How to wear bold colour after 60 without feeling like a walking rainbow
How to wear bold colour after 60 without feeling like a walking rainbow
Six rules I give every reader who loves colour but has talked herself out of it, and the one piece this autumn that keeps every one of them.
By Helen Marsh, Style EditorTwenty years as a personal shopper · 6 min read
The letter I receive most at this time of year is not really about clothes. It goes something like this. "I saw something wonderful and colourful, and I loved it. Then I thought, who do I think I am? I would feel like a walking rainbow." And so it stays in the shop, or in the basket, and out comes the navy jumper again for another grey week.
Here is what I tell every one of those readers. Wanting colour is not vanity. In the grey months it is good sense. In twenty years of fitting rooms I watched the same thing happen again and again: a woman puts on something bright, catches herself in the mirror, and her whole face changes. The trouble is never the colour. It is that nobody ever told us how to wear it.
The trouble is never the colour. It is that nobody ever told us how to wear it.
So here are my six rules. They work for any bright piece you already own. And because readers keep asking about one piece in particular, I will show you the one that keeps all six: the Amanda, a quilted patchwork-style hoodie from Nottingham Boutique, the boutique behind this journal. You may well have seen it already. Here is exactly why it works.
The Amanda, worn with ordinary jeans. Every rule below, in one outfit.
One statement piece at a time
The walking rainbow happens when three bright things meet in one outfit. Let one piece be the loud one, and let everything else go quiet. That way the colour looks chosen, not accidental, and people see the piece rather than the whole parade.
I was worried it would be too much. With my jeans it just looks cheerful, not costume.
Valerie T., MansfieldChoose a piece with every colour in it
This sounds backwards, but it is the secret. A single bright colour, a pillar-box red or a lime green, has to be matched. A piece with every colour in it matches everything, because whatever you put with it is already somewhere in the pattern.
The quilted sun up close. Every colour is in there, which is why it goes with everything.
The colours are even better in person. It goes with every pair of trousers I own.
Pamela G., Long EatonAnchor it with what you already own
You do not need a new wardrobe to wear colour. You need one bright piece and the navy, grey, black and denim you already have. Your quiet clothes stop being dull and start being the backing that makes the colour sing.
Grey, navy, black, another grey. And one piece that makes them all useful.
My wardrobe is all navy and grey. This brought the whole lot back to life.
Christine B., BeestonKeep the shape relaxed
Bold colour in a tight, fitted shape shouts. The same colour in a soft, easy shape feels friendly. When the colour is doing the talking, let the cut be calm and comfortable.
On the wardrobe door. A relaxed, easy shape lets the colour do the talking.
Lovely relaxed fit. Comfortable enough for every day and it still looks smart.
Doreen W., HucknallWear it on an ordinary day
We save colour for best and then best never comes. Colour does its finest work on a wet Tuesday in November, when the sky is grey and the kettle is on. Wear it then, and notice how much better the day goes.
A cup of tea by a rainy window. This is exactly the day colour is for.
Everyone smiles when I wear it. On a wet Monday in November that is worth every penny.
Margaret S., ArnoldChoose texture, not shine
Bright and shiny reads as cheap. Bright and textured reads as crafted. Stitching, quilting and pattern give colour depth, so it looks like something made with care rather than something from a fancy dress shop.
Straight out of the post. The quilting is what makes the colour look so rich.
It looks like a proper quilt. I get asked where it is from every time.
Hazel P., West BridgfordColour that overwhelms, and colour that cheers
If you have a bright piece you never quite wear, hold it up against the left column. I suspect you will see straight away why it never felt right.
Three bright things at once
One loud colour that matches nothing
A tight, fitted shape
Shiny, flat fabric
Saved for best, never worn
One statement piece, the rest quiet
Every colour, so it goes with everything
A soft, relaxed shape
Quilted, stitched texture
Worn on an ordinary Tuesday
Helen's styling notes
Three small things that make bold colour look effortless
- Let the piece be the jewellery. With this much colour, skip the necklace. A wedding ring and a pair of small studs is all it needs.
- Take your trousers from the darkest colour in the pattern. Dark indigo jeans or navy trousers ground a bright top better than anything pale.
- Tidy the neckline. Let the hood lie flat at the back and pull the drawstrings to the same length. It is a two-second habit that makes a casual piece look put together.
The details
The Amanda is £29.95 at the moment, down from £60.00 in the autumn sale. For the piece you will reach for on every grey day this winter, that is very fair.
I always read the reviews before I recommend anything, and I would encourage you to do the same. There are just over three hundred, averaging 4.2 stars. I trust that more than a perfect five. The same things come up again and again: how many compliments it gets, how well it goes with plain clothes, and how much it lifts a dull day.
You asked
Readers' questions, answered
Is it too young for me?
No. What makes clothes look too young is a tight cut or a slogan, and this has neither. It is a relaxed hoodie in a quilted, patchwork-style design, which has a long and very grown-up history. Worn with dark jeans, it looks warm and cheerful, not like you have borrowed it from your granddaughter.
Will it go with my clothes?
Almost certainly. Because every colour is in the pattern, it works with navy, grey, black, denim and cream. If your wardrobe is mostly dark neutrals, it is exactly what this piece was made for.
What size should I order?
Your usual size. It is a relaxed fit, so there is no need to size up. Sizes run from UK 4/6 to UK 22/24, and with thirty days to return it, there is no risk in trying.
Helen's verdict
If you have talked yourself out of colour because you thought it would be too much, it was almost certainly failing one of these six rules. If you want one piece that passes all of them, this is the one I would choose. One statement piece with every colour in it, anchored by the jeans you already own, in a relaxed shape with real texture, and worn on an ordinary day. You will not look like a walking rainbow. You will look like the most cheerful woman in the room.
The Editor's Pick
AMANDA | Colourful Quilted Hoodie
- A quilted sunburst in every colour
- Patchwork-style pattern with stitched texture
- Relaxed fit with long sleeves
- Drawstring hood
- Goes with jeans or casual trousers
- UK 4/6 (2XS) to UK 22/24 (5XL)
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
In the autumn sale now. The middle sizes go first.
About the writer. Helen Marsh is the Style Editor of the Ageless Style Journal. She spent twenty years as a personal shopper, dressing women in fitting rooms from a size 8 to a 24, before starting the Journal to share what she learned there with women over 55. Her golden rule: the best clothes are the ones you can put on without a second thought, and still feel like yourself in.
The Ageless Style Journal is published by Nottingham Boutique. This page is an advertisement for Nottingham Boutique.
Nottingham Boutique · free UK delivery · 30 day returns