative ways to put outfits together with your sense of accessories and touches of color. I love your tiny capsule travel wardrobes. And I love the context of your fashion and self-care perspectives within the glimpses you’ve given us of your life. Many many thanks to you for your thoughtful posts, showing how accessible it can be to find the perfect look — and to also recognize that things don’t have to be perfect to be put together. I love how you encourage all of us who read you to be confident that we can all find our own sense of style!
Hi Jennifer, I stumbled on your blog posts about six months ago and am so glad I did! You give excellent advice on wearing clothes, exploring styles and the good and bad of what is out there for women over 50. While my mind feels like I’m still 25- 30, my body no longer fits many of those styles! I live vicariously through your posts and the different stores you frequent for your posts. Your opinions and experience are invaluable to me, a person who has never set the fashion world on fire. I also appreciate your commentary on products for hair and skin care. Thanks for all your work!
Jennifer, I read your blog because I relate to you. We are the same age and our style is very similar. I feel sure that if we met, we would be friends. You are honest and wear nice things but mostly they are not over the top expensive. I like seeing what you really wear even if it’s not new and how you style it. Thanks for doing such a good job and making us relevant.
I read 3 blogs, including yours. Each of you has a different style but all appeal to me and help me be more creative about the way I dress. It is hard getting older. People treat older w.omen differently and not in a good way. Your blog validates that we are still interesting women with something to share and say. Your topics and concerns help me learn how to cope with my older body. Your values and upbeat attitude help me feel the world is a happier place than other media presents.
I enjoy the clothes you wear and I’ve purchased a number of the items. Many work for me too – even though I’m 5’10” and 175 pounds! I like that you are trying items on regularly as I don’t get into the stores often, so your sizing advice is useful (I order online). I like to be current, if not trendy (I just turned 60 so I’m over that sorry). I guess the best reason I keep reading is you come across as real, current, accessible and fun!