The style habits making your outfits feel old and frumpy – and how to change them

From tonal dressing to seeking out structure, these six style habits will help you dress with confidence as you get older

A lot of factors can make an outfit you once loved suddenly read as “frumpy”. I don’t like the phrase “getting older”, I prefer to call it the journey of life – but once you go through the journey I think your body does change shape and so what suited you 10 years ago may not suit you now. 
We all need to adapt to what we wear, even just a little bit. Change doesn’t have to be radical – remember fashion is transient, while style is forever. I would never suggest becoming a slave to trends the minute you turn 60, in order to try and look younger. Ironically attempting to keep up with the young can be one of the most ageing things you can do.
Instead try some new colours and shapes and wear things that have an element of fun to them. Small changes will pep you up and keep you feeling (and as a result looking) youthful. When I started my own brand Wyse a decade ago, this was exactly what I set out to do – design timeless yet original pieces that would particularly appeal to customers over 40.
Confidence is the ultimate anti-ager – that and wearing your clothes rather than allowing them to wear you. I firmly believe, particularly as you get older, that you shouldn’t allow shouty or uncomfortable clothes to take over your look.
A few subtle styling tricks can work wonders. These are my top tips.  
Flesh flashing can feel unnecessary, but to be completely covered up from head to toe may also do you no favours. Instead, choose cuts that will highlight your best bits – for me, and for many, that’s the wrists, ankles and decolletage. 
Wool blend blazer, £275; cashmere tank, £195; silk skirt, £195 and velvet shoes, £180, all Wyse 
I always roll my sleeves up or choose a bracelet length, because I like to show my lower arms. It’s flattering to show a slim wrist or a beautiful piece of jewellery, and it just makes outfits feel more contemporary. If I’m wearing a jacket, I will always push up the sleeves or “shoulder robe” to show just a hint of bare arm underneath.
Wool blazer, £119, John Lewis; Gold plated sterling silver bangle, £420, All Blues; Satin skirt, £97, & Other Stories
I also wear a lot of statement skirts, particularly in A-line cuts, that end just above my ankles. My mother taught me to do that – she wore a size 14, but you could never tell because she always showed the slimmest part of her calves.  
Dressing top-to-toe in one colour will always make outfits look well-coordinated and make you look taller. It’s an optical illusion of sorts, elongating the body. As a blonde woman, I find gold and silver look very gentle with my hair colour and complexion. 
Cashmere jumper, £225; Faux leather skirt, £225; leather shoes, £165, all Wyse; Leather bag, £795, J&M Davidson 
The trick to doing this well is to combine different textures in the outfit. You can’t just wear lots of pieces in a flat colour, like black, as that doesn’t serve to break up the silhouette and draw the eye. Take a statement piece like this metallic skirt, and knock it back with the melange knit top. Anyone could do this by trying on pieces in their existing wardrobe and pairing up items that are in the same colour palette. Just remember it’s that play with textures that immediately stops the outfit from looking frumpy. 
Merino cashmere top, £150 and stretch cotton trousers, £195, Me + Em 
As you get older the colour can drain from your face, so wearing fabrics with a little lustre to them can help bring some luminosity to your overall complexion. This is a floral printed dress in a silk satin fabric, which adds just the right level of subtle sheen and light reflection. I love the fluidity of the fabric, the gently nipped waist and the fact that the neck is open to show jewellery. 
Silk dress, £295, Wyse; Leather bag, £295, Strathberry; Shoes and sunglasses, Marielle’s own
Choosing quality fabrics is even more important as you get older. Look for silk satins, linens, wool boucles – materials that feel satisfying, textured and weighty, all of which contributes to them looking more flattering on the body. 
Choosing a dress that isn’t flat and one dimensional will also enable you to get more wear out of what you buy. This could be worn to a casual lunch, or with boots to the office, but it also could be dressed up for an occasion like a child’s graduation. 
Silk shirt, £230, With Nothing Underneath; Viscose dress, £159, Whistles
There are cuts out there that will hold your body well, and skim over any lumps and bumps that you don’t want to highlight. While clingy fabrics and slips look great on some people, I tend now to steer towards pieces with a clear line and define my shape in the right places.
Removable bow dress, £325 and leather shoes, £165, both WyseThis particular dress is a prime example – if it were made in a flimsy material, it would look completely different, even a little saggy on the body. Instead, it’s a structured material which holds the flattering A-line cut well and skims the silhouette beautifully. I think, when you’re wearing a material that feels nice and holds you, you also carry yourself with more confidence.   
Stitched dress, £155, Jigsaw; Corduroy skirt, £200, Cefinn
Jeans and a shirt or jumper may be a standard weekend dressing formula, but your choice of proportions is ultimately what will determine whether the overall effect reads as contemporary and casual, or boring and dowdy. 
Breaking up your line with gilets and tank tops is an easy trick – layering with a tank can help disguise love handles, as well as being helpful for regulating body temperature during hot episodes. Layering the colour block over the top of a striped shirt (crucially, with the sleeves turned up) means that the look could never read as shapeless. 
Textured knitted vest, £27.50, Marks & Spencer; Quilted bodywarmer, £200, Soeur
My number one rule is that if you look uncomfortable, particularly as you get older, you will never look stylish. Don’t buy anything that doesn’t make you feel good and that goes for clothes as well as footwear.
In the winter I hate being cold, so I always make sure I have interesting layers like gilets to hand. Stretchy, leather-look leggings are a staple for me on casual days, worn with chunky roll neck jumpers.  
My days of wearing seven centimetre heels are behind me, but I do like wearing kitten heels – usually around three centimetres – for a little lift. If you can’t bear to walk in them, though, just don’t do it. A clean and discreet pair of trainers, with the right outfit, can look as sophisticated as any smart shoe.
Chunky pure cashmere jumper, £225, Cos; Silk trousers, £390, Reiss