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Wednesday 17 August 2022

Wear Shorts at Any Age

 & #WowOnWednesday

Women of any age can wear shorts of any length, says Gail Hanlon from Is This Mutton. Ignore all those click bait online posts saying older women shouldn't go near them!  Wearing white shorts Marks and Spencer and poppy red sleeveless V neck from Kettlewell. Spring scarf from My Season Jewellery.

Dear friends. It's certainly been a scorcher this summer. Record temperatures, crops dying in the fields,  serious drought - and that's just the UK. In an effort to keep cool, with no air conditioning, I've been wearing shorts and sleeveless tops all summer.  And I'm over 60.

Why does that matter?  Well, I know a lot of us have been programmed by the media / well meaning relatives / society in general to think we shouldn't be wearing shorts over a certain age, and we certainly shouldn't be baring our arms.

When I worked full-time in tech, which was fairly recent, I never alluded to my age. Working mainly with millennials and gen Z, it didn't seem a winning strategy. But now I'm retired, I don't mind who knows my age.  Let's not be cowed by outdated stereotypes.

Two people who are role models for this are singer / actor Toyah Willcox, 64, and guitarist husband Robert Fripp, 76. You may remember Toyah from her hits in the 1980s, and Robert from his time with King Crimson. 

They have had more than 33 million views for their weekly YouTube video Sunday Lunch with Toyah and Robert. Each week they take a rock classic and re-interpret it, with Toyah showing off her energy and amazing body in outfits which the tabloids would scream shouldn't be worn by anyone over 30, let alone 60. She radiates confidence and sexiness.  


Toyah was a guest on the How to Be 60 podcast with Kaye Adams, and I was blown away by her attitude to ageing. In the process of hiring a PR,  one of the candidates, a young man, asked her: "How are you, old woman?" She said she was very well, and wouldn't be hiring him. 

All of this is a long winded way of saying forget how we've been pre-programmed. Wear whatever we like! 

Shorts and sleeveless tops can be stylish:  knee-length shorts are no different than a knee-length skirt, so fine for the office.  A simple sleeveless top can be dressed up with a scarf or necklace. Stretchy material can be more flattering - the shorts in the top pic are cotton but I also have knee-length shorts and cropped trousers in a stretchy material, like the ones below from Robell. Rachel jacket and apple zebra infinity, Kettlewell Colours

City shorts and a suede jacket and scarf are smart enough for business. Gail Hanlon from Is This Mutton in purple shorts from Robell, Bright Violet jacket and scarf from Kettlewell Colours.

Have you been wearing shorts all summer?  What women over the age of 50 do you admire for throwing away the "rule book" on dressing? Do share in the comments. 

Sharing this post with: On Mondays We Link Up at Glass of Glam, Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Chic & Stylish at Mummabstylish, #SpreadTheKindness  and #Linkup on the Edge at Shelbee on the Edge, #AnythingGoes at My Random Musings, Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish,  Style with a Smile  at StylesplashTFF at Doused in Pink, Confident Twosday at IDoDeclaireRena at Fine Whatever,, #Neverendingstyle at The Grey BrunetteFancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style,  Weekday Wear Link-Up at Away from the Blue Sunday Showcase with Chez Mireille and Elegance and Mommyhood  (first Sunday of the month), Talent Sharing Tuesdays at Scribbling Boomer, Link Up Pot Pourri at My Bijou LifeTraffic Jam Weekend at Marsha in the Middle Fabulous Fridays at Lucy Bertoldi

Now it's time for the #WowOnWednesday link-up. Bloggers/Instagrammers can find new readers, plus readers can find new blogs to read. 


Last Week's Favourites


Finally Wearing my White Lace Dress by Jacqui at Mummabstylish


French Style Wardrobe by Jennifer at Curated by Jennifer


Summer Neutrals - How I'm Wearing Them by Alison at Midlife and Beyond

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7 comments

  1. I definitely feel you can wear a lot of things at any age and shorts are no exception. Loved seeing this and I like the way you styled these. It is incredibly chic. Definitely check out my latest post and have a stylish week. https://www.bauchlefashion.com/2022/08/how-5-iconic-fall-pieces-have-become-my.html?m=1

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  2. As you can see Gail, I'm even wearing a bikini, and I turn 56 in fortnight. And I've worn shorts and tanktops all summer! We can wear what we want!

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    1. Full of admiration for the bikini shot, I don't think I could do that! But you look fantastic

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  3. Wowzers Gail, you look amazing in your shorts. I will never look amazing in mine, awful knees and legs, but I’ve been wearing them all of this scorching summer. I’ve got to the invisible age (72) where I know no one pays attention to how I look when out and about, and that’s amazingly liberating. So I wear shorts!
    A very interesting piece, as always.
    Mary xxx.

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    1. That's another interesting topic for later Mary. I'm also invisible, and even Polina Poriskova, a former top model, says she is. While it means we can wear what we like because no-one notices, it's also very sad that we are so irrelevant as we grow older!

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  4. Hello Gail, I enjoyed your post and I too wear shorts and intend to keep wearing denim shorts until my legs drop off...(I am 53) I do wonder who we are irrelevant to? I am not irrelevant to my husband, son or friends and they seem quite happy/complimentary about what I wear. As to anyone else? Am I irrelevant? Are they relevant to me?? I am totally relieved to be 'private' and not subject to the harsh light of public opinion 😃

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  5. I wore shorts on the blog recently all due to getting my legs into shape from cycle classes. Thanks for hosting and wow thank you so much for the feature I’m chuffed xxx Jacqui x

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