It is a fashion truth universally acknowledged that women of a “certain age” should keep their cleavage and thighs to themselves.
But to celebrity stylist Gok Wan, ankle-length skirts and billowy blouses belong in a Jane Austen novel and nowhere near the modern-day woman.
This season’s hot colour: white
“There is no such thing as being too old to flash a bit of cleavage,” he told The Weekly. “You shouldn’t have to lengthen your hemline and cover up when you get to a certain age.
“These parts of your body are what make you a woman and sexy and gorgeous and feminine. I don’t think you should ever have to hide them away. If you’ve got it girl, get it out.”
Dressing for dates
The most important time for flaunting flesh is when on a date. Gok has encountered hundreds of women who donned slinky dresses for dates when they were in their twenties, but have no idea what to wear now they are over the age of 35.
His answer to all these worried women is simple: if you dress for your body type you can keep wearing the same styles for decades of dating.
“When choosing clothes for a date, dressing for your body shape is number one,” Gok said. “You’ve got to be slightly flirtatious on a date. You are trying to impress someone, after all.
“My biggest tip is probably [choose] boobs or legs. Pick one, never both — that might send out the wrong signal. It’s chest and arms, or legs. Then reduce that down the more dates you go on until you’re suddenly in your underwear.”
The importance of ‘she time’
To all of you who cringe at the thought of a man seeing you in your underwear, Gok has some more words of wisdom.
“For all those people who are sitting at home thinking ‘I’m too old, I’m too fat’, I would say, number one, ‘You’re a long time dead.’ And number two, you’ve worked pretty hard establishing who you are as a person, I’m sure you’re absolutely wonderful, it’s time for you to invest in some ‘she’ time.
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“You need to really honestly appreciate who you are as a person. You have much right as anyone else to feel great about yourself.”
Gok is currently in Australia for Westfield’s Style Tour, which will see him travelling to shopping centres across the country to dispense style tips and makeovers.
Your say: Do you think women should stop wearing revealing clothes as they get older?
Video: Gok Wan targets Australia’s ill-fitting bras
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