How to wear cream after 60 without looking washed out
How to wear cream after 60 without looking washed out
Six rules I give every reader who loves cream but feels it drains her, and the jumper this autumn that keeps every one of them.
By Helen Marsh, Style EditorTwenty years as a personal shopper · 6 min read
Of all the letters that arrive each autumn, the cream ones are the most wistful. "I would love to wear cream. It looks so elegant on other women. But the moment I put it on, I look like I have been poorly." Another reader in Lincoln put it more bluntly: "I look like I have been left out in the rain." So the cream jumper stays in the shop, and out come the black and the grey again.
Here is what I tell them. Cream is one of the most flattering colours a woman of our age can wear. As our hair softens to grey or silver, hard black starts to shout next to the face, while a soft, light colour bounces light back up and makes skin look rested. I watched it happen in fitting rooms for twenty years. The problem is never cream itself. It is the wrong cream, cut the wrong way.
Cream is not the problem. The wrong cream is. Get the shade, the neckline and the knit right, and it becomes the most expensive-looking thing you own.
So here are the six rules. They will help with any cream already in your drawer. And because readers always ask me for one piece that gets it all right, I will show you the one I have been recommending all season: the Mable, a fine-knit shawl-collar jumper from Nottingham Boutique, the boutique behind this journal. I have chosen it in the cream, and I will tell you exactly why it passes each test.
The Mable in cream, worn with soft camel trousers. Every rule below, in one outfit.
Choose a warm cream, not a stark white
If cream has drained you before, I would bet it was really a bright, cold white. That blue-ish brightness is the harshest colour there is against mature skin, and it shows up every shadow. A warm cream has a little oatmeal in it. It sits next to the skin rather than glaring at it, and it is far kinder in daylight.
A warm oatmeal cream, not a hard white. You can see the difference against the door.
I always thought cream drained me. This shade is so soft. My sister said I looked rested, which has not happened in years.
Brenda K., GranthamOpen up the neckline
A high cream polo neck puts a solid block of pale colour right under the chin, and that is what flattens the face. Let a little skin show. A V-neck breaks up the light, lengthens the neck and gives the face somewhere to sit.
The folded shawl collar and the neat fold at the bottom of the V.
The V is just right. Not too low, and it makes my neck look longer.
Patricia L., SouthwellGive the cream some depth near your face
Cream worn flat can look like a blank page. What brings it to life is a little texture and shadow close to the face. A collar that folds back on itself does exactly that. It adds a second soft layer and a gentle line of shadow, so the colour has depth.
The collar does the work. Smooth it flat once and leave it.
It is the collar that sold it to me. It looks so much more expensive than a plain jumper.
Gillian F., RetfordChoose smooth over chunky
A chunky cream cable knit adds bulk where none of us want it, and every bump in the knit catches a shadow. A smooth, fine knit does the opposite. It lies quietly, it skims rather than adds, and it is the reason cream looks so expensive on the women we admire.
A Tuesday morning at the kitchen table. Smooth, quiet and still smart.
Lovely fine knit, not bulky at all. It hangs nicely and does not add inches.
Maureen H., ArnoldAnchor it with one deeper, warmer colour
Cream from head to toe takes confidence and the right light. For everyday, give it an anchor. My autumn formula is cream on top, dark denim or camel below, and a warm tan shoe. Add a camel scarf if it is cold. The cream stays near your face, where it does the most good, and the deeper colour grounds the whole look.
The formula, laid out the night before: cream, denim, camel and a tan shoe.
I wear it with my dark jeans and a camel scarf and I feel properly put together.
Janet R., IlkestonKeep it relaxed, but finished at the edges
Cream in a loose, sloppy shape can look like something you have slept in. You want an easy, relaxed body with a clean edge where it stops. Deep ribbing at the cuffs and hem gives a light colour that definition, and a hip-length cut skims without swamping.
Relaxed but not baggy. The ribbing at the bottom keeps it neat.
Sheila M., BinghamCream that washes you out, and cream that lifts you
If you have a cream jumper you never wear, hold it up against the left column. I suspect you will see straight away why it never felt right.
A stark, blue-ish optical white
A high polo neck right under the chin
Chunky cable that adds bulk
Flat, with nothing near the face
Pale from head to toe
A warm, soft oatmeal cream
An open V to lengthen the neck
A smooth, fine knit that skims
A folded collar to give it depth
Anchored with camel, denim or navy
Helen's styling notes
Three small things that make cream look expensive
- Wear a little gold at the neck. A fine gold chain or a pair of gold or pearl studs warms cream up instantly. Skip anything chunky, because the collar is already doing the framing.
- Smooth the collar once, then leave it. After you pull it on, run both hands down the collar so the two sides lie flat and even. That is all it needs all day.
- Add a little colour to the lips. Cream loves a soft rose or a warm coral. It is the quickest way to stop a light colour looking pale.
The details
The Mable is £37.95 at the moment, down from £80.00 in the autumn sale. For a piece you will reach for all autumn and well into 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: the softness of the shade, the collar, and how smart it looks for so little effort.
You asked
Readers' questions, answered
Which colour should I choose?
There are seven, and the right one depends on your colouring more than your age. The cream suits almost everyone, which is why it is my pick. If your hair is silver or white and your skin is cool and fair, the white is crisper and looks lovely with navy. If you would rather wear colour near your face, the pink, purple and blue are soft and kind to cooler skin, and the red and green are rich and warm, especially if your hair or skin has warmth in it.
Will it be itchy?
It is a smooth, fine knit rather than a chunky wool, and readers tell us it is soft. And because it is a V-neck, there is nothing tight or scratchy sitting against your throat.
What size should I order?
Your usual size. The fit is relaxed with dropped shoulders and it falls to the hip, so there is no need to size up. Sizes run from UK 8/10 to UK 20/22, and with thirty days to return it, there is no risk in trying.
Helen's verdict
If you have given up on cream because it washes you out, 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: a warm cream, an open V, a folded collar for depth, a smooth knit, and a relaxed shape with a clean edge. Wear it with dark denim or camel and a little gold at the neck. You will not look washed out. You will look like the woman everyone else wonders about.
The Editor's Pick
MABLE | Elegant V-Neck Sweater
- A warm, soft cream, not a stark white
- Deep V with a folded shawl collar
- Smooth, fine knit with a relaxed fit
- Deep ribbed cuffs and hem, hip length
- Seven colours, shown here in cream
- UK 8/10 (S) to UK 20/22 (4XL)
- 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.
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